BEYOND THE BASICS
On the chart, all rounds are read in an anti-clockwise direction.ROUNDS
Below is an example of a stitch diagram
where the stitches are worked in the round to
create a flat motif. You’ll find that many
crochet motifs and granny squares include a
diagram like this, to help guide you visually on
where to place your stitches. They function in
the same way as a stitch diagram worked in
rows (see left).
The key things to remember are that the
position of each stitch shows you which stitch
to work into from the round below, and a new
round is often shown in a contrast colour,
with numbers to match the round you’re
working on. The main difference with a stitch
diagram worked in the round is that you start
at the centre and move outwards, completing
each round in turn. See the bottom of this
page for our guide on how to start working
our example diagram below.
Most diagrams like this will be drawn for
right-handed crocheters, so stitches will be
worked in an anti-clockwise direction. If
you’re left-handed, simply work the same
stitches in a clockwise direction instead.
Occasionally, a flat motif worked in the round
will include instructions to ‘turn’ and work
stitches in the other direction, then turn
again. This sort of change should be marked
on the stitch diagram or noted next to it.Many crocheters don’t like to use stitch
diagrams and just follow a pattern’s text
instructions. Other crocheters prefer to use
stitch diagrams rather than text instructions.
Whichever method you prefer, we
recommend that you use both sets of
information to understand a pattern. It’s
always a good idea to read a pattern’s text
instructions, because there may be notes
about how to use the stitch diagram.
Similarly, a stitch diagram can help you to
understand exactly what a set of text
instructions are asking you to do. Both
pattern text and diagrams are there to help,
you just need to get used to reading them.To work the diagram above, start at the
centre of the stitch diagram and work the
foundation ring.
The pattern text states: Ch6, join with a ss
into a ring.
Work the next round out, which usually starts
from where the previous round ends (unless
you fasten off and change colour). Refer to
the pattern text and diagram together to help
you learn the symbols.Continue in this way, working Round 2 from
the symbols in the stitch diagram and
referring to the pattern text for colour
changes. Work all the following rounds in
turn in this way.ROUND BY ROUND
STITCH DIAGRAM