Here are 10 free original intarsia knitting charts, printable as one PDF. Each one has its bobbins, yarn ends and stitches per bobbin worked out before you cast on: across the set a chart needs 3 to 12 bobbins and leaves 6 to 24 ends to weave in.
16 sts × 20 rows · 2 colors · 3 bobbins · up to 3 at once · 6 ends to weave in
A first intarsia swatch: one block in the middle, so every color change is a straight vertical join. Knit it before a picture motif to practice twisting the yarns.
24 sts × 28 rows · 3 colors · 7 bobbins · up to 5 at once · 14 ends to weave in
A vest front, a cushion or a blanket strip: the middle diamond and the half diamonds at each edge meet point to point, so placing two charts side by side completes the next diamond. Add the thin diagonal lines of a classic argyle afterwards in duplicate stitch.
18 sts × 24 rows · 4 colors · 5 bobbins · up to 4 at once · 10 ends to weave in
Cushion covers, blanket squares and a child's sweater. The stem and leaf are small, so you can also leave them out and add them afterwards in duplicate stitch.
18 sts × 24 rows · 4 colors · 10 bobbins · up to 5 at once · 20 ends to weave in
3 strands of 3 stitches or fewer (6 sts): knit them in the surrounding color and add them afterwards in duplicate stitch, and you wind at least 3 fewer bobbins.
A sweet motif for a child's cardigan, a summer bag or a blanket square. The seeds are small blocks, so work them as they come or leave them for duplicate stitch at the end.
24 sts × 25 rows · 4 colors · 9 bobbins · up to 7 at once · 18 ends to weave in
A woodland cushion, a toddler sweater or a blanket square. Each spot is at least two stitches wide in every row, so it can be knitted in rather than embroidered.
22 sts × 30 rows · 4 colors · 11 bobbins · up to 7 at once · 22 ends to weave in
A child's sweater, a cushion or a project bag for a cat lover. The ears start as single stitches at the outer edge; add whiskers afterwards in duplicate stitch for a livelier face.
30 sts × 21 rows · 3 colors · 12 bobbins · up to 9 at once · 24 ends to weave in
3 strands of 3 stitches or fewer (6 sts): knit them in the surrounding color and add them afterwards in duplicate stitch, and you wind at least 3 fewer bobbins.
A baby blanket, a cushion or a child's sweater. The eye is a single stitch, so you can knit it in navy and embroider it afterwards; the spout drops are short, so wind small butterflies for them rather than bobbins.
24 sts × 26 rows · 4 colors · 7 bobbins · up to 5 at once · 14 ends to weave in
A cushion, a nursery blanket square or a sturdy bag. The mast is one stitch wide but straight, so one small bobbin carries it from the hull to the top; add rigging afterwards in duplicate stitch if you like.
28 sts × 20 rows · 4 colors · 9 bobbins · up to 9 at once · 18 ends to weave in
A baby blanket, a cushion or a nursery wall hanging. The bands step gradually, which keeps the curve chunky and saves changing yarn every row.
28 sts × 24 rows · 4 colors · 8 bobbins · up to 5 at once · 16 ends to weave in
A blanket square, a cushion or the back of a sweater for a walker. Both peaks are navy, so where they overlap they share one strand; add birds afterwards in duplicate stitch if you like.
Each chart is one flat motif. Row 1 is at the bottom, stitch 1 on the right; the letters in the PDF’s written instructions name the colors, A being the main color. The charts are free to knit, change and use in your own projects and patterns.
Intarsia is knitted flat, one motif at a time, and the chart is read the way the knitting grows. Row 1 is the bottom row and stitch 1 is the right-hand stitch. On right-side rows — the odd numbers — read the chart from right to left and knit every stitch in the color shown. On wrong-side rows — the even numbers — read from left to right and purl every stitch. The chart is drawn as the right side of the fabric, so the picture appears the way it will look when the piece is worn.
Every block of color is worked with its own length of yarn, including each separate block of the background color. A color that appears in two separate runs in the same row uses two separate strands, even when both are the same color; you do not carry the yarn behind the other block. Leave the strands hanging at the side of their blocks, and untangle them every few rows before the ends get out of hand. For the general rules of rows, symbols and colorwork, see how to read a knitting chart.
