The grid: one square, one stitch
A counted cross stitch chart is a grid that mirrors the weave of your fabric. Each square stands for one full cross, and each column and row of squares lines up with a column and row of holes on the fabric. As DMC puts it, the squares on the chart correspond to the squares on the fabric. You do not trace or transfer anything; you count. Six squares of the same symbol in a row means six crosses side by side.
That is why fabric matters less than you might expect when reading. On 14-count Aida each square is one block of the weave. On 28-count evenweave worked “over two”, each square covers two threads each way. The chart is identical in both cases; only the finished size changes. Our guide to fabric counts works through the numbers.
Here is a real chart from our library with each part labelled. Everything this guide explains is on it.
Colour key (most-used first)
- DMC 986 Forest Green Vy Dk
172 stitches - DMC 989 Forest Green
53 stitches - DMC 3346 Hunter Green
52 stitches - DMC 3347 Yellow Green Med
42 stitches - DMC 899 Rose Medium
34 stitches - DMC 321 Red
34 stitches - DMC 444 Lemon Dark
34 stitches - DMC 326 Rose Very Dark
22 stitches - DMC 815 Garnet Medium
22 stitches - DMC 783 Topaz Medium
22 stitches - DMC 3326 Rose Light
10 stitches - DMC 666 Bright Red
10 stitches - DMC 445 Lemon Light
10 stitches
- 1 Bold line every 10 squares
- 2 Numbers every 10 columns and rows
- 3 Centre arrows, top and left
- 4 The centre square, where the arrows meet
Symbols and the colour key
Every square that should be stitched carries a symbol. The symbol tells you which thread to use, and the colour key (also called the legend) tells you which thread each symbol means. In a CraftPatterns PDF the key lists, for each colour:
| Column | What it tells you |
|---|---|
| Symbol | The mark you will see on the chart pages |
| Colour | A printed swatch of the thread |
| Code and name | The thread code and its name, for example DMC 321 Red |
| Stitches | How many squares of that colour are in the design |
| Amount | How many skeins to buy, with a margin for starting and ending |
| Nearest other brand | The closest Anchor code on a DMC chart (or DMC on an Anchor chart), on PDFs made in the pattern maker or editor |
Before you start, sort your threads in key order and label each one with its symbol. A floss card or a ring of numbered bobbins makes this easy. You will look things up hundreds of times during a project, so ten minutes of preparation pays back quickly.
Symbol sets
Charts from different designers use different symbols, and there is no single standard. Our PDFs offer three sets:
- Classic: a mix of shapes, letters and marks familiar from printed charts.
- Shapes first: solid and outline shapes chosen so neighbouring colours never rely on colour alone.
- Letters: capital letters and digits first, which read best in large print.
When the pattern generator turns a photo into a chart, it hands out symbols in order of use, so the most common colour gets a light, open shape and big areas of background stay easy on the eye. None of the sets is more “correct”. Pick the one you can recognise at a glance, because recognition speed matters more than anything else on a long project.
Bold lines, numbers and centre arrows
Not all grid lines on a chart are equal:
- Thin lines separate individual squares.
- Bold lines appear every 10 squares, dividing the chart into 10 × 10 blocks. Instead of counting 37 squares from the edge, you count three bold blocks and seven squares more. The bold lines are guides, not stitches.
- Numbers run along the top and side every 10 squares, so you always know which column and row you are in.
- Centre arrows on the edges point to the middle column and middle row. Where they meet is the centre of the design.
On the tulip chart above, the arrows point to column 19 and row 16. If you were stitching it, that square is where your first stitch would go.
Gridding your fabric
Many stitchers copy the bold lines onto the fabric with a removable grid every 10 squares. It is optional, but on large charts it catches most counting errors, because every mistake shows up within 10 stitches. There are three common ways to do it:
| Method | Good for | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|
| Gridding thread or sewing thread | Any fabric, including dark colours | Do not pull it tight, and avoid piercing it with stitches or it is hard to remove |
| Water-soluble pen or pencil | Light fabrics, quick setup | Test on a scrap first, and never iron before the marks are washed out: heat can set some inks |
| Pre-gridded Aida | Beginners and big projects | Costs a little more; pull the grid threads out when finished |
Start the grid at the centre lines and work outwards, so your fabric grid lines up with the chart’s bold lines.
Finding your starting point
- Fold your fabric in half lengthways and then widthways. The point where the creases cross is the centre.
- On the chart, follow the centre arrows from the top and from the side until they meet. That square is the centre of the design.
