Knitting Terms & Abbreviations

This page is a work in progress, I will be adding to this list of knitting terms as they occur to me or as I receive questions. If you have a question about a term or abbreviation I have used in a pattern please get in touch, I’d love to hear from you.

K - Knit - the most essential knitting stitch.

P - Purl - the reverse of the knit stitch this is used along side the knit stitch to create ribbing, moss stitch, and stocking stitch.

Sl - Slip - slip the stitch without knitting by inserting the left hand needle into the stitch as though to knit and transferring to the right hand needle.

Sl Pw - Slip Purlwise - slip the stitch without knitting by inserting the left hand needle into the stitch as though to purl and transferring to the right hand needle.

K1b - Knit 1 below - knit into the stitch below by inserting the right hand needle into the stitch below the first stitch on the left hand needle then knit as usual. This has the effect of pulling two stitches together vertically.

P1b - Purl 1 below - purl into the stitch below by inserting the right hand needle into the stitch below the first stitch on the left hand needle then purl as usual. This has the effect of pulling two stitches together vertically.

Increase Stitches

Kfb - Knit into front and back - used to increase by one stitch by knitting into the same stitch twice; once through the front loop and once through the back loop. This creates a new stitch with no hole beneath.

Pfb - Purl into front and back - used to increase by one stitch by purling into the same stitch twice; once through the front loop and once through the back loop. This creates a new stitch with no hole beneath.

M - Make - used to increase by one stitch by picking up and knitting the bar of yarn between two stitches. This creates a new stitch with a small hole beneath.

Wyif - With yarn in front - usually following another instruction, e.g. k1 wyif, this indicates that you should hold your yarn at the front of your yarn when you complete the stitch. When making a knit stitch this will create a wrap of yarn on the right hand needle which will resemble a new stitch.

Wyib - With yarn in back - usually following another instruction, e.g. p1 wyib, this indicates that you should hold your yarn at the back of your yarn when you complete the stitch. When making a purl stitch this will create a wrap of yarn on the right hand needle which will resemble a new stitch.

YO - Yarn over - used to create a new stitch with a large hole by wrapping the yarn around the right hand needle. This method can be used to create lace patterns and button holes.

Decrease Stitches

K2tog - Knit two together - used to reduce stitches by one by inserting the right hand needle into two stitches instead of one when making a knit stitch. This stitch is used when decreasing and when shaping work such as arm holes and neck lines.

P2tog - Purl two together - used in the same way as k2tog but with the purl stitch rather than a knit stitch.

SSK - Slip, Slip, knit - used to reduce stitches by slipping two stitches from the left to right needles then knitting them together. This stitch is used when decreasing and when shaping work such as arm holes and neck lines and forms the mirror image of a k2tog stitch.

PSSO - pass slipped stitch over - used to pass a slipped stitch over another resulting in a decrease. Usually used after a K2tog.

Twisted Stitches

Ktbl - Knit through back loops - used to twist a stitch by knitting into the back of a stitch rather than the front.

Cable Stitches

C4F - Cable 4 to the front - slip 2 stitches onto a cable needle and hold to the front of your work. Knit 2 stitches then knit the 2 stitches from the cable needle. This stitch uses 4 stitches in total.

C4B - Cable 4 to the back - slip 2 stitches onto a cable needle and hold to the back of your work. Knit 2 stitches then knit the 2 stitches from the cable needle. This stitch uses 4 stitches in total.

C3R - Slip 1 stitch to the cable needle and hold in back, knit 2, purl 1 from the cable needle

C3L - Slip 1 stitch to the cable needle and hold in back, knit 2, purl 1 from the cable needle