Video Knitting Dictionary
Before You Start
Knitting Terms and Abbreviations Defined
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( ) – Refers to whatever is in the parentheses as a discrete group. As in “(K1, P2) 5 times.”
1×1 Rib – K1, P1 Rib
2×2 Rib – K2, P2 Rib
Across – To the end of the row
Around – To the end of the round
BLCO – Backwards Loop Cast-On
CH – Back loop only
BO – Bind Off
BO in Pattern – Knit the knit stitches and purl the purl stitches as you bind off.
BOR – Beginning of Round
Br-ssk – Brioche slip, slip, knit: Slip 1 st knitwise, slip next st knitwise. One of these sts will have a wrap. Slip the stitch along with its wrap. Knit slipped sts together.
Break Yarn – Cut yarn. Always leave a six-inch tail for weaving in.
British Crochet Terms – While the stitches are made the same way, British and American patterns have different words for the same stitch.
Brk – Brioche knit: Knit the stitch together with its wrap
Brp – Brioche purl: Purl the stitch together with its wrap
CC – Contrasting Color
CDD – Centered Double Decrease
CH – Chain stitch
Cn – Cable needle
CO – Cast On
DC – Double crochet
DC – Dark color
Garter St – Garter Stitch
HDC – Half-double crochet
In Pattern – According to the same stitch-pattern you’ve been doing
Instep – The half of the sock that goes around the front of the ankle
JMCO – Judy's Magic Cast-On
JSSBO – Jeny's Surprisingly-Stretchy Bind-Off
K – Knit
K2TOG – Knit 2 Together
K2togtbl – Knit 2 Together Through the Back Loops
KFB – Knit Front and Back
Kitchener St – Kitchener Stitch
LC – Light color
LH – Left-hand
LTCO – Long-Tail Cast-On
LYS – Local Yarn Store
M1 – Make One
M1L – Make One Left
M1R – Make One Right
Mattress St – Mattress Stitch
MC – Main Color
P – Purl
P/u and Knit – Pick up and knit
P2TOG – Purl 2 Together
PFB – Purl Front and Back
PM – Place Marker
PSO – Pass Stitch Over
PSSO – Pass Slipped Stitch Over
Rem – Remain/Remaining
Rep – Repeat
Rep From * – Go back to the * and repeat. As in “K5, *(P2, K5), rep from * to end.”
Reverse St St – Reverse Stockinette Stitch
RH – Right-hand
Rnd(s) – Round(s) – row(s) of round knitting
RS – Right Side
S2KP – Slip 2, Knit, Pass
SC – Single crochet
SKP – Slip, Knit, Pass
Sl 1 – Slip 1
Sl 1 wyif – Slip one with yarn in front
SL ST – Slip stitch
Sl1 wyib – Slip one with yarn in back
SM – Slip marker
SSK – Slip, Slip, Knit
SSP – Slip, Slip, Purl
St – Stitch
St St – Stockinette Stitch
Sts – Stitches
TBL – Through the back loop
To End – To the end of the row/round
DC – Triple crochet
Turn – Turn your work around so that the other side is facing you
W&T – Wrap and turn
Work Even – Continue in the same stitch pattern without increasing or decreasing.
Work in Brioche stitch – On DC rounds, when you come to a DC stitch with a wrap, br-p (see above). When you come to a LC stitch without a wrap, yfsl1yo (see below). On LC rounds, when you come to a LC stitch with a wrap, br-k (see above). When you come to a DC stitch without a wrap, yfsl1yo.
WPI – Wraps per inch
WS – Wrong Side
Wyib – With yarn in back
Wyif – With yarn in front
YF – Yarn forward
Yfsl1yo – Yarn forward, slip 1, yarnover: Move yarn to front, slip next st, bring yarn over needle to back, making a yarnover. The yarnover will pass over the slipped stitch and sit next to it like a cape.
YO – Yarnover
Gauge – Check Your Gauge
Make a swatch (a small square of knitting at least 3 inches wide), block it, and then check your gauge. If your stitches are too small, use a needle one size bigger. If your stitches are too big, use a needle one size smaller.
You don’t always have to check your gauge (I know, you won’t anyway), but please do it on projects that you really need to fit a certain size. Watch the video to see how it’s done.
Gauge is the number of knit stitches and rows that fit into a specified unit of measurement, usually one inch (2.5 cm). It’s important because if your stitches are too big or too small, your project will be too big or too small.
Checking your gauge is as easy as knitting a small sample square, called a swatch, and placing a ruler or a gauge-checker over the fabric, and counting how many stitches there are in a few inches, and then dividing by the number of inches to get the average number of stitches per inch.
Here are my tips for knitting a swatch and checking your gauge.
To Do the Gauge – How to Check Your Gauge on Flat Knitting:
- Knit a Stockinette-stitch swatch at least 2 inches x 2 inches. Block if blocking finished piece.
- Lay a ruler over the stitches. Count how many stitches (columns of Vs) in one inch. That is your gauge.
More Info:
Checking Your Gauge in the Round
To check your gauge in the round, knit a small tube (CO ~20 sts) on Magic Loop and lay your gauge-checker over the stitches to check.
If you will be knitting your project in the round, it’s important to check your gauge in the round. Your stitches may not be the same size when you are knitting every round as opposed to flat knitting, where you purl every other row.