Search
Close
  • The Pattern Shop
  • Our Free Patterns
    • Browse All Our Free Patterns
    • Our Free Knitting Patterns
    • Our Free Crochet Patterns
    • The Big List of Free Knitting Patterns from Marly Bird
    • The Big List of Free Crochet Patterns from Marly Bird
  • Blog
    • All Blog Posts
    • All Free Patterns
    • Dibble Dabble Inspiration
    • Giveaways
    • Make-Alongs
    • Product Reviews
    • Roundups
    • Tips, Tricks, Techniques for Knitting and Crochet
Logo of "Marly Bird" featuring stylized text alongside a graphic of a bird perched on a branch, executed in gray and pink tones. The header design is elegant, emphasizing the brand's unique identity. -Marly Bird
  • Marly Bird House
  • Learn to Knit & Crochet
    • Newbie? Start Here
    • Video Tutorials
    • Knitting Definitions
    • Crochet Definitions
    • Common Techniques
    • Size Charts for Knitting and Crochet Projects
  • About
×
  • The Pattern Shop
  • Free Patterns
  • Blog
  • Marly Bird House
  • Learn to Knit & Crochet
    • Newbie? Start Here
    • Video Tutorials
    • Knitting Definitions
    • Crochet Definitions
    • Common Techniques
    • Size Charts for Knitting and Crochet Projects
  • About
Logo of "Marly Bird" featuring stylized text alongside a graphic of a bird perched on a branch, executed in gray and pink tones. The header design is elegant, emphasizing the brand's unique identity. -Marly Bird
Search
Close

New Patterns NOW Available in Ad-Free PDF! Check out The Pattern Shop

Knitting Definitions

Basic Stitches

Knit - K Expand

Purl - P Expand

Slip - Sl Expand

Insert right needle in next stitch as if to purl (unless otherwise indicated), and slip it from the left needle onto the right needle.

Stitches - St(s) Expand
Yarn Over - Yo Expand

Wrap yarn from front to back over the right needle - 1 stitch increased (if the yo is used as a stand-alone stitch).

Brioche

Brioche Knit - BRK Expand

Knit next st together with the strand of yarn above it, formed by a yarn-over on the previous row.

Brioche Purl - BRP Expand

Purl next st together with the strand of yarn above it, formed by a yarn-over on the previous row.

Cable Stitches

1/1 Left Cable - 1/1 LC Expand

1-1lc

Slip 1 stitch onto cable needle and hold in front, knit 1 stitch from left needle, then knit 1 stitch from cable needle.

1/1 Left Cable with Purl - 1/1 LPC Expand

1-1 lpc

Slip 1 stitch onto cable needle and hold in front, purl 1 stitch from left needle, then knit 1 stitch from cable needle.

1/1 Right Cable - 1/1 RC Expand

1-1 rc

Slip 1 stitch onto cable needle and hold in back, knit 1 stitch from left needle, then knit 1 stitch from cable needle.

1/1 Right Cable with Purl - 1/1 RPC Expand

1-1 rpc

Slip 1 stitch onto cable needle and hold in back, knit 1 stitch from left needle, then purl 1 stitch from cable needle.

1/1/1 Left Cable - 1/1/1 LC Expand

1-1-1 lc

Requires the use of two cable needles simultaneously. Slip 1 stitch onto cable needle and hold in front, slip 1 stitch onto a second cable needle and hold in back, knit 1 stitch from left needle, knit 1 stitch from back cable needle, then knit 1 stitch from front cable needle.

1/1/1 Left Cable with Purl - 1/1/1 LPC Expand

1-1-1 lpc

Requires the use of two cable needles simultaneously. Slip 1 stitch onto cable needle and hold in front, slip 1 stitch onto a second cable needle and hold in back, purl 1 stitch from left needle, knit 1 stitch from back cable needle, then knit 1 stitch from front cable needle.

1/1/1 Right Cable - 1/1/1 RC Expand

1-1-1 rc

Requires the use of two cable needles simultaneously. Slip 1 stitch onto cable needle and hold in back, slip 1 stitch onto a second cable needle and hold in back of first cable needle, knit 1 stitch from left needle, knit 1 stitch from backmost cable needle, then knit 1 stitch from remaining cable needle.

1/1/1 Right Cable with Purl - 1/1/1 RPC Expand

1-1-1 rpc

Requires the use of two cable needles simultaneously. Slip 1 stitch onto cable needle and hold in back, slip 1 stitch onto a second cable needle and hold in back of first cable needle, knit 1 stitch from left needle, purl 1 stitch from backmost cable needle, then knit 1 stitch from remaining cable needle.

1/2 Left Cable - 1/2 LC Expand

1-2 lc

Slip 1 stitch onto cable needle and hold in front, knit 2 stitches from left needle, then knit 1 stitch from cable needle.

1/2 Left Cable with Purl - 1/2 LPC Expand

1-2 lpc

Slip 1 stitch onto cable needle and hold in front, purl 2 stitches from left needle, then knit 1 stitch from cable needle.

