Let’s say you have worked a series of decreases on a left shoulder. When you knit your first garment, you may run into some terms that confuse you. Parentheses are used to indicate a group of stitches that are to be worked together into a stitch, such as: “(K1, P1, K1) in next st.” That means you will work all of those stitches in one stitch, which makes a popcorn st. Parentheses are sometimes used in the same way. For instance, 6 times means you will YO, then knit 2 sts together, then do that again 5 more times, for a total of 6 YOs and 6 K2togs. The number immediately following the brackets tells you how many times to do the step. You will be creating ribbing by repeating these two rows in sequence.īrackets are also used to enclose a group of stitches that are to be repeated a specified number of times. Many times patterns will say: knit the knit stitches and purl the purl stitches. Note that you will be purling the sts you knitted on the preceding row, and knitting the sts you purled on the preceding row. Row 2: *P2, K2 rep from * across, end P2. That means that you will knit the first two stitches, then purl the next two stitches then you will knit 2, then purl 2, again, and repeat the steps following the asterisk all across the row until the last two stitches which you will knit.
Row 1: *K2, P2 rep from * across, end K2. Ribbing is that stretchy pattern often used at the bottom and cuffs on a sweater to provide flexibility. You will find asterisks used in many different patterns, such as ribbing. Rather than writing out these steps time after time, asterisks (*) are used to indicate the repeats. Knitting patterns may have a series of steps that are repeated several times across a row. They may be confusing at first, but you will soon learn to follow them. These too are used to save space and to make the pattern easier to read. Now we need to stop and take a look at the symbols that are used in knitting patterns. Return to top Asterisks, Parentheses, and Brackets When a pattern tells you to work in garter st, it means to knit every row. This is a reversible pattern, as there is very little difference between the right side and the wrong side. You have created what is called garter stitch, made by knitting every row on a flat piece. Rep Row 1 until piece measures 4” from the beginning. When a pattern tells you to work in St st, it means to alternate a knit row with a purl row.
When this is done it is called reverse St st. Usually the knit side is the right side, but sometimes the purl side is used for the right side. You will see that there are definite right and wrong sides to stockinette stitch. When you repeat a knit row and then a purl row for a number of rows, your are creating a pattern called stockinette stitch. Since the pattern says to end with a wrong-side row, that means that the last row you work should be a purl (WS) row. If your work doesn’t measure what is specified, just keep repeating the rows. Place the end of a ruler or tape measure against the needle, and measure down to your initial cast-on row. To measure, place your piece on a flat surface and do not stretch it out. That means that you will keep repeating Row 1 (a knit row) and Row 2 (a purl row), in sequence until the piece measures 4” from the cast on row. Rep Rows 1 and 2 until piece measures 4” from the beginning, ending with a WS row. Then for Row 2, the wrong side (WS) of the piece, you will purl every stitch. This means that on Row 1, which is the right side of the piece (RS), you will knit all 12 stitches on the needle. If you are a crocheter, be sure to remember this, as in crochet, the slip knot never counts as a stitch. In knitting, the slip knot always counts as a stitch. That means that you will first make a slip knot on one needle, then cast on 11 more stitches on the same needle. Unless the pattern tells you differently, use the method you were first taught. Some give a nice stretchy edge others give a firm base. Here’s how you make a slip knot (See Figures 1 & 2). Patterns never tell you to do this – they just assume you know it. But wait – before you can start casting on, you must place a slip knot on one of the needles. Special needles are used to work in rounds.įirst the instructions will tell you to cast on a certain number of stitches. Knitted items can be worked back and forth in rows to form a flat piece, or in rounds to form a tube with no seams, such as socks or hats. With the abbreviations and terms at hand, let’s look at a typical knitting pattern. When enough new stitches have been added, they should be incorporated into the pattern.Ī complete list of abbreviations used in knitting can be found at Getting Started It means that you keep the center part in the pattern as you have already set it up, and will add (or subtract) stitches at each end without disturbing that pattern. This is usually used when you are working a pattern stitch and are increasing (or decreasing) at the edges.