Knitting abbreviations

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Knitting abbreviations are often used for brevity in describing knitting patterns.

Contents

Each knitting pattern typically provides its own abbreviations or refers to a standard. There is no single authoritative source for knitting abbreviations, so multiple standards exist. [1] [2] [3]

Types of knitting abbreviations

Knitting abbreviations can be grouped by what they describe:

RS and WS signify the "right side" and "wrong side" of the work.
k means a knit stitch (passing through the previous loop from below) and p means a purl stitch (passing through the previous loop from above). Thus, "k2, p2", means "knit two stitches, purl two stitches". Similarly, sl st describes a slip stitch, whereas yarn-overs are denoted with yo.
The modifier tog indicates that the stitches should be knitted together, e.g., "k2tog" indicates that two stitches should be knitted together as though they were one stitch. psso means "pass the slipped stitch over". pnso means "pass the next stitch over".
The modifier tbl indicates that stitches should be knitted through the back loop. For example, "p2tog tbl" indicates that two stitches should be purled together through the back loop. kwise and pwise connote "knitwise" and "purlwise", usually referring to a slip stitch.
k-b and k1b mean "knit into the row below". Similarly, p-b and p1b mean "purl into the row below".
p tbl; P1 tbl; or P1b: Purl through the back loop.
MB means "make bobble". ssk means "slip, slip, knit", i.e., the decrease "slip two stitches knitwise individually, then knit them together through the back loop". skp is another decrease, meaning "slip, knit, pass the slipped stitch over the just knitted stitch". (Both of these decreases are similar to the simpler "k2tog tbl", however this does result in both stitches being twisted to the left).
Patterns of stitches that should be repeated for as many stitches as possible are enclosed in asterisks *...*. For example, "*k2,p2*" means "repeatedly knit two stitches, purl two stitches as long as possible, i.e., until there are fewer than four stitches left in the row". alt stands for "alternately".
wyib and wyif mean "with yarn in back" and "with yarn in front", respectively. Used primarily with slipped stitches.
CO and BO mean "cast on" and "bind off", respectively.
St st, rev St st and g st signify "stockinette stitch", "reverse stockinette stitch" and " garter stitch", respectively.
LT and RT signify "left twist" and "right twist", respectively. FC and LC indicate "front cross" or "left cross" (the same thing), whereas BC and RC indicate "back cross" or "right cross" (again the same thing).
MC means "main color"; CC means "contrasting color".
k2tog indicates two stitches should be knitted together as one, used for making decreases in a row.
m1 means "make one stitch". kfb or pfb means "knit or purl into the front and back of a stitch".
rem means "remaining". foll means "following". beg means "beginning". cont means "continue". incl means "including".

List of knitting abbreviations

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Knitting</span> Method of forming fabric from yarn

Knitting is a method for production of textile fabrics by interlacing yarn loops with loops of the same or other yarns. It is used to create many types of garments. Knitting may be done by hand or by machine.

English knitting, also known as right-hand knitting or throwing, is a style of Western knitting where the yarn to be knit into the fabric is carried in the right hand. This style is prevalent throughout the English-speaking world, though it is by no means universal.

Combined knitting or combination knitting is a knitting method that combines elements of Eastern-style knitting with the Western techniques. The name was suggested by Mary Thomas in her 1938 book "Mary Thomas's Knitting Book", where she described the method as "..the better way to work in Flat Knitting. The resulting fabric is more even and closer in construction." By wrapping the yarn the opposite way while purling, the knitter changes the orientation of the resulting loops; then the next row's knit stitches can be formed by inserting the needle through the back leg, rather than through the front leg, without twisting the stitch. This method is suitable for all knitted fabrics from the basic Stockinette stitch, to any other technique, such as Fair Isle, circular knitting, or lace knitting.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Knitting machine</span> Device used to create knitted fabrics

A knitting machine is a device used to create knitted fabrics in a semi or fully automated fashion. There are numerous types of knitting machines, ranging from simple spool or board templates with no moving parts to highly complex mechanisms controlled by electronics. All, however, produce various types of knitted fabrics, usually either flat or tubular, and of varying degrees of complexity. Pattern stitches can be selected by hand manipulation of the needles, push-buttons and dials, mechanical punch cards, or electronic pattern reading devices and computers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Entrelac</span>

Entrelac is a knitting technique used to create a textured diamond pattern. While the result resembles basket-woven strips of knitted fabric, the actual material comprises interconnected squares on two different orientations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lace knitting</span> Knitting method with a pattern of holes

