How to Read a Knitting Pattern Without Getting Overwhelmed

Knitting patterns can sometimes feel as though they’ve been written in a secret code by someone who has never met an ordinary human.

You might know how to knit and purl. You might have successfully made several things. Then you open a new pattern, read one particular instruction six times and become convinced there must be a mistake.

Sometimes patterns do contain errors. They’re written by humans, after all. But more often, what looks like an error is an instruction that has been misunderstood, missed or simply laid out in a way that doesn’t match how your own brain expected it to work.

That doesn’t mean you’re a bad knitter. It means reading patterns is a skill of its own, and it gets easier with practice.

Not all knitting patterns are written the same way

The patterns we sell at The Wool Shop mainly come from two places.

The first is independent designers. Their business relies on people enjoying their patterns and coming back to buy more, so they generally put a great deal of time into making the instructions clear and useful. They may include detailed construction notes, diagrams, links to videos and explanations of unfamiliar techniques.

There is often more of a human element to the pattern too. You get a sense of how the garment is constructed, what the designer intends and where you may be able to make adjustments.

The second type comes from yarn companies. These can still be excellent patterns, but their main purpose is generally to help sell the company’s yarn.

Some yarn companies produce wonderfully clear, user-friendly patterns. Others assume a considerable amount of knitting knowledge and give you only the essential instructions. They may tell you what to do without explaining why you’re doing it.

This difference matters when choosing a pattern, particularly if you’re a beginner or trying a new construction method.

Before buying, read through as much of the pattern as you can. If you’re purchasing it in store, you’re welcome to ask us to look at it with you. We may ask whether you’ve knitted top-down before, how confident you feel and whether you’ve used the techniques involved.

The goal isn’t to put you off. It’s to help you choose something that sits in the right place between pleasantly challenging and likely to be abandoned in a bag for three years.

Choose the pattern before the yarn

People often come into the shop having fallen in love with a particular yarn and wanting to find a pattern for it.

It can be done, but it is generally more difficult than choosing the pattern first.

Even two yarns labelled with the same ply can behave very differently. The gauge may not match, the fibre may drape differently and the metreage in each ball can vary enormously.

Choosing the pattern first means you know:

• The yarn weight and type you need

• The required gauge

• The total metreage

• The needle sizes

• The finished measurements

• The techniques involved

You can then find a yarn that suits all those requirements.

If you already own the yarn, you’ll need to find a pattern that matches its gauge and characteristics rather than relying only on the ply written on the label.

Check the pattern suits you

Before buying yarn, read through the pattern and ask yourself a few questions.

Is it made in your size?

Don’t rely entirely on labels such as medium, large or XL. Those can mean quite different things between designers.

Look at the actual body and finished-garment measurements.

Is it the right yarn weight?

If you want to knit with 8 ply yarn, check that the pattern is actually written for an 8 ply yarn or a yarn that produces a similar gauge.

Substituting one yarn weight for another usually requires more than changing needle sizes.

Do you like the needle size?

I don’t have huge amounts of knitting time, so I tend to prefer relatively quick knits. I’ll often look at the needle requirements first, and if it uses 4 mm needles or larger, I’m interested. Socks are my main exception.

You may feel completely differently. You might love fine yarn and tiny needles or want a large, slow project you can work on for months.

The important thing is to notice before you buy the yarn.

Are there techniques you’ll enjoy?

Read the construction description and skim the instructions.

I enjoy cables, but I’m less excited by masses of complicated cables that require counting on every row. Complicated intarsia is also not currently high on my personal list of delightful ways to spend an evening.

You may love both of those things.

Look for any techniques you haven’t tried and decide whether you’re willing to learn them. A pattern should ideally include a few things you already understand and perhaps one or two new skills, rather than making every row feel like an exam you forgot to study for.

Body measurements, finished measurements and ease

This is one of the most important parts of choosing your size.

Your body measurement and the finished measurement of the garment are not the same thing.

If your bust measures 100 cm, that doesn’t necessarily mean you should automatically knit the size associated with a 100 cm bust.

You also need to consider ease.

Positive ease means the finished garment is larger than your body. Negative ease means it is smaller and stretches to fit. Zero ease means the finished measurement is approximately the same as your body measurement.

For example, a sweater designed with 20 cm of positive ease would finish at approximately 120 cm around the chest for someone with a 100 cm bust.

Modern patterns will often provide both the intended body measurement and the finished garment measurement. I vastly prefer this because it allows you to make a more informed decision about the fit you want.

With some PetiteKnit patterns, for example, I may knit one or two sizes smaller to get the look I want. For another garment, I might choose my suggested size or go up a size for a looser fit.

This is where a tape measure becomes extremely useful. In the shop, we’ll often hold the tape around the person at the proposed finished measurement so they can see how much room the garment will have.

Your choice of size will also determine how much yarn you need, so decide this before buying your balls.

Yes, you really do need to check your gauge

Gauge tells you how many stitches and rows should fit within a particular measurement, usually 10 cm.