Every separate color section in a row is knitted from its own bobbin or ball. A section carries on the same strand when it sits directly above a section of the same color in the row below and the two share at least one stitch column. If there is no section of that color underneath it — or the one underneath has already been claimed by the neighboring run — it needs a new strand. That gives the two rules that decide the count: when two sections merge into one, one strand carries on and the other ends; when one section splits into two, the second half needs a new strand.
The count starts at row 1, where every run gets a fresh bobbin, and works up the chart. Where a section could follow more than one strand below, the leftmost free one is chosen, which keeps the total as low as possible because the sections in neighboring rows line up from left to right. The background counts too: each separate background section gets its own bobbin, and the ball you start with counts as one of them.
That is exactly how the figures on this page and in the PDF are produced: 10 charts need 3 to 12 bobbins each, with up to 9 hanging from the work at once across the set. Each card lists every bobbin and the number of stitches it knits, so you can wind them all before you cast on rather than stopping halfway through a row.
The table collects the counts from the cards above. Sizes are the chart size and the finished size at the gauge in the chart data (22 stitches and 30 rows to 10 cm, or 4 in); change the gauge in the editor and the finished size changes with it. The last column is what the longest float would be if the same motif were knitted stranded instead of intarsia.
| Chart | Size (sts × rows) | Finished size at 22 sts × 30 rows | Colors | Bobbins | Most at once | Ends | Longest float if stranded |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Color block | 16 × 20 | 7.3 × 6.7 cm (2.9 × 2.6 in) | 2 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 6 sts |
| Argyle | 24 × 28 | 10.9 × 9.3 cm (4.3 × 3.7 in) | 3 | 7 | 5 | 14 | 12 sts |
| Apple | 18 × 24 | 8.2 × 8.0 cm (3.2 × 3.1 in) | 4 | 5 | 4 | 10 | 14 sts |
| Strawberry | 18 × 24 | 8.2 × 8.0 cm (3.2 × 3.1 in) | 4 | 10 | 5 | 20 | 14 sts |
| Mushroom | 24 × 25 | 10.9 × 8.3 cm (4.3 × 3.3 in) | 4 | 9 | 7 | 18 | 20 sts |
| Cat face | 22 × 30 | 10.0 × 10.0 cm (3.9 × 3.9 in) | 4 | 11 | 7 | 22 | 18 sts |
| Whale | 30 × 21 | 13.6 × 7.0 cm (5.4 × 2.8 in) | 3 | 12 | 9 | 24 | 21 sts |
| Sailboat | 24 × 26 | 10.9 × 8.7 cm (4.3 × 3.4 in) | 4 | 7 | 5 | 14 | 20 sts |
| Rainbow | 28 × 20 | 12.7 × 6.7 cm (5.0 × 2.6 in) | 4 | 9 | 9 | 18 | 12 sts |
| Mountains | 28 × 24 | 12.7 × 8.0 cm (5.0 × 3.1 in) | 4 | 8 | 5 | 16 | 25 sts |
A bobbin is any small, tidy package of yarn you can hang from the work: a plastic or wooden bobbin, a scrap of cardboard with a notch cut in it, or a butterfly. To make a butterfly, hold the yarn against your palm and wind it in a figure of eight around your thumb and little finger about a dozen times, then wrap the end around the middle of the bundle and tuck it through. A small ball works just as well. Wind loosely; yarn that has been stretched on the bobbin relaxes in the knitting and can leave the motif uneven.
Very short strands do not need a bobbin at all. If a strand will knit less than about 1 m (about a yard), cut it and let it hang from the work, moving it out of the way as you go. Below that length the weight of a bobbin is more trouble than the tangle it prevents. Do not cut every strand to the minimum, though: a tail that is too short to thread on a needle is worse than a little wasted yarn.
To estimate the yarn for one bobbin, knit 10 stitches with that yarn at your gauge, mark the first and last stitch, unravel the swatch and measure the yarn from mark to mark. Divide the length by 10 for the yarn used per stitch, multiply by the number of stitches printed for that bobbin on the card, and add about 15 cm (6 in) for the two tails. A strand that changes color often needs a little more, because the yarn travels along the join; when in doubt, wind an extra arm’s length rather than run out in the middle of a block.
At every change of color, bring the new yarn up from underneath the old yarn, cross the two, and only then knit the next stitch. This is the twist that locks the join. The rule is the same on right-side and wrong-side rows: the new yarn comes from under the old one and the two cross before the stitch is worked.
