Knitting

A C D D F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

A

Abreviations: Common knitting abreviations are as follows:

alt	alternate
approx	approximately
B	bobble
beg	begin, beginning, begins
bet	between
BO	bind off
C	cable
C4B	sl 2 sts to cn andhold to back, k 2, k2 from cn. Whatever the number is, split it between the cable needle and the knitting needle. If the number is uneven, the pattern generally tells you what to do.
C4F	sl 2 sts to cn and hold to front, k2, k2 from cn
cc	contrasting colour
CDD	Centred Double Decrease
ch	chain
circ(s)	circular needles
cm	centimetre
cn	cable needle
CO	cast on
cont	continue, continuing
dec	decrease
dpn	double pointed needle
dr	drop
ER	every row
EOR	every other row
est	established
foll	follows, following
g	gram(s)
in	inch, inches
inc	increase
k or K	knit stitch
k1 f&b	knit 1 through the front leg and the back leg
k-b, k1-b	knit stitch in row below
k1 tbl, k-b	knit 1 through the back loop
k2tog	knit two together
k3tog	knit three together
kwise, kw	knitwise or ‘as if to knit’
LC	left cross
LH	left hand
lp(s)	loop(s)
m	metres
M1, M	make one knit stitch
m1 p-st	make one purl stitch
MC	main colour
meas	measures
mm	millimetres
oz	ounce(s)
p1-b	purl 1 stitch in row below
p1 f&b	purl into front and back of same stitch
p2tog	purl two together
p3tog	purl three together
p or P	purl
pat(s), patt(s)	pattern(s)
pm	place marker
pnso	pass next stitch over
psso	pass slipped stitch over
pu or PU	pick up
pwise, pw	purlwise or ‘as if to purl’
RC	right cross
rem	remain (as in how many stitches remain)
rep	repeat
rev St st	reverse stockinette stitch
rev sc	reverse single crochet
rib	ribbing
RH	right hand
rnd(s>	rounds
RS	right side of fabric
s2kp	slip 2 together knitwise, knit 2, pass 2 slipped stitches over
sc	single crochet
skp	slip one stitch (knitwise), knit one stitch and pass the slipped stitch over
sk2p	slip 2, knit 2 together, pass slipped stitch over
sl1	slip one stitch (purlwise unless otherwise specified)
sm	slip marker
ssk	slip, slip (slipped knitwise), knit these two stitches together
sssk	slip, slip, slip (slipped knitwise) and knit these three stitches together
ssp	slip, slip (knitwise), purl these two stitches together
st(s)	stitch(es)
st st or St st	stockinette stitch (knit on right side, purl on wrong side
tw	twist
WS	wrong side of fabric
W&t	wrap and turn
wyib, yb	with yarn in back or bring yarn to back
wyif, yf	with yarn in front or bring yarn to front
yd(s)	yard(s)
yo	yarn over
yo2	yarn over twice
yrn	yarn round needle
*…*	repeat the instructions within astrix
(…)	alternate measurements or sizes
(…), [...]	repeat instructions within brackets as many times as indicated outside of brackets

Top

Angora: Angora fiber comes from an angora rabbit. Not to be confused with angora goats, which produce mohair. Top

Appliqué: (knitting) Top

B

Ball Winder: A ball winder is an angled shaft (to which one attaches the end of a skein of yarn) which is attached to a base with a crank and a clamp for a table. One attaches the yarn to the shaft and begins to turn the crank in one direction. Then, because of the angle of the shaft the yarn winds around the shaft creating a ball. Top

Bias: Top

Bind Off: n. The final edge of a piece of knitting.  v. to purposely take the stitches off of the needle by combining them in some way so that they don’t unravel. Top

Blanket stitch: Top

Blocking: v. washing a swatch or finished garment, laying it in the correct orrientation and pinning it to the desired finished dimensions. Top

Bobble: Top

Buttonband: n. The band, generally on a cardigan, that is knit from stitches picked up from the selvedge of the right and left sides where button wholes are made or buttons are sewn. Top

Buttonholes: n. The hole through which a button goes to fasten a garment together.  There are several types of buttonholes:

1. One Row Buttonhole:
2. Afterthought Buttonhole

Top

C

Cable: n. A stitch combination that involves the lifting of one or several stitches over others, resembling a braid or twist in the knitted fabric. Top

Cable Needle: n. a special shorter double pointed needle used to hold cable stitches during the making of a cable.  May have a curve or bend in it to keep it stationary. Top

Cardigan: A cardigan is a style of sweater knitted so that there are two front pieces and one back piece. This is achieved by knitting each side and back separately, knitting back and forth, right centre front, around the back to left centre front or by knitting in the round and then steeking. Cardigans often have a button band or zipper facing that must be picked up from the existing stitches and knitted separately. Top

Casing: Top

Cast-On: To cast on is to mount a number of stitches on a knitting needle.  There are various techniques used to achieve this despending on the desired look and function of the stitches. Top

1. Alternate Cable Cast-On
2. Alternate Loop Cast-On
3. Buttonhole Cast-On
4. Cable Cast-On
5. Cast-Off Cast-On
6. Centre Line Cast-On
7. Chain Cast-On
8. Channel Islands Cast-On
9. Combined Two-strand Cast-On: This is a two-strand cast-on, meaning that the loop (first stitch) is placed in the middle of the yarn and both the tail and working yarn are used to make the cast-on.  Specifically, uses a combination of knits and purls, good for 1×1 ribbing.  See my post and video on the combined two-strand cast-on.
10. Double Rib Tubular Cast-On
11. Double-Twist Loop Cast-On
12. Double Two-Strand Cast-On
13. Edging Cast On
14. Frilled Cast On
15. Knotted Cast-On
16. Larger Hole Cast-On
17. Loop Cast-On
18. Multi-Strand Cast-On
19. Pinhole Cast-On
20. Provisional Cast-On
21. Stockingstitch Tubular Cast-On
22. Twice Knitted Cast-On
23. Twisted Loop Cast On
24. Twisted Two Strand Cast-On
25. Two Strand Cast-On
26. Two Stranded Tubular Cast-On
27. Tubular Cast-On
28. Yarn Over Tubular Cast-On

Chain Stitch: Top

Chenille: Top

Checkerboard: Top

Chevrons: Top

Circular Needles: n. needles that are joined together at the ends with a thin flexible cable which allows the knitter to continuously knit in the round, or knit something flat without risking dropping a needle on the bus. Top

Cobweb: n. the finest weight of yarn, generally 1 ply, used mainly for knitting lace. Top

Continental Style Knitting: n. Style of knitting derived from the european continent.  Typically called left handed knitting, picking, or german style, the knitter uses their left hand to manipulate the working yarn.  See my post on continental vs english style knitting and how to hold the knitting yarn, continental style for more details.  Top

Corridale: Top

Cotton: Top

Crab Stitch: Top

D

Darning: Top

Decrease: Top

Dip Stitch: Top

E

Ease: Top

Elongated Stitch: Top

English Style Knitting: Top

F

Flax: Top

G

Garter stitch: Knitting each row.  Knitting both sides of the fabric creates alternating rows of knit and purl if looked at from the right or wrong side.

Pros of garter stitch include flat knitting (the curve and curl of stockingnette stitch althernating with reverse stockingnette stitch cancel each other out), warmer garment because the nubbly surface traps more air than a flat surface. Cons include that in comparison to stockingnette stitch, it takes more yarn make the same measurement of knitting (the ribbing effect of the althernating knits and purls vertically pulls in on itself) and thus takes longer too. Top

Guage: Top

H

I

I-Cord: Top

Increase: Top

J

K

Knit: Top

Knitty-Knotty: Top

L

M

Marino: Top

Moss Stitch: Moss stitch is a knit purl variation.
R1: *K1, P1*
R2: *P1, K1* Top

N

Needle: Top

Needle Gauge: A measurement of a knitting needles size.  Many systems of needle gauge have been created out of the cultures where knitting has evolved.  The following chart is a conversion between the most popular needle size systems of the modern day.