We all knit slightly differently. Two people can use the same yarn, the same needles and the same pattern and still produce different-sized stitches.

That is why the needle size in a pattern is a suggestion. It’s the size the designer used to achieve the required gauge. You may need to use a larger or smaller needle.

Make a larger gauge swatch

If the pattern asks you to measure 20 stitches, don’t cast on exactly 20.

Cast on approximately 30 to 35 stitches so you can measure across the middle of your knitting without the edges affecting the result.

The same applies to rows. Your swatch needs to be large enough for you to measure a proper section in the centre.

If the garment is knitted in the round, it is best to swatch in the round too. Many people have different tension when knitting every round compared with working backwards and forwards in stocking stitch.

What happens when your stitch gauge is wrong?

If you have more stitches than required within 10 cm, your stitches are too small. Your finished garment will be narrower unless you move to a larger needle.

If you have fewer stitches than required, your stitches are too large. Your garment will be wider unless you move to a smaller needle.

Row gauge affects length and shaping. If a section is worked for a particular number of rows rather than a measurement in centimetres, an incorrect row gauge can make the garment shorter or longer than intended.

Check whether it is a blocked gauge

Some designers, including PetiteKnit, give a blocked gauge.

That means you need to knit the swatch, wash it, shape it gently to the required dimensions and allow it to dry before measuring it.

I’ve worked with many of our yarns often enough to have an idea of how particular fibres will behave. I may know that being one or two stitches out will probably block to the right gauge.

That knowledge has come from experience, however. If you’re a beginner, I recommend making and blocking the gauge swatch whenever the pattern asks you to.

I don’t generally worry about gauge for things such as scarves, facecloths or some baby items where the exact finished size is less important. For adult garments, I consider it essential.

Metreage matters more than grams

This catches a lot of people.

A pattern might tell you that you need 450 grams of its suggested yarn. That doesn’t mean you can buy 450 grams of any similar-looking yarn.

Different yarns can have very different metreage, even when they’re labelled with the same ply.

Imagine the suggested yarn comes in 50 gram balls, with 105 metres in each ball.

The pattern requires 450 grams:

• 450 divided by 50 = 9 balls

• 9 multiplied by 105 metres = 945 metres

You therefore need approximately 945 metres in total.

If your substitute yarn comes in 100 metre balls, you would need ten balls to give you at least the required metreage.

Always round up to complete balls. It’s also sensible to allow a little extra, particularly if you’re changing the length, your gauge is slightly different or the pattern uses techniques that consume more yarn.

If you’re buying your yarn from us, we’re happy to help calculate how many balls you’ll need. We know the yarns we stock and can usually suggest suitable options based on the pattern gauge, fibre and total metreage.

If you’re using yarn bought elsewhere, you’ll need to check its metreage and suitability yourself, as we don’t have the same working knowledge of yarns we don’t stock.

Patterns using two or more yarns held together require an extra calculation, but we can help you work through this when you’re choosing yarn from the shop.

Check every needle size and length

Don’t assume the first needle listed is the only one you’ll need.

A sweater pattern might use one needle size for the ribbing and another for the body. It may also require different circular-needle lengths as the circumference changes.

As a broad guide, you may need:

• A 40 cm circular for a neckline or sleeve

• A 60 cm circular as a yoke grows

• An 80 cm or 100 cm circular for the body

• Double-pointed needles or a long circular for magic loop

You won’t necessarily need every cable length listed. The best combination will depend on the pattern and whether you use fixed circulars, interchangeable needles, magic loop or another small-circumference method.

Read the full list before casting on so you don’t discover on Sunday night that the next section needs a needle you don’t own.

Read the whole pattern before beginning

Before casting on, read the pattern from beginning to end.

You don’t have to understand every instruction immediately. You’re looking for the overall construction and anything you need to prepare for.

I like to have a piece of paper beside me and note:

• Anything I don’t understand

• Techniques I need to look up

• Videos I may need to find

• Needle changes

• Places where several things happen together

• Sections I know I’ll need to track carefully

A confusing instruction often makes more sense once you understand what you’re constructing and what happens in the following section.

Read the abbreviations for that pattern

Most patterns include an abbreviations section explaining terms such as:

• K: knit

• P: purl

• K2tog: knit two together

• SSK: slip, slip, knit

• M1L: make one left

• M1R: make one right

Don’t assume every designer uses exactly the same terminology or method.

You may already know an increase by one name while the pattern uses another. Some abbreviations also vary between countries and designers.

Read the definitions supplied with that particular pattern. What initially looks like a completely new technique may be something you already know under a different name.

Highlight the instructions for your size

When several sizes are included, the stitch counts and instructions are often written in brackets.

For example:

Cast on 80 (88) 96 (104) stitches.

Each number corresponds to one of the sizes listed at the beginning of the pattern.

Choose your size before you begin, then mark the number belonging to that size every time it appears.

