Quick, cute, & easy guide for distinguishing between US and metrics. This knitting conversion chart ncludes a list of commonly seen abbreviations in knitting patterns. Print and keep with patterns or by your desk as a quick reference while writing patterns. 

(Note: See the bottom of this post for a list of changes made to the PDF.)

As my knitting pattern collection grows, I’ve been noticing that far too many patterns are…unhelpful when it comes to size conversions. People running on the US system want to write in metrics, but don’t know what the difference is. Which means patterns say something like, “Size 4mm US needles.” The US system doesn’t use mm (millimeters), so does the pattern mean 4mm or US 4? There are differences in the two sizes.

A lot of other patterns will list the size in only one measurement. Which is fine, as long as you know how to convert it. Most of us have trouble remembering metric to US sizes right off the tops of our heads, though. And I don’t know about you, but I am WAY too lazy to constantly get up, walk across the room (the horror), and grab one of my knitting books so I can look it up. So I finally decided to just make this little conversion chart printable!

Knitting Chart Features:

• Needle conversions (UK/mm to US)
• Yarn conversions (UK to US). This includes a row titled “mm” which shows the recommended needle size in millimeters.
• Yarn weight (grams to ounces)
• Pattern abbreviations. This includes a list of commonly seen abbreviations, listed in alphabetical order. However, it will not contain ALL abbreviations. There are too many and I just wanted this to be a quick references guide. If anyone wants a list of ALL knitting abbreviations, meanings, and descriptions, leave the request in the comments and I’ll make one whenever I can get around to it.
• Chart content was typed in Courier New to make reading it gentler on your eyes. This seems silly, I know. In Courier New, though, each character is the exact same width as all the others. This makes it easier to read than any other font. (That’s one of the very few handy things I learned during my stint as an editor. :P)
• Uses a cute quatrefoil background found at Mel Stampz. Since the background is mostly white with and outlined design it will not use too much ink. Though I have included a version with no background for anyone who wishes to save more ink.

To create the chart, I collected information from books and websites that listed the standard conversions. My chart may differ a bit from other charts you have seen, because going from millimeters to US size is not exact since there are large gaps between sizes in the US system. The biggest help to me was Knitty Gritty.

You can keep this with your patterns to use as a reference while you’re knitting (which is how I use it) and/or hang a copy up beside your computer for a quick reference while writing a pattern. 

Notes: Borders may not properly show up in the PDF, but WILL show up once printed. Background is also lighter than it looks in the PDF. (ETA 3-7-12: I made a mistake with the recommended needle sizes. It has been fixed.)

Click here to download 

(You can view the file before printing.)

If you see any mistakes, feel free to politely let me know in a comment and I’ll fix it right away!

Knitting Chart Terms of Use:

This printable is for personal use only. You may share it on your own blog and social media sites as long as you give Budget Girl clear and full credit (as in, link back to this post). You may print out as many copies as you want and give them to friends and family for free.  However, ou may not sell copies or redistribute them as your own. I will not customize these because I fear it would become too time-consuming. However, you are free to customize them yourself. Just please link back to this post if you keep the same design. (To clarify: just because you change the color scheme, that does not mean you made this printable, so please don’t pass it off that way.)

I will gladly change and re-upload the file if there is a glaring error, but not in instances of personal preference. Since I used multiple sources to gather the information, I will need you to send proof that any error you find is actually an error and not simply different from what you may have been taught by someone else.

Updates:

• The photos don’t show 7mm/10.75, but I added that to the PDF.
• I can’t find the background image I used in the original, so for now it’s just a white background. You can print it on some nice scrapbook paper, though!

Enjoy! 🙂

Are you interested in learning how to write knitting patterns? Edie Eckman has a class on Craftsy, where she explains how to write clear and correct patterns that knitters will love! Click here for more details!