What's all That Knitting Speak Mean?!

When you're just starting out learning to knit some of the language can be confusing!  Here is a list of common terms to help you out:

• Bind Off In Pattern
  Generally this instruction is given when you have been knitting using a stitch pattern. Work the bind off row in the same stitch pattern that you were knitting, binding off the knit stitches knitwise and purl stitches purlwise.  Even if the directions don't specifically tell you to bind off in pattern, you should do so, this is a small detail but adds a professional touch. 

• Decrease Or Increase Evenly
  Sometimes a pattern will tell you where to decrease or increase across a row; other times it will only tell you the number of stitches to decrease or increase and to do so evenly.  This just means to space your increases or decreases across your row instead of placing them close together.  If they're spaced too close together, it can cause your knitting to pucker and flare. 

• Keeping To Pattern (Or Work as Established, Or Maintain Pattern)
  If you knitting a stitch pattern, you'll just follow the instruction for each row as long as you keep working over the same number of stitches. If there is shaping involved, like on a sleeve or neckline, you will need to pay attention to how the increases or decreases affect the stitch pattern.

• Multiple Of Stitches
  A stitch multiple is the number of stitches you need to have for one complete repeat of a stitch pattern. A multiple of 5 stitches means you should cast on any number of stitches that is divisible by 5. A multiple of 6 + 1 means you should cast on any number of stitches that is divisible by 6 plus 1 extra stitch.  The extra stitches are sometimes border stitches, or necessary to balance the stitch pattern within the overall design.  Knowing the multiple of the stitch pattern you are working with is very helpful, especially if you are modifying the size of the project you are working on.

• Reverse Shaping
  Almost all cardigan patterns will give you complete instructions for knitting one front and then tell you to work the other front to correspond reversing all shaping. It's cruel, I know, but we can persevere.  Basically, what you are doing is mirror imaging the shaping instructions.  Graph paper is very helpful when you're working this out. 

• Selvedge
  You will also see this word spelled selvage. All flat knitting has a selvedge on each side. It only means the first and last stitches. If it's something that will be seamed, these are the stitches that will be used to seam the piece together.  Your selvedge stitches can be decorative if they are not going to be incorporated into a seam.  

• With Right Side Facing
  This means to have the outside, or public side of the fabric facing YOU.  Often this direction is given when you are about to pick up stitches along an edge but you may see it at other times too. 

• Work Even
  You'll often see this term following a sequence where you just completed increasing or decreasing.  It just means that you will continue working over the next section without any more increasing or decreasing.  

And we also have these terms that were originally used by knitters on the internet, but now have become common knitting language:

CAL	Crochet-A-Long. See KAL
FO	Finished Object.
Frog, Frogging	To undo knitting to go back to correct a mistake by removing the needles and ripping the stitches out. From the sound a frog makes - ribbit ribbit sounds like rip it, rip it. See tink.
Frog pond	To remove the needles and undo knitting all the way. To recycle the wool from a half knitted project to use in a different project. eg: I've sent the sock that didn't fit to the frog pond and I'm going to make a scarf from the wool.
Halfpint	Have A Lovely Fantasy Project. I've No Time.
KAL	Knit-A-Long. See CAL
LYS	Local Yarn Store.
OTN	On The Needles. A current knitting project.
SSS	Second Sock Syndrome. After having finished one sock it becomes dificult to go on and finish the second one to make a pair.
Tink, Tinking	To undo knitting to go back to correct a mistake stitch by stitch. Tink is knit spelt backwards. See frog.
UFO	UnFinished Object
WIP	Work In Progress