How to Read a Diamond Painting Legend (and Not Mix Up Your Colours)
You have printed your chart, and beside it sits a list: a column of codes, a column of symbols, and a column of numbers. It is called the legend, and it is the key to everything.
It is also where the small mistakes begin. A wrong bag, two symbols that look alike, a code you copied without its leading zero. Nobody notices until three hundred drills later.
Your kit charts always came with the right bags sorted and labelled. With your own chart, you are in charge of the key. Here is how to read it so it works for you.
DMC codes: the common language
Most legends use DMC codes. DMC is an embroidery thread brand, and its colour numbers became the shared language of cross stitch and diamond painting. A code like 310 is black everywhere, whoever sold the drills.
That is useful. Drill sellers, charts and suppliers can all point to the same colour by number, so you can reorder a missing colour years later.
Why 032 is not 32
DMC codes are text, not numbers. Some begin with a zero. Some are letters or mixes, such as B5200 or ECRU.
So 032 is not 32. It is a different code from 32, and the leading zero is part of the name. If a spreadsheet or a shopping form quietly drops it, you may end up with the wrong colour in the post.
When you copy codes, copy them exactly as written, with every zero and every letter. If you type them into a form, check the first digit of each one.
Symbols or numbers?
Your legend gives each colour a symbol. The chart shows the symbol, and the legend tells you which code that symbol means.
Some people like symbols because they are quick to scan. Others prefer numbers printed in the cells. Either is fine. What matters is that you match the symbol to its code before you open a bag.
Most tools choose the symbols for you, and the choice is rarely perfect. Editing the symbols in the legend is something we are working on for the lab, but it is not there yet, so for now the legend is what you read.
Look-alike symbols
Some pairs of symbols are hard to tell apart on a small print: a plus and a cross, a circle and a filled circle, a square and a diamond.
Try these habits:
- Tick them off. The first time you see a symbol, find it in the legend and tick it.
- Label the trays. Write the symbol and code on a sticky note beside each tray or bag.
- Use a magnifier. A cheap one is kinder to your eyes than a bad guess.
- Look at neighbours. Two look-alike symbols rarely sit next to each other. If one seems out of place, it may be the other one.
Dark cells
Dark colours are the hardest to read. A symbol on black or navy can disappear.
If you can, work in good light. A daylight lamp makes a big difference. Some people keep a small torch beside the chart for the darkest areas.
Keep the key next to the chart
Print the legend on the same sheet as the chart if you can, or keep it right beside it. If you have to turn a page to find out what a symbol means, you will eventually guess.
If you work from a large chart, tape the legend to the table edge where you can see it without looking away from your work.
The 10 per cent spare rule
When you order drills, do not buy exactly the count in the legend.
Drills are tiny. Some bounce away, some stick together, some turn out to be a little imperfect. Kits usually ship with 10 to 20 per cent spare for exactly this reason.
For your own chart, add about 10 per cent to each colour's count. A colour with the smallest numbers can use a little more, because a small shortfall in one tiny colour can leave a hole in an eye.
Our supply list covers the rest of what to order. If you want to make a chart of your own, Mosaic Lab shows the legend and the drill counts for every colour. One page is free; poster sets and the full set come with All-Access.
A last check before you start
- Is every code written exactly, zeros and all?
- Is each symbol matched to a labelled bag or tray?
- Is the key next to your chart?
- Does each colour have about 10 per cent spare?
Tick all four and you can sit down and start.