BEYOND THE BASICS
COLOUR CHARTS
How to use colour charts to create motifs in your fabric
ROUNDS
This chart (right) is an example
of a colour chart worked in
rounds – this was intended for
a hat. Using these charts
involves the same techniques
as working a colour chart in
rows. The only difference is
that all the round numbers will
be on the right-hand side, with
each new round starting here.
This is because you start each
new ‘row’ in the same place
each time, instead of turning at
the end of a row to create
a fabric with two edges. So
don’t turn your work, just keepgoing round. To work from this
sort of chart, start from the
bottom-right corner, work
towards the left and finish back
at the right-hand side, ready to
work Round 2.
A colour chart will often
show you just a small part of
the pattern, while the written
instructions should tell you
where to work the chart, or it
will ask you to repeat the chart
a certain number of times.
You’ll find these charts used
with Fair Isle, intarsia and other
techniques, as explained on
the following pages.Written instructions should tell you
where to work the chart, or it will
ask you to repeat the chart a certainnumber of times
13530 25 20 15 10 57910246811131517121416KEY
Sand
Off WhiteCOLOUR CHART
ROWS
One of the beauties of working with yarn is
that you can use different colours to create all
sorts of motifs and patterns. These colourful
motifs are often represented in what’s known
as a colour chart.
This chart (right) is an example of a colour
chart worked in rows. A pattern should
include a key to the chart and explain how to
use it. Normally though, you’ll need to start
at the bottom right-hand corner. Right-side
rows are usually odd numbered, while
wrong-side rows are usually even numbered.
Start the odd-numbered rows from the
right-hand side working towards the left,
and start even-numbered rows from the left
working towards the right. The numbers
along the bottom to represent how many
stitches need to be worked.
Most colour charts are worked in a plain
stitch pattern, such as all double crochet
stitches. This makes the finished fabric fairly
plain so that the colourful motif can stand
out. It also means that while you’re busyCOLOUR CHART
thinking about changing colours and
following the colour chart, you shouldn’t have
any complex stitches to have to worry about.
With colour charts, you’ll sometimes find
that once your colour pattern is crocheted it
can look different to the pattern on the colour
chart. Don’t worry, this is totally natural and
you haven’t done it wrong! Stitch charts are
generally worked in perfect squares whereas
crochet stitches are different shapes –
double crochet stitches are fairly square, but
treble stitches are tall and thin. So if you use
treble crochet to work a colour motif that was
intended for double crochet, it will look much
taller and thinner. So be careful!Most colour charts are
ZèNHGLQDSODLQVWLWFK
VXFKDVGRXEOHFURFKHW