Knitting ABC – knitting dictionary from A to Z

Every word that turns up in knitting patterns, explained in plain English. Use it as a reference when you get stuck in an instruction — or read it from A to Z if you like that sort of thing.

A · B · C · D · E · F · G · H · I · J · K · L · M · N · O · P · Q · R · S · T · V · W · Y

A

Alpaca wool – A natural fibre used to make textiles. It comes from the alpaca, a member of the camel family. The wool is soft, warm and lustrous, but not strong. It has little crimp and no scales, and is therefore considered less itchy than other yarns. The yarn has little bounce and a fine, thin fibre, so a garment can easily sag. Alpaca can also shed and pill, and the fibre is normally not very strong. Alpaca has no lanolin in it.

B

Bobbles – Knitted balls that stand decoratively out from the garment. See video.

Bouclé – A type of novelty yarn made up of evenly sized loops of thread.

Brioche – In the basic brioche method you work with two colours. Each round is worked twice, first in the main colour, then a round in the background colour.

Brioche stitch – A knitting technique where you work with double stitches to get clear, thick ribs.

Bubble stitch – Gives a 3D effect. You knit a stitch a set number of rows down into the rows below, then drop the same number of stitches back up. Then you work, for example, plain stocking stitch for a certain number of rows before repeating the steps above. Decorative bubbles build up as you go.

Buttonhole – The hole the button is pulled through. A buttonhole can be made with a yarn over, for instance.

C

Cable knitting – Usually two identical sections of knitting that cross over each other every other time and form decorative cables. There are many ways to knit cables.

Carded yarn – A yarn that is only carded, not combed. The fibres do not lie parallel, and there are often both short and long fibres in the yarn. It is light, airy and much used. It gives clean, clear patterns in two-colour knitting, and was more widely used in the past.

Care instructions – The label that tells you what treatment the textile can take.

Carry-along yarn – A yarn (often fine) that you knit together with your main yarn. By far the best known carry-along yarn on the Norwegian market is a very fine, fluffy mohair with silk. This is the kind of yarn you see in the most popular patterns.

Cast on – The very first stitches put onto the knitting needle.

Casting off – Usually means finishing a knitting project by closing the stitches into an edge. This can be done in several ways, but here is the most common: knit two stitches, then pass the first stitch over the second. Carry on until one stitch is left on the needle. Cut the yarn, then pull the loop so the yarn comes through.

Casting on over two needles – Means casting on with a double needle, and is the most common way to stop the cast-on edge coming out too tight. If you find that fiddly, use needles one size larger than the ones you are knitting with instead.

Circular needle – Two knitting needles joined by a flexible cable in the middle. Comes in different sizes, lengths and materials, such as bamboo, metal and plastic.

Cotton yarn – Yarn spun from cotton fibres.

Craft yarn – Yarn sold on the private market.

Crochet – A handcraft technique where you make fabric using yarn or thread and a crochet hook with a hook at one end.

Crochet hook – A long stick with a hook at the end, which makes it possible to pull yarn from one stitch to another, or between the stitches. Comes in wood, plastic and metal, and in different sizes.

D

Darning – Knitted socks and stockings often wear through in shoes, especially at the heels. You darn by putting a mushroom-shaped tool inside, so the area around the darn keeps its shape. Then you thread yarn in the same colour as the sock in a dense network of threads that gradually closes the hole.

Darning mushroom – A wooden shape that looks like a mushroom, placed under a hole that is going to be darned.

Darning needle – A sturdy needle with a large eye and usually a blunt tip. It can be short or long, and comes in different sizes. It may also have a bend at the tip, to make it easier to pick up the threads you are darning into.

Darning yarn – A fine, hard-wearing yarn made in small batches, often in a wide range of colours.

Decorative weaving yarn – Made in a rich range of colours, hard twisted and with a high sheen.

Double-pointed needles – Sets of shorter needles (often 5), used to knit smaller items such as stockings and hats.

Double yarn over – Often used in lace knitting, and gives a bigger hole than a single yarn over. For example 1 double yarn over between two stitches: work the next purl row by purling the first stitch, then dropping the second.

