Reference guide
Knitting Abbreviations: The Complete English Guide
Every knitting pattern speaks in shorthand. This page collects the most common English knitting and crochet abbreviations — what they mean, how to work them, and what they look like in Japanese, French, German, Russian, Spanish, Italian and Scandinavian patterns.
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Core knitting abbreviations
The 20 you'll see in almost every pattern.
K
Knit
The most basic stitch — insert needle front to back, yarn over, pull through.
e.g. K10 = knit 10 stitches
P
Purl
The reverse of a knit — insert needle back to front, yarn over, pull through.
e.g. P2 = purl 2 stitches
YO
Yarn over
Wrap the yarn around the needle to create an extra stitch (and a small hole). Common in lace.
e.g. K2, YO, K2tog
K2tog
Knit two together
A right-leaning decrease. Knit two stitches together as one.
e.g. Decreases 1 stitch
P2tog
Purl two together
Purl two stitches together as one. Right-leaning decrease on the wrong side.
e.g. Decreases 1 stitch
SSK
Slip, slip, knit
A left-leaning decrease. Slip two stitches knitwise one at a time, then knit them together through the back loop.
e.g. Mirror of K2tog
M1
Make one
An invisible increase. Lift the bar between two stitches onto the left needle and knit through the back loop.
e.g. Adds 1 stitch
M1L / M1R
Make one left / right
Directional invisible increases — choose based on which way you want the new stitch to lean.
KFB
Knit front and back
Knit into the front loop, then the back loop of the same stitch. Adds 1 stitch.
e.g. Visible increase
PSSO
Pass slipped stitch over
Lift the previously slipped stitch over the stitch just worked, like binding off one stitch.
SK2P
Slip 1, K2tog, PSSO
A double decrease that leans left. Decreases 2 stitches.
CO
Cast on
Start your project by adding stitches to the needle.
BO
Bind off (cast off)
Finish your project by securing the live stitches.
PM / SM
Place / slip marker
Place a stitch marker on the needle, or slip it from one needle to the other.
TBL
Through the back loop
Work the stitch through the back leg instead of the front — twists the stitch.
St(s)
Stitch(es)
A single loop on your needle.
RS / WS
Right side / wrong side
The public-facing side of your work vs the inside.
Rep
Repeat
Repeat the instructions that follow, usually a number of times or until end of row.
Rnd
Round
A full loop of stitches when knitting in the round.
Sl
Slip
Move a stitch from the left to the right needle without working it.
Crochet abbreviations
US and UK crochet terms — easy to mix up.
ch
Chain
The starting stitch of most crochet projects.
sc (US) / dc (UK)
Single crochet (US) = Double crochet (UK)
US and UK crochet terms differ — always check which system your pattern uses.
dc (US) / tr (UK)
Double crochet (US) = Treble (UK)
One of the most common stitches — taller than sc.
tr (US) / dtr (UK)
Treble (US) = Double treble (UK)
A taller stitch — yarn over twice before inserting hook.
sl st
Slip stitch
Used to join rounds or move across stitches without adding height.
MR
Magic ring
An adjustable loop used to start amigurumi in the round.
Same stitch, different language
A quick taste of how the same abbreviations appear in non-English patterns. Tap any language for a full mini-glossary.
Japanese
表目 = knit, 裏目 = purl, 増し目 = increase
Open glossary →
French
m. end. = knit, m. env. = purl, jeté = YO
Open glossary →
German
re M = knit, li M = purl, Umschlag = YO
Open glossary →
Russian
лиц. = knit, изн. = purl, накид = YO
Open glossary →
Danish / Norwegian / Swedish
r = knit, vr = purl, omslag = YO
Open glossary →
Spanish / Italian crochet
pb = sc, pa = dc, cadeneta = chain
Open glossary →
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