- Work outwards from there. Many people stitch the colour that occupies the centre first, then move to neighbouring areas of the same colour.
If the centre square is empty, count from the centre to the nearest stitched square, then count the same number of holes on the fabric. Our beginner’s guide covers preparing the fabric and making that first stitch.
Lines, dots and part squares
Beyond full crosses, most charts use a few other marks. These are the usual conventions; the key of each chart has the final word.
- Full cross Symbol fills the square
- Half stitch One diagonal through the square
- ¾ stitch Triangle filling half the square
- ¼ stitch Small mark in one corner
- Backstitch Line along the grid lines
- French knot Dot on a grid hole
- Half stitches are one leg of a cross, used for lighter, shaded areas.
- Three-quarter and quarter stitches are partial crosses that let a curve cut across a square. A triangle filling half the square is usually a three-quarter stitch; a small mark in one corner is a quarter stitch.
- Backstitch runs along the grid lines, not through squares, outlining shapes or forming lettering. A dashed line can mean a second colour or an optional outline, so check the key.
- French knots sit on the holes and appear as dots or small circles. The key gives the colour, strands and sometimes the number of wraps.
Multi-page charts
Larger designs do not fit on one sheet, so the chart is split across pages. The cover page of a CraftPatterns PDF includes a page map showing how the pages fit together. Neighbouring pages share a 2-square overlap, so the last two columns of one page are the first two of the next. The overlap helps you line up; stitch it once, then use it to check you have moved to the right place.
How many pages to expect depends on the size of the design and your paper:
| Design (stitches) | Letter | A4 | Letter, large print |
|---|---|---|---|
| 40 × 40 | 1 (1 × 1) | 2 (2 × 1) | 1 (1 × 1) |
| 60 × 60 | 2 (2 × 1) | 2 (2 × 1) | 4 (2 × 2) |
| 80 × 80 | 4 (2 × 2) | 2 (2 × 1) | 6 (3 × 2) |
| 100 × 100 | 4 (2 × 2) | 4 (2 × 2) | 6 (3 × 2) |
| 120 × 160 | 9 (3 × 3) | 6 (3 × 2) | 16 (4 × 4) |
| 150 × 150 | 6 (3 × 2) | 6 (3 × 2) | 16 (4 × 4) |
| 200 × 200 | 12 (4 × 3) | 12 (4 × 3) | 30 (6 × 5) |
| 250 × 300 | 25 (5 × 5) | 20 (5 × 4) | 49 (7 × 7) |
Some stitchers tape the pages into one large sheet; others keep them loose in a folder and work page by page. Both work, as long as the page numbers stay visible. Our guide to printing pattern PDFs covers paper size, scaling and large print.
Working through the chart
There are two popular ways to work through a chart, and the choice is mostly personal preference.
Colour by colour. Choose one symbol and stitch every square of it within a section, then move to the next symbol. This keeps needle changes down and suits designs with large areas of flat colour.
Block by block (parking). Work one 10 × 10 block completely, keeping several threaded needles parked at the edge of the next block. This suits photo-style designs with many colour changes, because each block is finished before you move on and the count never drifts.
Whichever you choose:
- Work all the bottom legs of a row first, then come back along the row with the top legs, so every top leg slants the same way.
- Count twice before stitching a long run, especially next to empty squares.
- Mark completed areas as you go. On paper a light pencil line is enough; on screen the stitch tracker keeps per-colour progress and saves it on your device.
Common chart-reading mistakes
| Mistake | How to avoid it |
|---|---|
| Starting off-centre | Check both centre arrows, then count to your first stitch |
| Mixing up two similar symbols | Switch to a clearer symbol set, print large print, or print the colour pages too |
| Losing count across empty space | Count in tens using the bold lines, and grid your fabric |
| Stitching the page overlap twice | The first two columns of a page repeat the previous page |
| Counting holes instead of squares | Count the blocks (or thread pairs on evenweave), not the holes between them |
| Running short of a colour | Buy what the key’s Amount column says and keep one dye lot |
If a count goes wrong, stop as soon as you notice. Unpicking two stitches is quick; unpicking a whole block is not.
Make a chart you can read easily
If you design your own pattern, you can make it easier to read before you print it. In the cross stitch pattern generator, a sensible colour count and stronger confetti cleanup cut down lone stitches scattered across the chart (our guide to confetti explains why that matters). The Chart, Symbols and Colour views show exactly what you will be reading, and clicking a colour in the key highlights every square of it.