Metric*	US	UK	Japanese
0.50mm	8/0	24	-
0.75mm	6/0	22	-
0.82mm	-	20	-
1.00mm	5/0	19	-
1.25mm	4/0	18	-
1.50mm	000	17	-
1.75mm	00	15	-
2.00mm	0	14	-
2.10mm	-	-	0
2.25mm	1	13	0
2.40mm	-	-	1
2.50mm	-	-	-
2.70mm	-	-	2
2.75mm	2	12	-
3.00mm	-	11	3
3.25mm	3	10	-
3.30mm	-	-	4
3.50mm	4	-	-
3.60mm	-	-	5
3.75mm	5	9	-
3.90mm	-	-	6
4.00mm	6	8	-
4.20mm	-	-	7
4.50mm	7	7	8
4.80mm	-	-	9
5.00mm	8	6	-
5.10mm	-	-	10
5.40mm	-	-	11
5.50mm	9	5	-
5.70mm	-	-	12
6.00mm	10	4	13
6.30mm	-	-	14
6.50mm	10.5	3
6.60mm	-	-	15
7.00mm	-	2	7.00mm
7.50mm	-	1	-
8.00mm	11	0	8.00mm
9.00mm	13	00	9.00mm
10.0mm	15	000	10.0mm
12.50mm	17	-	-
14.00mm	18	-	-
15.50mm	19	-	-
19.00mm	35	-	-
25.00mm	50	-	-

*since metric is also a standard measurement, so I used it to show the measurements of all needles regardless of whether the needle size is common in Canada or not. Standard needle sizes in the metric column are bold.
Top

O

P

Picking: Common term for the continental or left handed knitting style. Top

Ply: Top

Purl: P. A stitch made by putting the needle through the front of the front leg of the loop. Top

Q

R

Raglan: A raglan yoke generally knit seemlessly.  The decreases go from the middle of the underarm (or just in front of the armpit) up to the neck line.  Raglan sleeves are made by consentrating all of the decreases in a straight line, similar to a baseball shirt. Top

Romney: A breed of sheep with courser wool.  Staple is long. Top

S

Short Row: Top

Skein: The arrangment of yarn that is the result of winding yarn around a knitty-knotty and then twisting the length back on itself. One untwists the skein and places it on a swift to wind it into a ball, the daring knit right off of the unwound skein draped over their knees. Top

Slip Slip Knit (SSK): Common decrease in knitting. Slip two stitches knitwise, one at a time, and then knit those two stitches together by sliding the non working needle in front of the working needle.  Check out my SSK blog post on how and how not to do the SSK Top

Slip Stitch: slip stitches are slipped purlwise (unless otherwise indicated) from needle to needle by placing one needle tip into the loop of the stitch and moving it to the other needle without changing the way that the stitch is facing. Top

Steek: Top

Stockinette stitch: This stitch pattern happens if on flat knitting one knits on the RS and purls on the WS, and on circular knitting by continuing knitting round after round. Top

Swift: An umbrella like fiber tool that clamps onto a desk and opens up to hold a skein of yarn. As one winds a ball the swift turns to unwind the skein from the swift and onto the ball winder shaft. Warning: Addictive. Top

Selvege: The side edges of fabric produced by knitting. Top

T

Throwing: (knitting) Common name for English Style knitting technique where one holds the working yarn in the right hand. Top

U

V

W

Wool: Fiber derived from sheep. Top

Working Yarn: Top

X

Y

Yarn: Top

Yarn Weight: Yarns come in a variety of different weights that fit into 6 commonly used categories.  The yarns are placed in the categories according to the range of stitches knitted into a 4″ or 10cm gauge swatch using the recommended needle.

Classification	Yarns	Stitches	Recommended Needle Size
0 – Lace	Cobweb, Lace	33-40 sts	1.5 – 2.25 mm
1 – Super Fine	Sock, Fingering	27-32 sts	2.25 – 3.25 mm
2 – Fine	Sport	23-26 sts	3.25 – 3.75 mm
3 – Light	DK, Light Worsted	21-24 sts	3.75 – 4.5 mm
4 – Medium	Worsted, Afgan, Aran	16-20 sts	4.5 – 5.5 mm
5 – Bulky	Chunky, Craft, Rug	12-15 sts	5.5 – 8 mm
6 – Super Bulky	Bulky, Roving	6-11 sts	8mm +

Top

Yarn Over: YO, a stitch term Top

Z

Zipper: Top