knitting and crochet charts?

[O-Castitatis-Lilium]

I was looking for a few charts to practice my chart reading on, not to really make anything, just to practice on how to read them. I was looking around and found a section for knitting and crochet charts. When I took a look, there didn't seem to be much of a difference. I was wondering, is there a difference between a knitting chart and a crocheting chart? the way they were graphed out were the exact same...though I am a beginner so I'm not sure if there is and I'm not catching it.

[magiccrochetfan]

A knitting chart is generally a grid with symbols for the different stitches, like this one http://knitting.about.com/od/knittingskills/ss/lace-knitting-chart.htm

 

A crochet chart for filet or colorwork may look very similar, being a grid also, like this http://crochet.about.com/library/n090405.htm

 

A colorwork chart in knit and crochet might look the same, if each was composed of the same stitch throughout so that only the colors were shownn in the chart.  

 

Then there is another kind of crochet visual pattern, which are often called charts (but personally I think of them as diagrams, since they are not grids).  These use symbols for each stitch and can be in any shape.  here is a key to some common symbols http://www.craftyarncouncil.com/chart_crochet.html

and an example of a diagram on designer Robyn Chachula's site (she has wonderful diagrammed patterns in several books).  http://crochetbyfaye.blogspot.com/2010/04/lucine-in-diagrams.html  click on the thumbnails to enlarge.  

[Granny Square]

Expanding on what Kathy said about colorwork charts - the knit stitch is shorter and wider than a sc or a tunisian simple stitch commonly used for color work.  Knit and crochet charts look different - but you have to be careful.

 

If you see a color chart with square grids, the crocheted picture will end up with very similar proportions to the chart.

 

Some knitting charts use square grids intentionally, but the picture will be distorted compared to the end result.  Example, I knit a dishcloth using a square color grid which showed a tallish coffee urn.  The dishcloth ended up depicting a squatty teapot.  If I'd crocheted to that chart using sc, I'd have had the tall coffee pot.

 

On the other hand, if you crochet a knitting chart with grid rectangles (short and fat) instead of squares, you will end up with a distorted overtall/skinny crochet picture.