Glossary of Terms and Abbrev

TERM	ABBREV	DEFINITION
Aran knitting		a technique of working combinations of stitches and patterns in a solid color (usually white), named after Aran Islands of Ireland
bind off	BO	When a piece of knitting is completed, stitches are removed one by one and locked so that they will not ravel.
blocking		the infusion of steam or water into a knitted fabric that causes the strands of the fiber to relax and reshape
cable		a technique in which the order of stitches is changed to create the effect of twisted rope
cast on	CO	the process of creating loops to transition yarn from skein to needles; creating the first row of knitting
circular needles		two knitting needle points strung together with a flexible cable
colorwork		knitting involving multiple colors in the same piece
Continental knitting		Knitting technique in which the yarn is held in the left hand; also known as German knitting or picking
decrease	dec	the combining or removal of one or more existing stitches
double knitting	DK	a form of knitting in which two fabrics are knit simultaneously with two yarns on one pair of needles
double pointed needles	dpn	a group of 4 or 5 knitting needles, each with a point at each end
English knitting		knitting technique in which the yarn is held in the right hand; also known as American knitting or throwing
Fair Isle		a specific form of stranded colorwork named for Fair Isle, a small island off the coast of Scotland
felting		a process by which knitted wool is soaked in hot water to shrink and tighten the fibers and create a dense fabric
finished object	FO	a completed knitting project
flat knitting		knitting back-and-forth on straight or circular needles to create a piece of flat knitting
frogging		unraveling a piece of knitting; resembles the sound a frog makes (rip-it, rip-it)
garter stitch		Knit EVERY row when working on straight needles; knit 1 round, purl 1 round when working on a circular needle.
gauge		number of stitches per inch horizontally and vertically when using the recommended yarn weight and stitch pattern
I-cord		knitted cord created using double pointed needles
knitting in the round		knitting on circular or double pointed needles to create a piece of cylindrical knitting
Increase	inc	the creation of one or more new stitches
intarsia		the integration of isolated blocks of color into a project
joining		attaching a new piece of yarn to the knitting (new skein, new color, etc.)
Kitchener stitch		the invisible joining of two knitted fabrics using yarn and a needle; also known as grafting
knit	k, k1	a stitch in which yarn is pulled through an existing loop from the back of the work to the front
knit front and back	kfb	an increase
knit two together	k2tog	an decrease
make one	m1	an increase
purl	p, p1	a stitch in which yarn is pulled through an existing loop from the front of the work to the back
ribbing		a textured fabric created by combining knit and purl stitches in the same row (e.g. k2, p2) and repeating identical stitches in subsequent rows
right side	RS	the side of the work that is intended to face the viewer once complete
selvage		The side edge of the knitting, composed of the first and last stitch of each row
skein		length of thread or yarn wound in a loose long coil
slip	sl	pick up a stitch from the source needle and slip it onto the working needle without involving the working yarn
steek		a shortcut vertical column of knitted stitches added into a garment, to be cut open to make room for an opening or attaching another piece>
stockinette	St st	Knit 1 row, purl 1 row alternately when working on straight needles; knit EVERY round when working on a circular needle.
stranded colorwork		technique for working 2+ colors of yarn in the same row with strands of the non-working yarn floating in back of the knitting
straight needles		the traditional set-of-two knitting needles, with a point at one end of each needle and a button on the other end
swatch		a square of test knitting, used as a trial run for gauge, yarn, pattern, etc.
tail		the loose end of the yarn
through the back loop	TBL	creating a stitch through the back leg of the source loop rather than the front
unfinished object	UFO	an incomplete knitting project
work in progress	WIP	an incomplete knitting project
working yarn		the current strand of yarn coming from the skein that is being used in the knitting
wrong side	WS	the side of the work that is intended to face away from the viewer (back/inside) once complete
yarn over	yo	a stitch that creates a hole by bringing the yarn forward and over the top of the needle