zammy
October 28, 2009 at 12:51 AM

Hi Peach! I’m a self-taught stitcher myself too and I learned a lot from reading articles on the internet… but here are some tips I can share before you start reading pattern diagrams:

1. Familiarize yourself with the basic stitch symbols because these are the same symbols used in Japanese patterns. The last pages of the pattern book contains the stitch symbols used and picture tutorials on how to do that certain stitch. XD

2. Familiarize yourself with the different Japanese hook sizes and their metric equivalent. It really helps to know what hook size the pattern requires so you may have an idea as to which yarn thickness you need to use. I have a blog post on the Japanese hook sizes and their US and metric equivalent. I can’t read any Japanese too so I just “guess” which yarn to use depending on the hook size.

3. Visit this site. It has links to different blog posts dedicated to reading Japanese patterns! These posts really helped me.

4. Diagrams look intimidating but they really are simple.

P.S. Sorry but I’m not really good with explaining things… hope this helps. And if you find a pattern you really want to do but needs help in understanding the diagram, leave me a message here or in ravelry and I’ll help you translate it to written instructions. XD