Lace knitting is a style of knitting characterized by stable "holes" in the fabric arranged with consideration of aesthetic value. Lace is sometimes considered the pinnacle of knitting, because of its complexity and because woven fabrics cannot easily be made to have holes. Famous examples include the Orenburg shawl and the wedding ring shawl of Shetland knitting, a shawl so fine that it could be drawn through a wedding ring. Shetland knitted lace became extremely popular in Victorian England when Queen Victoria became a Shetland lace enthusiast. Her enthusiasm resulted i.a. in her choosing knitted lacework for presents; e.g. when in ca. 1897 the Queen gave a lace shawl as a present to American abolitionist Harriet Tubman. From there, knitting patterns for the shawls were printed in English women's magazines where they were copied in Iceland with single ply wool.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Decrease (knitting)</span>

A decrease in knitting is a reduction in the number of stitches, usually accomplished by suspending the stitch to be decreased from another existing stitch or by knitting it together with another stitch.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Slip-stitch knitting</span> Family of knitting techniques

Slip-stitch knitting is a family of knitting techniques that uses slip stitches to make multiple fabrics simultaneously, to make extra-long stitches, and/or to carry over colors from an earlier row.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Increase (knitting)</span> Knitting term

In knitting, an increase is the creation of one or more new stitches, which may be done by various methods that create distinctive effects in the fabric. Most knitting increases either lean towards the left or the right.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Casting on (knitting)</span>

In knitting, casting on is a family of techniques for adding new stitches that do not depend on earlier stitches, i.e., having an independent lower edge. In principle, it is the opposite of binding off, but the techniques involved are generally unrelated.

In knitting, binding off, or casting off, is a family of techniques for ending a column of stitches. Binding off is typically used to define the final edge of a knitted fabric, although it may also be used in other contexts, e.g., in making button holes. In principle, binding off is the opposite of casting on, but the techniques are generally not mirror images of one another. Sometimes, however, they can produce a mirror image appearance.

In knitting, a plaited stitch, also known as a twisted stitch, is a single knitted stitch that is twisted clockwise or counterclockwise, usually by one half-turn (180°) but sometimes by a full turn (360°) or more.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yarn over</span> Knitting technique in which the yarn is passed over the right-hand knitting needle

In knitting, a yarn over is technique in which the yarn is passed over the right-hand knitting needle. In general, the new loop is knitted on the next row, either by itself or together with an adjacent stitch. The yarn-over may also be dropped on the next row, producing a longer stretch of yarn between the stitches of the previous row. Conversely, the effect of a yarn-over can be obtained by picking up the yarn between stitches of the previous row; the difference is that the yarn then is shorter, and the flanking stitches of the previous row may be overly drawn together.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Short row (knitting)</span>

In knitting, a short row is a row that is not fully knitted; the work is turned before reaching the end of the row. When working short rows, technique must be employed to prevent holes or gaps where the work is turned. There are several ways to do this. Among the most common are (1) Wrap and Turn, (2) German short rows and (3) Japanese short rows.

Basic knitted fabrics include stocking stitch, reverse stocking stitch, garter stitch, seed stitch, faggoting, and tricot. In some cases, these fabrics appear differently on the right side than on the wrong side.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Double knitting</span> Form of hand knitting in which two fabrics are knitted simultaneously on one pair of needles

Double knitting is a form of hand knitting in which two fabrics are knitted simultaneously on one pair of needles. The fabrics may be inseparable, as in interlock knitted fabrics, or they can simply be two unconnected fabrics. In principle, an arbitrary number of fabrics can be knitted simultaneously on one pair of knitting needles with yarns, as long as one is careful.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Knitted fabric</span> Textile material made using knitting techniques, often by machine knitting

Knitted fabric is a textile that results from knitting, the process of inter-looping of yarns or inter-meshing of loops. Its properties are distinct from woven fabric in that it is more flexible and can be more readily constructed into smaller pieces, making it ideal for socks and hats.

Hand knitting is a form of knitting, in which the knitted fabric is produced by hand using needles.

A knitting pattern is a set of written instructions on how to construct items using knitting.

References

  1. "The Knitty Standard Book of British Birds". knitty.com. Retrieved 2 March 2015.
  2. "Knitting and Crochet Abbreviations". Lion Brand Yarns. Retrieved 2 March 2015.
  3. "Standards and Guidelines for Crochet and Knitting". Craft Yarn Council. Retrieved 2 March 2015.

Further reading