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 | Turn work to the other side | 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. It adds one more stitch in the row. 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 | |
( 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 |
These are just a few that you will need to know as you advance your knitting skills.
About.com has an amazing table that has more abbreviations and definitions than the ones I put above.
Also for further detail: See my blog on most of the different stitches and ways to join two pieces together.
