The art of reading a crochet diagram is a method I prefer over reading written words. It's like teaching yourself hieroglyphics but for crochet. The symbols mean something and are a language all to itself. For myself, my first crochet book, when I was fourteen, had written words and diagrams for each pattern.
Standard Crochet Diagram Symbols Downloadable
You can download this worksheet to accompany your crochet patterns. A good pattern usually includes a stitch key that explains each symbol.
Crochet Diagram Collection of Designs
Our Pinterest page has an entire collection of computer-generated crochet diagrams. Many more were drawn with pencils and left out of the collection. There are over 150 crochet diagrams on file.
Reading isn't my strong suit, and it's still not today. Look at my grammar, and you can see I am not kidding.
I learned to crochet through reading the diagrams as I understood what the symbols meant. Using a stitch key, I taught myself pretty quickly.
TIP: Give yourself time to develop the skill to read the diagrams. Once you get it, patterns across the globe will open up to you without ever having to know the language the designer is speaking.
The video below is a comprehensive look at reading crochet diagrams. I start back at the very beginning and work towards getting more complicated. Everything from how to read them, symbols, and so much more. The video has 15 segments. I provide the minute marker near the beginning of the tutorial so you can fast forward if you want to see particular elements and learn specific information.
Video Tutorial
Learning crochet is not a race, enjoy the journey.
Susan Marcille says
Question: When creating a diagram and at the beginning of a round of sc sts you have a sc that does not count as a stitch, then at the end of the round you want to sl st to the original sc, how do you show that? In making the round, the ch 1 st has nowhere to go except before the first sc, then coming around to the end it is there, in the way! Can you suggest something? Do I need that ch 1 symbol if it does not count as a stitch?
Thanks, Mikey,
Susan
Mikey says
Give me the first rounds in technical terms so I can understand what you are asking. I cannot visualize exactly what you are doing to do.
Christina says
I have a question I'm making your spider web blanket and I was wondering about how to repeat the rows past row 16.
Mikey says
I'm not sure exactly what pattern you are talking about as this is left on the how to read a diagram page. If you want to find that page and comment from there, I'll know exactly which one to address your issue.