Knitting abbreviations
Every common knitting abbreviation with what it actually means, plus the US and UK terms that don't match.
Updated August 12, 2026·5 min read
Patterns are compressed to save space, not to be cryptic. Once you know that k means knit and everything else is built from a handful of prefixes, most lines decode themselves.
The core list
| Abbr. | Meaning | In plain terms |
|---|---|---|
| k | Knit | The basic stitch |
| p | Purl | The basic stitch, worked from the other side |
| st, sts | Stitch, stitches | — |
| CO | Cast on | Get stitches onto the needle |
| BO | Bind off / cast off | Take stitches off permanently |
| RS / WS | Right side / wrong side | The public side and the inside |
| rep | Repeat | — |
| rnd | Round | One full circuit when knitting in the round |
| pm / sm | Place marker / slip marker | Mark a spot; move the marker across |
| yo | Yarn over | Wrap the yarn to make a hole and add a stitch |
| k2tog | Knit two together | Decrease; leans right |
| p2tog | Purl two together | Decrease on the purl side |
| ssk | Slip, slip, knit | Decrease; leans left |
| skp | Slip, knit, pass slipped stitch over | Another left-leaning decrease |
| k3tog | Knit three together | Double decrease |
| m1, m1L, m1R | Make one (left / right leaning) | Increase from the bar between stitches |
| kfb | Knit front and back | Increase; makes two stitches from one |
| inc / dec | Increase / decrease | — |
| sl | Slip | Move a stitch across without working it |
| wyif / wyib | With yarn in front / in back | Yarn position while slipping |
| tbl | Through the back loop | Work into the back of the stitch; twists it |
| psso | Pass slipped stitch over | — |
| w&t | Wrap and turn | Short-row shaping |
| st st | Stockinette stitch | Knit one row, purl one row |
| g st | Garter stitch | Knit every row |
| beg / cont | Begin / continue | — |
| rem | Remaining | — |
| MC / CC | Main colour / contrast colour | — |
| dpn | Double-pointed needle | — |
| pu | Pick up | Create new stitches along an edge |
| tog | Together | — |
US and UK terms that differ
This is the one that catches people out, because both sets of words are English and both look reasonable.
| US term | UK term |
|---|---|
| Bind off | Cast off |
| Gauge | Tension |
| Stockinette stitch | Stocking stitch |
| Seed stitch | Moss stitch |
| Moss stitch | Double moss stitch |
| Yarn over (yo) | Yarn forward / yarn round needle (yfwd, yrn) |
| Worsted weight | Aran |
| Sport weight | 4-ply |
| Fingering weight | 3-ply / 4-ply, depending on the era |
Reading brackets and asterisks
- \k2, p2; rep from \ to end* — work k2, p2 over and over until the row runs out.
- (k1, p1) 3 times — do the whole thing in brackets three times, so six stitches.
- [k2tog, yo] to last 2 sts, k2 — repeat the bracket until only two stitches remain, then knit them.
- k1, m1, k to last st, m1, k1 (2 sts inc) — the number in brackets at the end is the stitch count change, given so you can check yourself.
- Sizes given as 34 (38, 42, 46) — the first number is the smallest size and the rest follow in order. Highlight your size down the whole pattern before you start.
How to decode an unfamiliar line
Take it left to right, one comma at a time, and write out the stitch count as you go. A line like "k3, ssk, k to last 5 sts, k2tog, k3" is: knit three, one left-leaning decrease, knit plainly until five remain, one right-leaning decrease, knit three. Two stitches fewer than the row before.
If an abbreviation isn't in this list, check the pattern's own key. Designers define non-standard ones at the top, and a pattern that doesn't is a pattern worth abandoning.