Knitting

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A Guide to Knitting Abbreviations

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knitting abbreviationsDifferent hobbies tend to have their own languages that are indecipherable to people not in the know, but in knitting the code can be particularly frustrating to break because so many abbreviations are used in knitting patterns themselves.

Whether you’re new to knitting or have just run across an unfamiliar term in a pattern (aside: if a pattern is good it will explain all the abbreviations used within), this guide to knitting abbreviations from Darn Good Yarn is a good reference. It has about 70 terms explained, from alt to ssk to yon and everything in between.

It doesn’t even touch on the funny acronyms of knitting (like UFO, WIP and SABLE) and there are still 70 different terms? It’s no wonder knitters sometimes knitters feel like they’re breaking a code when they decipher patterns.

[Photo: Darn Good Yarn.]

AbbreviationDescription
BOBind off
COCast on
kKnit
pPurl
k2togKnit two stitches together
sskSlip, slip, knit (decrease)
yoYarn over
RSRight side
WSWrong side
st(s)Stitch(es)
repRepeat
Rnd(s)Round(s)
MCMain color
CCContrasting color
pattPattern
remRemaining

 

Have you read?

Classic Dishcloth Knitting Patterns

Fall will be here before we know it, and that means there are holidays coming right behind where we might be entertaining at home. It’s always fun to have a hand knit touch in your home for other people to see, and if you’re going to be in the kitchen all day you might as well have some nice knit dish cloths to use. 

I love this little plaid hand towel from Darling Jadore. Use a little bit of leftover cotton yarn from another project for the plaid portion. It looks like the horizontal stripes are worked as you knit and the vertical stripes are done with duplicate stitch, making this a quick and easy project even newer knitters can make. 

Combine garter stitch and an easy eyelet pattern worked sideways to make the Annette Dish Towel from Cluck Cluck Boots, which is meant to be reminiscent of flour sack towels. It calls for DK weight yarn and you can work it in one color or two (or even three!). 

Add a little more texture with this set of kitchen towels from Whileberry Creative. They’re mostly worked in garter stitch with borders in easy knit/purl patterns, and you can work them in sport or worsted weight yarn. 

Two of Wands Shop has another cute allover knit and purl pattern they call the Seersucker Textured Tea Towel. It’s an easy repeating pattern worked in worsted weight yarn, and there’s a chart in the pattern you can use, but don’t have to, if you want to practice knitting from a chart. 

The Classic Cloth dish towel from Handmade Home by Connie is another one that can use a little leftover yarn in a contrasting color, or you could color block it our use stripes throughout the pattern. This one uses worsted weight yarn and another easy repeating knit purl stitch pattern. 

If you like to hang your towel on the oven handle or elsewhere but it’s always falling off, try the Stay Put kitchen towel from Fancy Step Knits. This project is worked in garter stitch and includes a hole partway through so you can pull the towel through itself over a rod or handle. Stripes are optional but a nice addition.