1/2 Right Cable - 1/2 RC Expand

1-2 rc

Slip 2 stitches onto cable needle and hold in back, knit 1 stitch from left needle, then knit 2 stitches from cable needle.

1/2 Right Cable with Purl - 1/2 RPC Expand

1-2 rpc

Slip 2 stitches onto cable needle and hold in back, knit 1 stitch from left needle, then purl 2 stitches from cable needle.

2/1 Left Cable - 2/1 LC Expand

2-1 lc

Slip 2 stitches onto cable needle and hold in front, knit 1 stitch from left needle, then knit 2 stitches from cable needle.

2/1 Left Cable with Purl - 2/1 LPC Expand

2-1 lpc

Slip 2 stitches onto cable needle and hold in front, purl 1 stitch from left needle, then knit 2 stitches from cable needle.

2/1 Right Cable - 2/1 RC Expand

2-1 rc

Slip 1 stitch onto cable needle and hold in back, knit 2 stitches from left needle, then knit 1 stitch from cable needle.

2/1 Right Cable with Purl - 2/1 RPC Expand

2-1 rpc

Slip 1 stitch onto cable needle and hold in back, knit 2 stitches from left needle, then purl 1 stitch from cable needle.

2/1/2 Left Cable - 2/1/2 LC Expand

2-1-2 lc

Requires the use of two cable needles simultaneously. Slip 2 stitches onto cable needle and hold in back, slip 1 stitch onto a second cable needle and hold in back of first cable needle, knit 2 stitches from left needle, knit 1 stitch from backmost cable needle, then knit 2 stitches from remaining cable needle.

2/1/2 Left Cable with Purl - 2/1/2 LPC Expand

2-1-2 lpc

Requires the use of two cable needles simultaneously. Slip 2 stitches onto cable needle and hold in back, slip 1 stitch onto a second cable needle and hold in back of first cable needle, knit 2 stitches from left needle, purl 1 stitch from backmost cable needle, then knit 2 stitches from remaining cable needle.

2/1/2 Right Cable - 2/1/2 RC Expand

2-1-2 rc

Requires the use of two cable needles simultaneously. Slip 2 stitches onto cable needle and hold in front, slip 1 stitch onto a second cable needle and hold in back, knit 2 stitches from left needle, knit 1 stitch from back cable needle, then knit 2 stitches from front cable needle.

2/1/2 Right Cable with Purl - 2/1/2 RPC Expand

2-1-2 rpc

Requires the use of two cable needles simultaneously. Slip 2 stitches onto cable needle and hold in front, slip 1 stitch onto a second cable needle and hold in back, knit 2 stitches from left needle, purl 1 stitch from back cable needle, then knit 2 stitches from front cable needle.

2/2 Left Cable - 2/2 LC Expand

2-2 lc

Slip 2 stitches onto cable needle and hold in front, knit 2 stitches from left needle, then knit 2 stitches from cable needle.

2/2 Left Cable with Purl - 2/2 LPC Expand

2-2 lpc

Slip 2 stitches onto cable needle and hold in front, purl 2 stitches from left needle, then knit 2 stitches from cable needle.

2/2 Right Cable - 2/2 RC Expand

2-2 rc

Slip 2 stitches onto cable needle and hold in back, knit 2 stitches from left needle, then knit 2 stitches from cable needle.

2/2 Right Cable with Purl - 2/2 RPC Expand

2-2 rpc

Slip 2 stitches onto cable needle and hold in back, knit 2 stitches from left needle, then purl 2 stitches from cable needle.

3/3 Left Cable - 3/3 LC Expand

3-3 lc

Slip 3 stitches onto cable needle and hold in front, knit 3 stitches from left needle, then knit 3 stitches from cable needle.

3/3 Left Cable with Purl - 3/3 LPC Expand

3-3 lpc

Slip 3 stitches onto cable needle and hold in front, purl 3 stitches from left needle, then knit 3 stitches from cable needle.

3/3 Right Cable - 3/3 RC Expand

3-3 rc

Slip 3 stitches onto cable needle and hold in back, knit 3 stitches from left needle, then knit 3 stitches from cable needle.

3/3 Right Cable with Purl - 3/3 LPC Expand

3-3 rpc

Slip 3 stitches onto cable needle and hold in back, knit 3 stitches from left needle, then purl 3 stitches from cable needle.

Right Twist - RT Expand

Skip one stitch, knit next stitch without dropping it off the needle, knit the skipped st, then drop both stitches from the right needle together.

Left Twist - LT Expand

Skip one stitch, knit next stitch through the back loop without dropping it off the needle, knit the skipped stitch, then drop both stitches from the right needle together.

Decreases

Center Double Decrease - CDD Expand

Cdd

Slip next 2 stitches knitwise at the same time, knit next stitch, pass slipped stitches over knit stitch (same as S2kp) - 2 stitches decreased.

Decrease(s) - Dec(s) Expand
Knit Three Together - K3tog Expand

k3tog

Knit 3 stitches together - 2 stitches decreased.