I use highlighter tape, which we sell in the shop, because it can be peeled off again easily. If I know the pattern will only ever be used for my size, I’ll often circle the relevant numbers directly on the page.

Do this through the whole pattern before you begin. If you try to remember that you’re always using the third number, there is an excellent chance that somewhere around page four you’ll accidentally use the second or fourth.

I know this because I would absolutely do the same thing.

Understand brackets, asterisks and repeats

Patterns use brackets and asterisks to avoid writing the same instruction repeatedly.

For example:

*K2, p2; repeat from * to end.

This means you repeat everything following the asterisk until you reach the end of the row or round.

An instruction such as:

(K1, yo, k1) into the next stitch

means all the actions inside the brackets are worked into that one stitch.

Designers may use brackets differently, so check the pattern notes. Then read the whole instruction before starting the row. The small words at the end often tell you how long to continue the repeat or what should remain when you finish it.

Watch especially carefully for phrases such as “at the same time”. These mean that one piece of shaping happens while you are still working another instruction. Missing those words can send your stitch count wandering off on an unsupervised adventure.

How to track rows and repeats

A row counter is extremely useful, particularly for longer sections or regular shaping.

I also like the reassuring physical act of checking things off with a pen.

If I need to repeat a sequence eight times, I’ll draw eight little boxes on a piece of paper and tick one after each repeat. It’s simple, visible and doesn’t rely on me remembering what I was doing before someone spoke to me.

For a very straightforward repeat, I may make a note on my phone before taking a break.

Stitch markers can help too. If I’m working a repeated pattern, I may place a marker at the end of each repeat. If something goes wrong, I only need to count back to the most recent marker rather than searching from the beginning of the row.

The best system is the one you will actually remember to use. You can use:

• A physical row counter

• A digital counter

• A knitting app

• Check boxes on paper

• Notes on your phone

• Removable highlighter tape

• Stitch markers

• A combination of several of these

What to do when your stitch count is wrong

Stop as soon as you notice.

Don’t keep knitting in the hope that the missing stitches will become embarrassed and quietly return.

Check:

1. Did you begin with the correct stitch count?

2. Did you use the number for the right size?

3. Did you complete every increase or decrease?

4. Did you repeat the instruction the correct number of times?

5. Did you miss an instruction at the beginning or end of the row?

6. Was something supposed to happen “at the same time”?

7. Have you accidentally dropped a stitch?

8. Does your row count match the pattern?

Markers placed between repeats or shaping sections make this much easier to diagnose.

Before deciding the pattern is wrong

If an instruction doesn’t make sense, put the knitting down and read the pattern again with fresh eyes.

Go away, make a drink, clear your head and come back to it.

Don’t begin by looking at what you’ve already done. Read the original instruction again and consider it as though you’re seeing it for the first time.

Then check:

• The abbreviations

• The instructions for your size

• The previous and following rows

• The expected stitch count

• Any notes about construction

• Whether the instruction continues elsewhere on the page

• Whether two things are happening simultaneously

Often, the pattern becomes perfectly sensible once you stop trying to make it fit what you thought it said.

If it still appears wrong, search for the pattern name and the word “errata”. Designers and publishers often list known corrections online. You can also check the designer’s website, Ravelry project notes or relevant knitting groups to see whether other people have had the same issue.

We have occasionally found a genuine published error. More often, the problem has been a misunderstanding or an instruction that could have been interpreted in more than one way.

Patterns are written by humans and read by humans. Sometimes our brains simply take different routes to the same place.

When to ask us for help

If you’ve reread the instructions, checked your stitch counts and still can’t work out what the pattern means, you’re welcome to ask us.

The best time to come into the shop for pattern help is between 9 am and 10 am on Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday.

Please avoid bringing complicated pattern questions on Thursday, Friday or Saturday if possible. Those are much busier days, and we may not have enough uninterrupted time to sit down and work through the problem properly.

If you need help online, you can email us. We can often explain an instruction or help you identify where something has gone wrong, but we may not be able to reply on the same day, particularly during busy periods or over the weekend.

When asking for help, please bring or send:

• The name of the pattern

• The size you’re knitting

• The exact instruction causing trouble

• Your current stitch count

• A clear photograph of your knitting

• Details of any changes you have made

That gives us a much better chance of finding the problem without having to unravel the entire mystery from scratch.

You only need to work one instruction at a time

You don’t need to understand every part of a knitting pattern before casting on.

You do need to check that the size, yarn, gauge and techniques are suitable, read through the construction and identify anything you may need to learn.

After that, work through it one instruction at a time.

Mark your size. Track your rows. Check your stitch counts regularly. Stop when something doesn’t look right rather than continuing for another 20 cm and hoping for a small knitting miracle.

Reading a knitting pattern becomes easier each time you do it. Eventually, the brackets, asterisks and abbreviations stop looking like secret code and begin to look like what they really are: a set of directions helping you turn a pile of yarn into something wonderful.