If you forget the twist, the two blocks pull apart and leave a small hole at the join — the most common fault in a first intarsia piece. The same twist is needed where a color edge runs diagonally, not only where it runs straight up. Keep the yarns relaxed as you change. A tight twist puckers the fabric and makes the motif narrower than the chart; a loose one leaves a gap. Aim for the same tension as the rest of the row and check the back of the work now and then.
Every strand has two tails, one where it starts and one where it is cut, so the ends to weave in are twice the number of bobbins. Across this set that is 6 to 24 ends per chart. The Whale has the most: 24 ends. Weave each tail into the back of the stitches in its own color, following the color change rather than crossing into the neighboring block, so the tail disappears against matching yarn. Run it through four or five stitches, turn and run it back through two or three, and trim it close. Do not knot the tails: knots work loose and show through the right side. If the yarn is slippery, split it and weave the two halves in opposite directions.
A small strand is one that knits 3 stitches or fewer. These are the isolated stitches and tiny details that are fiddly to work in intarsia: a single eye, a strawberry seed, the tip of a tail fin. Knit those stitches in the surrounding color and add them afterwards in duplicate stitch, which copies a knit stitch on top of the finished fabric and follows the V of the stitch below. The motif looks the same from the right side, the fabric stays a single layer, and you avoid a bobbin that would knit only two or three stitches. Each one you postpone is at least one bobbin fewer to wind; often more, because the surrounding color no longer splits around it.
6 small strands are spread across 2 charts: Strawberry (3 strands, 6 sts) and Whale (3 strands, 6 sts). The note on each card says which.
Stranded colorwork — Fair Isle is the best-known kind — carries every color across the back of the work, so each row is knitted from two or more yarns that travel along with you. That is efficient for small repeating motifs, but a wide block of one color leaves a long float behind it, and a float that is too long catches on fingers and jewelry and pulls the fabric out of shape. Intarsia gives every color block its own yarn: there are no floats behind the motif, the fabric is a single layer, and you can use many colors in one row without the back becoming bulky.
The difference is easy to see in the numbers. If these charts were knitted stranded, their longest floats would run from 6 to 25 stitches, the longest on the Mountains, every one longer than the 5 stitches after which a float usually has to be caught. That is why they are drawn for intarsia. For small repeating bands, where the colors change every few stitches, the free Fair Isle charts are the better tool: they are designed to be repeated around a hat or a yoke with short floats.
Yes, intarsia can be worked in the round, but not as a simple spiral. Work back and forth on the circular needle: at the end of each round every bobbin is waiting at the left edge of its color section, so you turn and work the next round on the wrong side before turning again. Close the gap at the turn with a yarn over or a wrap, and work it together with the neighboring stitch so no hole appears at the join.
For a small motif on a hat, that is usually more trouble than it is worth. Stranded knitting carries the few colors around the round, and duplicate stitch adds the motif after the hat is finished; both are quicker than turning the whole piece at every color change. Use intarsia in the round when the motif is large and the project is worth the extra handling.
To center a motif on a panel, subtract its width from the total number of stitches and divide by two: each side gets (total − motif width) ÷ 2 stitches. When the answer is odd, put the extra stitch on one side — the motif is then one stitch off center, which is invisible in the knitting and much easier than fighting the numbers. Count from the right edge on a right-side row, or from the left on a wrong-side row, so the motif starts at the same place on both.
A 60-stitch cushion panel with the Cat face (22 stitches wide) leaves 38 stitches, so 19 go at each side and the two sides match exactly. Work the side stitches in the main color, then the motif, then the same number of side stitches to the end of the row. If the panel is narrower than the motif, choose a smaller motif or a finer yarn, which gives the panel more stitches; the chart itself cannot shrink without being redrawn.
For a heart, the free heart knitting charts come in sizes from a tiny heart for duplicate stitch to a large one for a sweater front, each with its finished size and bobbin count.
Beyond the cat face and the whale, the free animal knitting charts gather a whole set to knit flat, from a sitting cat and a puppy face to a penguin, a fox and an owl.
Every card has a button labelled Open this chart in the editor. The chart is copied into your browser’s chart list, where you can change the colors, set the width and height in stitches or rows, choose flat or in the round, set your gauge, and download a PDF with the color key and written row instructions. Nothing is uploaded; the charts are stored on your device.
