Abreviations, Terms and How-To Table

It is a really good idea to read through the entire pattern before you start as well as to know how to read a pattern beforehand. Here is a reference chart for each knitting term and their meaning.  And as always please feel free to add anything if I left something out! After the first three you are ready to start a scarf or a swatch.

You can find most of these terms and definitions in a book or on the web.  KnittingHelp.com also has a great table with a larger glossary of knitting abbreviations and their meanings, along with their own videos.  

Link to Reference Table Page

Abbreviation	Meaning	How To
st or sts	Stitch or stitches	Counts as one loop on the needle
K or k	Knit	This video shows how to cast on and knit the knit stitch. Once you make a “swatch” of doing plain knitting on each row is called the “Garter Stitch”
P or p	Purl	The purl stitch is different from the knit stitch in that in knitting you keep your yarn at the back of your work. In purling you bring the yarn to the front. Second, in purling you insert your needle in front of the stitch from the right side when in knitting you insert it in the front of the stitch from the left side. This video can explain.
Turn to the other side	Turn work	Turn work to begin next row. Don’t forget to count which row you are on and count the number of stitches you have when you are done with the row
K2 tog or k2 tog	Knit two together	This decreases the number of stitches in the row. You literally insert the right hand needle through two stitches on the left hand needle and knit them together.
P2 tog or p2 tog	Purl two together	Same thing except with two purl stitches.
M1 or m1	Make one stitch	You will be told whether to make it to the left or to the right. It is usually left. This video is great
S1 or s1 SL 1 or sl 1,	Slip one	Transfer stitch from left needle to right without knitting
SSK or ssk	Slip slip knit	Slip one stitch as if to knit and move it to the right needle without knitting. Do the same for the second stitch. Then insert the left needle into the two stitches on the right needle from the front and then knit them together. This video is great
Inc or inc	Increase by one stitch or by one stitch each stitch in the row. The directions will tell you what they mean by “increase”	Usually done when you are ready to start on a new row.  Increasing shapes the garment. Make a knit stitch except do not drop the loop off the left hand needle and then knit once again into the back of the same stitch. When you have knitted twice into the same stitch, then drop that stitch off the left hand needle. Do this as many times as the directions say
Dec or dec	Decrease by one stitch (or it will say more stitches)	The directions will tell you which way to do it. Most times it will be knitting or purling two stitches together normally. Sometimes the abbreviations for “decrease” will be: SL 1, K 1, PSSO
PSSO	Pass the slipped stitch over the knit stitch	It is like decreasing one. Usually seen after sl 1, k1 Watch this video by the Knit Witch
YO	Yarn over	Another way to increase the number of stitches in the row. You basically end up making another stitch by moving the yarn over to the front before knitting the next stitch as usual. When you slide the stitch to the right needle you end up moving two over. This video shows you how
Dpns	Double point needles	These needles are sharp on both ends for knitting in a round
*	Asterisk	Repeat the instructions following the * as many more times as specified
Rnd	Round	Knit in the round, or knit the rest of the round as directed in the pattern
( directions ) phrase	Parenthesis	Follow directions in the parenthesis according to the phrase following. This means whatever is in included in the (  ) should be repeated the number of times specified directly after
RS	Right side	Front of the piece; the side started as row 1
WS	Wrong side	Back side of the piece