I’m knitting the Helle Sweater by HipKnitShop but am really confused by the chart vs the written instructions. They don’t seem to match up for diagram/chart 1. The written instructions don’t include the grey squares. Can anyone help explain why please? Thanks 
Welcome to KH. The chart key shows gray boxes as “No stitch”. The decreases mean you’ll have fewer stitches and the gray boxes act as placeholders to show where there were stitches to keep the columns aligned. The gray boxes might have stitches again later on because of increases. Written instructions don’t indicate no stitch because it’s not needed. Using the chart you just work the stitches shown and basically ignore the gray boxes. HTH
This video might help.
The Secret to ‘No Stitch’ in a Knitting Chart | Step-by-Step Tutorial
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Your chart key is misaligned on the image I’m looking at . It could just be my screen I suppose, just check you have a correct key, that the instruction is with the correct icon.
As GG said, just ignore the grey squares, there are yarn overs which make increases so later rows have more stitches until they are decreased at the top of the chart.
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Thanks so much for your help. That makes perfect sense now
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You’re absolute right, the chart key is out of alignment and it was completely throwing me. I was reading the grey squares as being slip 1 kw, k2tog…etc and that’s why it wasn’t making any sense. Thanks so much for your help
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I’m not surprised it was throwing you. I couldn’t have deciphered that key a couple of years back. Definitely make more sense when you have the right icon with the right instruction.
Don’t hesitate to ask again if you’re still unsure about any of your pattern. There’s lots of help here.
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Yes, the text has “sagged down”, hasn’t it. Very strange! I used to do desktop publishing but I haven’t seen a problem like that before.
Maybe it was done in Word. Word is not good for layout purposes!
Do let the designer know so it can be corrected.
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