E

Edge stitch – Normally not part of the pattern, but the outermost stitch on each side of the work. There are several ways to knit it. The most common is to knit it on the right side and purl it on the wrong side, so the edge stitch reads as a knit stitch. This is often used on garments in thick yarn. You can also use a chain edge, where the first stitch is not worked but simply lifted onto the other needle, or a rounded edge. A rounded edge is used most often where the pieces are going to be sewn together at the end.

Elastic cast on – Gives a super stretchy cast-on edge.

Embroidery – Often hand-worked stitches in different sizes and shapes that make up decorative patterns. See video.

Embroidery thread – Stranded cotton, neatly spun from several fine cotton threads, usually available in a large range of colours. Because it is so fine it does not shed or splay. It is soft and thin (easy to thread through a large needle), but still hard-wearing, far too fine to knit with, and perfect for embroidery.

F

Full brioche – Gives a thick, airy rib that looks the same on the wrong side and the right side. In full brioche you work back and forth with an odd number of stitches on the needle.

G

Garter stitch – Knitting where ridges of purl form in the knit fabric. This is done by working alternate rows of knit and purl.

Gauge – It is worth knitting a gauge swatch to be sure your tension is the same as the one given in the pattern. That way you know the garment will come out at the measurements the pattern gives.

Grafting (Kitchener stitch) – Sewing with a needle and yarn in a way that forms new stitches, often used to join two pieces. Here is how: lay the pieces to be joined edge to edge. Bring the thread up from below through the top stitch (so the needle points up), then take it straight down into the middle of the stitch below, and then sideways straight into the stitch next to it, so the thread comes out in the middle of the stitch. See the illustration below.

Grafting two pieces together – Here you sew with a needle and yarn in a way that forms stitches. Here is how: lay the pieces to be joined edge to edge. Bring the thread up through the top stitch, then into the stitch below and sideways straight into the stitch next to it, so the thread comes out in the middle of the stitch.

H

Half brioche – Knitting where you work a knit stitch into the knit stitch below, every other round. This makes a clear sideways V at the side of the knit stitch. See video.

Hand spinning – Done with a simple tool, a drop spindle. The spindle is a weight, like a stone, with a stick and a hook. The weight is set spinning while the fibres are fed into the yarn, which gets longer and longer and is pulled down towards the floor. The yarn is then wound onto the stick and the process is repeated.

How to make a jumper longer – Separate the jumper at the ribbing by cutting one stitch, then pulling the yarn out of the stitches in the same round. This is especially useful with yarns that are hard to rip back afterwards. Ribbing in a mohair yarn, for instance, can be a struggle to undo. Then pick all the stitches up on the right needle size and knit the length that is missing onto the garment. If it is hard to get the stitches onto the needle, change to a smaller needle size, then knit the garment onto the right size, so the stitches do not look uneven on the garment.

I

I-cord edge – A cord-like edge on knitting, worked and cast off like this: * Knit 2 stitches, knit the next 2 stitches together through the back loops. Slip the 3 stitches from the right needle back onto the left needle (in the same order as they are in) *, repeat from *-* until all the stitches on the left needle are cast off and 3 stitches remain on the right needle.

Increasing stitches – This can be done in several ways. One way is to knit an extra stitch into the knit stitch. Work the stitch as normal on the next round.

Industrial yarn – Used for industrial production in knitwear factories and weaving mills.

Interchangeable circular needles – Needles with a matching set of different needle sizes that screw on and off and can be changed as needed.

Italian cast off –

Italian cast on – Gives a super stretchy cast-on edge that does not pull in. Perfect for hats, socks and trouser legs, and for premature baby clothes. The stitches look as if they simply disappear on the back. You have to cast on first, then knit a row and then a round to establish it.

J

Joining the sleeves to the body – Knitting where the sleeves are joined onto the body. See video.

Jumper needles – At one end you can take new stitches onto the needle, and at the other there is often a small knob whose job is to stop the stitches falling off. These needles are always used in pairs, and can be used to work back and forth.

K

Knit stitch – The most common stitch, worked from the front, where the needle goes in, picks up the yarn and comes out again.

Knitting needles – Tools used for hand knitting. They can be made of different materials such as metal, plastic and bamboo, and come in different sizes. In Norway knitting needles are sized by diameter in millimetres. Several other numbering systems exist.

Knitting through the back loop – Means working the knit stitch from the back instead of from the front, which is the usual way. A twisted stitch gives less stretch in the ribbing, but makes it hold its shape better over time.

