How to read a knitting pattern (a beginner's guide)

To read a knitting pattern, work through it from top to bottom. Check the materials and gauge first, learn the abbreviations, then follow the row-by-row instructions in order, repeating any sections marked with asterisks or brackets as directed. A pattern is a set of instructions written in shorthand to save space. Once you know what each part means, the shorthand becomes plain English.

This guide walks through every section of a typical pattern, in the order you will meet it.

Keep the knitting abbreviations glossary open in another tab as you read. It explains every code you will see below.

The anatomy of a knitting pattern

Almost every pattern has the same sections, in roughly this order:

1. Materials: the yarn (weight and amount), needle size, and notions (markers, tapestry needle).
2. Gauge (US) / tension (UK): how many stitches and rows should measure 4 in (10 cm). This is the most important and the most often skipped section.
3. Finished measurements and sizes: the dimensions of the final piece, often for several sizes.
4. Abbreviations and special stitches: any codes used, including ones unique to this pattern.
5. Instructions: the row-by-row or round-by-round steps.
6. Finishing: binding off, seaming, blocking, weaving in ends.

Always start with gauge

Gauge is the number of stitches and rows that fit into a 4 in (10 cm) square of knitted fabric. Matching it is what makes your finished piece the right size. A pattern might say:

Gauge: 20 sts and 28 rows = 4 in (10 cm) in stockinette stitch.

Knit a swatch, measure it, and compare. If you have too many stitches in 4 in, your knitting is tight. Go up a needle size. If you have too few, it is loose. Go down a size. Skipping gauge is the most common reason a sweater comes out the wrong size, even when every instruction was followed.

How to read the instructions

Instructions are written as a sequence of abbreviations. Read them left to right, doing exactly what each code says. For example:

Row 1 (RS): k2, *p2, k2; rep from * to end.

This reads as: "On the right side, knit 2. Then purl 2, knit 2, and repeat that purl 2, knit 2 sequence until the end of the row." That is 2×2 ribbing.

Asterisks and repeats

The asterisk * marks the start of a repeat. rep from * means go back to the asterisk and do it again. This is how patterns avoid writing "k2, p2" forty times.

Brackets and parentheses

Parentheses ( ) and brackets [ ] group instructions that repeat as a unit:

[k1, yo, k2tog] 3 times

This means work "k1, yo, k2tog", then do the whole thing twice more (3 times in total).

Parentheses are also used for sizes (see below), so read them by context.

How sizes are written

Multi-size patterns list numbers separated by colons or commas, smallest first:

CO 80 (88, 96, 104) sts.

The first number is the smallest size. The numbers in parentheses are the larger sizes in order. Pick your size, then circle or highlight your number every time it appears. This is the single most useful step for avoiding mistakes. Where a single number appears with no parentheses, it applies to all sizes.

Tip: before you start, photocopy the pattern (or open the PDF) and highlight your size throughout. Your numbers are then easy to find in every row.

Flat vs in the round

• Flat knitting works back and forth. You turn the work at the end of each row, alternating right-side (RS) and wrong-side (WS) rows.
• In the round works in a continuous spiral on circular or double-pointed needles, so every round faces the right side. Patterns say "join to work in the round" and count rounds (rnds) instead of rows.

This matters for stitch patterns. In stockinette, you knit every round when working in the round, but knit one row and purl the next when working flat.

A worked example

A short pattern, fully decoded:

CO 24 sts. Row 1 (RS): k all sts. Row 2 (WS): p all sts. Rep Rows 1 and 2 until piece measures 6 in. BO.

Translation: cast on 24 stitches. On the right side, knit every stitch. On the wrong side, purl every stitch. Keep alternating those two rows (this makes stockinette) until the piece is 6 in long, then bind off. The result is a simple stockinette swatch or washcloth.