When reading a knitting pattern, you will often find that many of the instructions are shortened or abbreviated. Doing this means that the pattern doesn’t become excessively long, but without knowing what the abbreviations mean you can end up getting stuck. Most patterns include a summary of abbreviations used in the pattern, but it’s helpful to have them all in one place for easy referencing. I’ve summarised a lot of common knitting abbreviations below, and I also have tutorials for some of the techniques on my YouTube channel, which I’ve marked with an *.
| Abbreviation | Description | Abbreviation | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| * / ** / *** | Repeat instructions following asterisks as directed | pm | Place marker |
| alt | Alternate | P2TOG | Purl 2 stitches together |
| approx | Approximately | psso | Pass slipped stitch over |
| beg | Begin, beginning | pwise | Purlwise |
| BO | Bind off | rem | Remaining |
| cm | Centimetres | rep | Repeat |
| CO | Cast on* | RS | Right side |
| cont | Continue | sl | Slip |
| dec | Decrease | ssk | Slip, slip, knit these 2 together* |
| dpn | Double pointed needle(s) | st | Stitch |
| foll | Following | st st | Stocking stitch* |
| g | gram | tbl | Through back loop |
| inc | Increase | tog | Together |
| K | Knit* | WS | Wrong side |
| K2TOG | Knit 2 stitches together* | wyib | With yarn in back |
| kfb | Knit front and back | wyif | With yarn in front |
| kwise | Knitwise | yrwd | Yarn forward |
| M1 | Make one stitch | yo | Yarn over |
| M1P | Make one purl stitch | yrn | Yarn around needle |
| P | Purl* | yon | Yarn over needle |
| patt | Pattern |