Knitting yarn – Not spun very tightly, which makes the yarn soft and pleasant.

L

Lace knitting – Knitting where small holes are made in the garment. See video.

Length – The measurement taken on the garment from the neck down, to describe the length of the garment.

Long-tail cast on – This is the most common way to cast on. Note that the right side faces you as you cast on, so the first row has to be purled.

Here is how: make the first stitch by making a loop and putting it on the needle. Remember to work out the right length of tail first.

M

Measuring the tail for casting on – Wind the yarn round the needle as many times as the number of stitches you are casting on, and add 10 cm of yarn to hold on to.

Merino wool – Comes from the merino sheep. This wool is especially soft and fine, and suits baby knits particularly well. Merino is often used in blends to soften them.

Mohair – Wool from the angora goat, with long, slightly crimped fibres and a beautiful silk-like sheen. Mohair has strong fibres that make the garment light and warm. Mohair can be brushed up again after washing, and works in most knitted garments.

Moss stitch – Knitting where one round is usually worked in alternate knit and purl stitches, and round 2 is worked so that a purl stitch sits over a knit stitch and a knit stitch sits over the purl stitch. Repeated every other round. Moss stitch can also be worked in other combinations, for instance double moss stitch.

Moths – A collective name for the smaller, dusk-flying and inconspicuous species of butterfly. Moths are also a pest that spreads easily in the house, and they prefer to eat holes in dirty fabrics and textiles. Lavender is the moth's kryptonite, and a small bag of lavender can keep the moths off your knitwear. It is a good idea to pack away knits you are not using in plastic, to keep the moths out.

N

Needle size – In Norway all knitting needles are sized by diameter in millimetres. The recommended needle size is usually given both on the yarn and in the knitting pattern.

Novelty yarn – Used as a term for yarns with special properties or colour effects, such as loops, fur, metallic thread, reflective thread and more. Bouclé is a type of novelty yarn made up of evenly sized loops of thread.

O

Open cast on – Makes it possible to use the stitches from both sides. You can knit both upwards and downwards without having to pick up stitches from the cast-on edge.

P

Pilling – Pills on clothes can come from the fabric itself. On new garments it may be surplus fibre that disappears in time. Pilling can also come from repeated movement, or where different textiles, for instance natural and synthetic, are in contact with each other.

Pins – Small thin pins with a ball at one end, which make it possible to hold two pieces of fabric together, for instance when sewing up a garment.

Pressing – means evening out any unevenness in the garment by laying it flat and pressing gently on a low heat over a damp tea towel.

Provisional cast on – Makes it possible to go back and pick the stitches up again, and to adjust the stitch count to the perfect size after the garment is finished. See video.

Provisional cast on over two needles – Magic loop. This method works well where you are going to knit double in the round. It is perfect where you would normally use double-pointed needles (sleeves, socks and mittens). See video.

Puff sleeve – A sleeve with extra width, often at the top of the sleeve, which creates gathers and a raised sleeve head.

Q

Quilting – means sewing stitches through several layers of fabric lying on top of each other, to form the pattern you want.

R

Raglan – Knitting the body and the sleeves together in a diagonal line towards the neck. There are many different techniques for this. See video:

Rib stitch – Knitting where you usually work alternate knit and purl stitches stacked over each other on every round.

Ribbed edge – An edge made up of knit and purl stitches.

Ribbing – An elastic section, often used at the start of a garment and at the neck. Usually worked in a combination of knit and purl stitches repeated directly over each other.

Right side – The opposite side to the purl back of a piece of knitting. The right side is usually the smooth side that faces out.

Right side or wrong side? Not sure which side you are on? If you started with straight needles, the yarn will usually hang on the right-hand side.

Rounded edge – Used where the pieces are going to be sewn together later. Here is how: slip the first stitch purlwise on the knit row. Slip the first stitch knitwise on the purl row.

S

Sail twine – Hemp used for repairing sails and other boat gear.

Semi-worsted yarn – A halfway house between the two main types of wool yarn, made by stretching the carded yarn before spinning.

Short rows – Knit to the point where you are going to turn, knit 1 stitch (the turning stitch). Turn the work, and with the yarn in front of you lift the turning stitch onto the right needle. Then take the yarn over and behind the work, and knit on back.

