Knitting Basics: Abbreviations!

In order to understand knitting patterns, you must understand the common abbreviations which are used when writing them. Below is a list of common abbreviations encountered in basic patterns along with their meaning. While these will become clear and second nature over time, it may be helpful to print out the list as a reference.

[ ] - Work the instructions within the brackets as many times as directed.

( ) - Work the instructions within the parenthesis as many times as directed.

* - Repeat instructions following the * as directed.

approx - approximately

BO - Bind off

CA – Color A

CB – Color B

CC – Contrasting color

cm – Centimeters

CO – Cast On

cont – Continue

dec – Decrease

DPN – Double pointed needles

fl – Front loop

g – gram

inc – Increase

k – knit

k2tog – knit 2 [stitches] together

m – meter

MC – Main color

mm – millimeters

oz – ounces

p – purl

p2tog – purl 2 [stitches] together

psso – pass slipped stitch over

rep – repeat

rnd – round

RS – Right side

sk – skip

skp – slip, knit, pass over (decrease)

sk2p – slip, knit 2 together, pass over (2 decrease)

sl st – slip stitch

ssk – slip, slip, knit these 2 together (decrease)

sssk – slip, slip, slip, knit these 3 together (decrease)

st – stitch

st st – stockinette stitch

tbl – through back loop

tog – together

WS – Wrong side

yd – yard

yo – yarn over

Knitting Basics: To Gauge Or Not To Gauge

Gauge is a word that you will see in most knitting projects to describe the desired tension or stitches per inch. This is crucial in certain patterns that require exact sizing, such as clothing, but less important in patterns that are more flexible in sizing, such as scarves, blankets, dishcloths, etc. Each knitter has a different tension when knitting. This means that if you have several people working with the same needle and yarn, you will have several different sizes of finished project due to tension. Some knit more tightly, and some knit more loosely. This is why it is crucial to check your gauge on projects that are meant to fit a particular person or object. If your knitting is tighter than the pattern writer's knitting, your garment may be too small, or vise versa.

So how do you measure gauge? Patterns that are gauge-dependent will provide a “gauge” for you to follow. Here is an example: 24 stitches and 39 rows = 4 inches in stockinette stitch using #3 needles. Let's take a closer look at what this means. This gauge example says that if you cast on 24 stitches and knit for 39 rows using size 3 needles in stockinette stitch (Knit Row 1, Purl Row 2, repeat), you should get a 4 inch swatch. A swatch is the small piece of fabric, in this instance 4 inches, that you knit to determine if you have the correct tension. If your swatch is larger than 4 inches, your gauge/tension is looser than the designer's, and you need to use a smaller needle to obtain the correct gauge. If your swatch is smaller than 4 inches, your gauge/tension is tighter than the designer's, and you need to use a larger needle to obtain the correct gauge.

So before you start a project that is designed to fit, take the time to check your gauge with a swatch. It is worth the extra time to ensure the garment will fit properly!