A pattern may tell you to start at its center, at a marked stitch, or at a counted position from an edge. Follow those placement instructions first. Starting in the center is a useful option when no other starting point is given, because it helps you arrange the design around a known reference.

Find the chart’s top edge, its stitch width and height, and any center arrows. Keep the front of your Stitchfetti frame facing you in the same orientation. A rotated chart can turn a careful count into a very convincing wrong turn.

In this example, an eight-column chart has four columns on each side of its middle. A six-row chart has three rows above and below. The center falls where the middle grid lines meet. The dashed lines in our picture are counting guides, not extra stitches.

Your Stitchfetti frame has a rigid, built-in 14-count stitching grid. Find its center by counting the usable grid squares across and down. Count the spaces between neighboring holes, rather than counting the holes themselves. A row of eight squares has nine boundary holes.

Keep the frame flat and supported as you count. You do not need to fold, bend, or stretch it. Count from each opposite edge to check your result, and work from the stitching grid rather than the outside decorative edge.

An odd number of squares has a middle square. In the seven-by-five example below, that is row three, column four. The middle of that square is a location on your map, not a new place to push the needle. A full X still uses its four corner holes.

If the center position is blank on the chart, leave it blank. Pick a nearby full stitch and count its exact position from your center reference. Check the row and the column separately before threading up.

Our example uses a center square at row three, column four. The pink starting X belongs in row two, column five: one column to the right and one row up. Notice how the whole square moves. The counting arrows do not tell you to make a long diagonal stitch.

If your chart center falls on grid lines instead, use those lines as the reference and identify the destination square beside them. Writing down its row and column can be clearer than trying to remember a string of tiny movements.

Before anchoring the thread, check how far the design extends in every direction from your chosen start. A starting stitch can be counted correctly but still belong to a design that will not fit the available grid.

In our simple example, a four-by-two stitched block fits in an eight-by-six grid with two empty columns on each side and two empty rows above and below. Your real design may have a different shape or intentional placement, so use its full chart dimensions and instructions.

Now check the floss symbol and strand count, secure your thread with an appropriate start, and make one complete X in the chosen square. Compare it with the chart once more before adding neighbors. That small check is much easier than relocating an entire little rainbow.