Seed check
Small contrasting seeds with quiet space between them. A gentle first repeat.
03 / A first colourwork swatch
Get started with colourwork knitting
Colourwork knitting uses more than one yarn colour to make a pattern. Start with a small repeat and two clearly contrasting yarns, then knit a sample before planning a larger piece.
Try a repeat in the chart maker ↗What is colourwork knitting?
Colourwork (also spelled colorwork) is a broad name for knitting with multiple colours. Stripes change colours between rows; stranded knitting carries unused yarn across the back; intarsia uses separate yarn supplies for blocks of colour. A colour chart describes the visible motif, so you still need to choose a suitable knitting technique.
How to read a knitting colour chart
Each square represents a stitch and each horizontal line represents a row or round. Begin at the bottom of the chart. For stockinette in the round, read every round from right to left. For flat stockinette, read right-side rows from right to left and wrong-side rows from left to right. Always follow the particular pattern’s directions and key.
Choose an easy first repeat
Pick two colours with clear light–dark contrast and a repeat you can count easily. Try Seed check on a small sample. Stranded work leaves floats behind the fabric; spread the stitches naturally on the needle as you carry yarn so the floats do not pull the fabric tight. Long gaps between colour changes need particular attention.
Make a swatch before a garment
Use the yarn, needles and knitting method planned for the finished piece. Knit a sample large enough to measure away from its edges, wash and dry it as you will the garment, then measure stitches and rows. A digital preview cannot predict your tension, drape or shrinkage.
Why does my motif look stretched?
Knit stitches are often wider than they are tall. If your measured gauge is 22 stitches and 30 rows per 10 cm, a 12-stitch by 12-row motif is about 5.5 cm wide and 4 cm tall. Square graph paper is useful for editing, but it does not represent the finished proportions.
Colourwork, Fair Isle and sashiko
Fair Isle is a particular knitting tradition within the wider world of stranded colourwork. These original practice motifs are not presented as traditional Fair Isle designs. Sashiko is a running-stitch practice worked through cloth; its needle routes are different from a knitting colour chart. The app provides separate workspaces for these different crafts.
A few useful answers
Is colourwork knitting suitable for beginners?
A small two-colour swatch is a manageable next exercise once you can knit and purl comfortably. Practise the chosen colourwork technique and tension before starting a garment.
Is a colourwork chart a complete knitting pattern?
Usually not. A motif chart shows colour placement. A garment also needs sizing, gauge, shaping, materials and construction instructions. Our free charts are practice motifs.
Choose a chart to practise with
Try the chart maker →Stepped diamond
A small diamond that grows and contracts across six rows. Try it as a border.
Little peaks
An asymmetric mountain line. Repeat it across a band or turn the colours around.