Silk yarn – A moisture-absorbing natural yarn made by silkworms. Silk fibres are completely smooth, which makes silk yarn extremely soft and comfortable. Silk can take up as much as 30% of its own weight. Silk yarn gives a shiny, soft finish, and the yarn also has a high breaking strength, which makes the yarn and the knitted garment extra strong. It does not take much direct light, so the garment can easily fade.

Single-ply yarn – Yarn spun into one single strand. Tightly spun single-ply yarn is not recommended for garments knitted on circular needles, as the garment may «pull» and end up skewed. To avoid this, it is a good idea to hold another yarn along with it.

Single-pointed needles – Longer than double-pointed needles, and pointed at one end only. These can be used to knit flat pieces, working back and forth.

Sl st – The abbreviation sl st in a pattern means slip stitch.

Slip stitch – in crochet, a slip stitch is worked by putting the hook through the stitch, catching the yarn with the hook and pulling the yarn through both the stitch and the original loop.

Slipped stitch – in knitting, this means the first stitch is often lifted off and onto the other needle without being worked, to give the neatest result.

Slipping a stitch off the needle – Means lifting the stitch off the needle and onto the other needle without knitting it. This gives an even edge.

Sock yarn – A strong wool yarn, often reinforced with hair or coarse outer wool, goat hair yarn, which is where the Norwegian name raggsokk comes from.

SSK (slip, slip, knit) – A decrease technique made up of 2 slips and 1 knit. Slip 2 stitches as if to knit them, one at a time, then put both stitches back on the left needle and knit the two stitches together through the back loops.

Stitch tables – Ready-worked tables that give you the number of stitches in a piece of knitting based on, for instance, your gauge. You can use them to work out your own designs and get the right size.

Stocking stitch – The same as plain knitting, and the most common form of knitting, which gives an even, smooth surface. If you are knitting back and forth and want a completely smooth surface, you knit one way and purl back.

Straight needles – Knitting needles that are longer than double-pointed needles, and pointed at one end only.

Swimwear yarn – A fine worsted wool yarn with good colour fastness in light and water.

T

Tacking – Sewing two pieces together temporarily.

Textured knitting – Different combinations of knit and purl stitches that form different textures in the garment.

Threading – Putting the yarn or thread through the eye of the needle.

Twisted stitches – Give a neater, tighter look than ordinary knit stitches, and are often used in ribbing.

V

Velvet ribbon – Ribbon made of velvet, usually bought by the metre in haberdashery shops or online, and used to decorate textiles.

W

Waistband – The upper waist section and fold-over edge on trousers or a skirt.

Wave stitch – Knitting that forms waves using various methods. There are several different ways and methods for knitting waves.

Weaving yarn – The warp yarn in particular has to be even and strong so it does not wear through in the loom.

Width – The measurement a knitted piece is often measured by, taken straight across one side of the body.

Wool – ull in Norwegian.

Wool yarn – One of the oldest and most widely used yarn types. Wool breathes, warms, is hard-wearing and water-repellent. Wool is produced almost all over the world.

Worsted yarn – Combed before spinning. The fibres lie as parallel as possible. Worsted yarn is heavy and gives a firm fabric.

Wrong side – The opposite side to the smooth front of a piece of knitting. The right side is usually the side that faces out.

Y

Yarn length – The length the manufacturer has calculated for their yarn.

Yarn over – A yarn over is worked by laying the yarn over and around the needle, bringing it from under the right needle and over the top, so a new stitch forms on the needle. This gradually makes a hole that can be used as a buttonhole, for instance.

Yarn weight – A pattern is usually written for a particular yarn, of a particular thickness. So that the pattern works out in size and yarn quantity, the gauge is given. To save yourself recalculating the pattern, it is always a good idea to use a yarn of the same thickness as the one in the pattern. It is also worth knitting a gauge swatch to be sure your tension is the same as the one given in the pattern. That way you know the garment will come out at the measurements given in the pattern.

Did you not find the word?

Send me a message and I will add it. The dictionary grows with the questions I get.

If there is a technique you want to see, not just read about, the videos are in the knitting school. And the techniques that come up in most of my patterns have pages of their own:

Half brioche · Lace pattern · Puff sleeves · Raglan · Cables · Bobbles · Flexible cast on

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