# [Choose readable, non-color-only references](https://threadcabin.com/explore/91/choose-readable-non-color-only-references)

> Pair each color with a distinct symbol or written name. Enlarge the key as well as the chart and preserve row and column labels.

- Canonical page: https://threadcabin.com/explore/91/choose-readable-non-color-only-references
- Language: en
- Published: 2026-09-25T17:26:33.0577121+00:00
- Updated: 2026-09-25T17:26:38.3532117+00:00
- Primary image: [Illustration: A small unlettered stitch chart beside an enlarged version of the same simple motif; distinct circles, triangles and crosses distinguish three muted colors.](https://threadcabin.com/images/explore/focused/readable-reference.jpg)

Pair each color with a distinct symbol or written name. Enlarge the key as well as the chart and preserve row and column labels.

## Before you start

Have the complete instructions, a short list of unfamiliar actions and the materials for a trial. Separate the trial from the final project.

## Try this example

Print a two-color chart in grayscale. If the regions become indistinguishable, assign circles and crosses, then confirm that the printed symbols remain different at working size.

## Check your result

- Try the unfamiliar action before committing the main material. If the instructions leave a necessary choice unresolved, write down the missing information and resolve it first.
- A planning exercise is not a complete tested pattern. Project fit, construction and quantities still need their own instructions.

## Sources

- [www.craftyarncouncil.com: standards](https://www.craftyarncouncil.com/standards)
- [www.craftyarncouncil.com: yarn weight system](https://www.craftyarncouncil.com/standards/yarn-weight-system)

[Browse editable craft templates](/crafts)

[Report a correction](/corrections).

## Sources and provenance

- [Save, print and share working references](https://threadcabin.com/explore/128/save-print-and-share-working-references)
- [Reading knitting charts: rows, rounds, symbols, and repeats](https://threadcabin.com/explore/17/reading-knitting-charts-rows-rounds-symbols-and-repeats)
- [Read the counted-chart key](https://threadcabin.com/explore/296/read-the-counted-chart-key)
- [Yarn label anatomy: turn symbols and numbers into decisions](https://threadcabin.com/explore/15/yarn-label-anatomy-turn-symbols-and-numbers-into-decisions)