The editor opens these motifs as flat charts, which is how they are meant to be worked. Change the palette to match your yarn, and keep a light and a dark color next to each other so the motif does not blur at a distance. The PDF recalculates the finished size from the gauge you set, so check the gauge before you print.
Mirror ↔ makes a left and right pair for mittens or the two fronts of a cardigan; Flip ↕ turns a chart upside down for a border that mirrors itself. The free editor mirrors and flips whole charts. Selecting part of a chart to copy, flip and paste comes with Knitting Chart Pro.
To draw a chart from a picture instead, use photo to knitting chart; for a name or a word, use knitting chart letters; to sketch on paper first, print knitting graph paper at your gauge.
These grids also work for crochet intarsia or tapestry crochet: one square is one stitch, and the color of the square is the yarn you work it in. Crochet stitches are usually taller relative to their width than knitted stitches, so the same chart can look stretched or squat in crochet. Set your crochet gauge in the editor — the number of stitches and rows you work to 10 cm — and the preview and the finished size will follow it.
The charts are free to knit, change and use in your own projects and patterns. There is no sign-up and no watermark on the PDF. The free editor opens every chart on this page; selecting part of a chart to copy, flip and paste comes with Knitting Chart Pro. For repeated bands and short floats, the free Fair Isle charts follow the same colorwork rules in the round.
Open a chart
Use the button on any card and the chart is copied into your browser’s chart list. Nothing is uploaded and there is no sign-up.
Change the colors
Swap the palette for the yarn you have. Keep a light and a dark color in each pair so the motif stays clear at a distance, and remember that every block gets its own bobbin.
Wind the bobbins
The card lists the stitches each bobbin knits. Knit 10 stitches, measure the yarn, divide by 10 and multiply by those stitches, then add about 15 cm (6 in) for the tails.
Print or knit from the screen
Download a PDF with the color key and written row instructions, or follow the chart on screen. The PDF uses the gauge you set in the editor.
On this page: 10 original intarsia charts, each with its bobbins, ends and stitches per bobbin worked out. They all open in the free editor, and the whole set is in one printable PDF. They are free to knit, change and use in your own projects.
Start at row 1 at the bottom right. Intarsia is knitted flat, so right-side (odd) rows are read from right to left and knitted, and wrong-side (even) rows from left to right and purled. The chart shows the right side of the work, and every separate block of color has its own strand of yarn.
It depends on the motif. Across these charts a chart needs 3 to 12 bobbins, with up to 9 hanging from the work at once. Each card lists the bobbins by color and the stitches each one knits; the count includes every separate background section, not just the motif colors.
Knit 10 stitches with the yarn at your gauge, mark the first and last stitch, unravel the swatch and measure from mark to mark. Divide by 10, multiply by the stitches printed for that bobbin, and add about 15 cm (6 in) for the two tails. Wind a little extra rather than risk running out mid-block.
At every color change, bring the new yarn up from under the old yarn and cross the two before knitting the next stitch. Do it on right-side and wrong-side rows, and on diagonal color edges too. The twist closes the gap; if a hole is already there, sew it closed from the wrong side with a nearby tail when you weave in the ends.
Fair Isle carries all the colors across the back of the work, which is efficient for small repeats but leaves floats behind wide blocks. Intarsia gives each block its own bobbin, so there are no floats and the fabric stays a single layer. If these charts were knitted stranded, their longest floats would run from 6 to 25 stitches, too long for comfortable Fair Isle; for short repeating bands, use the Fair Isle charts.
Yes, by working back and forth on the circular needle. At the end of each round each bobbin waits at the left edge of its color section, so you turn and work the next round on the wrong side, closing the gap at the turn with a yarn over or a wrap. For a small motif on a hat, stranded knitting or duplicate stitch is usually less work.
Open the free chart maker, set the width and height, choose flat, and draw one stitch per square. The editor shows the chart in stitch proportions and exports a PDF with a color key and written rows. To start from a picture instead, use photo to knitting chart; to sketch on paper first, print the free knitting graph paper.
Yes. Download all 10 charts as a PDF or open them in the editor, without sign-up or watermark. You can knit them, change them and use them in your own projects and patterns. Selecting part of a chart to copy, flip and paste comes with Knitting Chart Pro.
Knitting Chart