Knit Two Together - K2tog Expand

k2tog

Knit 2 stitches together - 1 stitch decreased.

Purl 2 Together - P2tog Expand

p2tog

Purl 2 stitches together - 1 stitch decreased.

Purl 3 Together - P3tog Expand

p3tog

Purl 3 stitches together - 2 stitches decreased.

Slip 2, Knit, Pass - S2kp Expand

s2kp

Slip next 2 stitches knitwise at the same time, knit next stitch, pass slipped stitches over knit stitch (same as CDD).

Slip, Knit 2 Together, Pass - Sk2p Expand

sk2p

Slip next stitch knitwise, knit next 2 stitches together, pass slipped stitch over knit stitch.

Slip, Knit, Pass - Skp Expand

skp

Slip next stitch knitwise, knit next stitch, pass slipped stitch over knit stitch.

Slip, Slip, Knit - Ssk Expand

ssk

Slip 2 stitches, one at a time, as if to knit. Insert left needle into the front of these 2 stitches and knit them together from this position - 1 stitch decreased.

Slip, Slip, Purl - Ssp Expand

ssp

Slip 2 stitches, one at a time, as if to knit, then slip them back onto the left needle without changing their orientation. Purl these 2 stitches together through the back loop - 1 stitch decreased.

Slip, Slip, Slip, Knit - Sssk Expand

sssk

Slip 3 stitches, one at a time, as if to knit. Insert left needle into the front of these 3 stitches and knit them together from this position - 2 stitches decreased.

Slip, Slip, Slip, Purl - Sssp Expand

sssp

Slip 3 stitches, one at a time, as if to knit, then slip them back onto the left needle without changing their orientation. Purl these 3 stitches together through the back loop - 2 stitches decreased.

Increases

Increase(s) - Inc(s) Expand
Knit Front & Back - Kfb Expand

kfb

Knit through front and back of next stitch - 1 stitch increased.

Knit Front, Back, and Front - Kfbf Expand

kfbf

Knit through front, back, and front of next stitch - 2 stitches increased.

Left-Lifted Make 1 - LLM1 Expand

llm1

Insert tip of left needle from back to front into the left leg of the second stitch down from stitch on right needle (the grandmother stitch), knit it through the back leg - 1 stitch increased.

Make 1 - M1 Expand

m1

With tip of left needle, pick up the horizontal strand between stitches from front to back. Knit (or purl, as indicated) this strand through the back leg, twisting it into a loop in the process - 1 stitch increased.

Make 1 Knitwise - M1k Expand

m1k

With tip of left needle, pick up the horizontal strand between stitches from front to back. Knit this strand through the back leg, twisting it into a loop in the process - 1 stitch increased.

Make 1 Knitwise Left - M1kL Expand

m1kl

With tip of left needle, pick up the horizontal strand between stitches from front to back. Knit this strand through the back leg, twisting it into a loop in the process - 1 stitch increased.

Make 1 Knitwise Right - M1kR Expand

m1kr

With tip of left needle, pick up the horizontal strand between stitches from back to front. Knit this strand, twisting it into a loop in the process - 1 stitch increased.

Make 1 Left - M1L Expand

m1l

With tip of left needle, pick up the horizontal strand between stitches from front to back. Knit (or purl, as indicated) this strand through the back leg, twisting it into a loop in the process - 1 stitch increased.

Make 1 Purlwise - M1p Expand

m1p

With tip of left needle, pick up the horizontal strand between stitches from front to back. Purl this strand through the back leg, twisting it into a loop in the process - 1 stitch increased.

Make 1 Purlwise Left - M1pL Expand

m1pl

With tip of left needle, pick up the horizontal strand between stitches from front to back. Purl this strand through the back leg, twisting it into a loop in the process - 1 stitch increased.

Make 1 Purlwise Right - M1pR Expand

m1pr

With tip of left needle, pick up the horizontal strand between stitches from back to front. Purl this strand, twisting it into a loop in the process - 1 stitch increased.

Make 1 Right - M1R Expand

m1r

With tip of left needle, pick up the horizontal strand between stitches from back to front. Knit (or purl, as indicated) this strand, twisting it into a loop in the process - 1 stitch increased.

Purl Front & Back - Pfb Expand

pfb

Purl through front and back of next stitch - 1 stitch increased.

Purl Front, Back, and Front - Pfbf Expand

pfbf

Purl through front, back and front of next stitch - 2 stitches increased.

Right-Lifted Make 1 - RLM1 Expand

rlm1

Insert tip of right needle into the right leg of the stitch directly under stitch on left needle (the mother stitch), lift the leg onto the left needle, and knit it - 1 stitch increased.

Non-Stitch Intructions

Brackets - [ ] Expand

Repeat directions inside of brackets the number of times indicated

Parentheses - ( ) Expand

Perform stitches inside of parentheses in stitch indicated

Pass Slipped Stitch Over - Psso Expand

Pass a stitch that was previously slipped over other stitch(es) as indicated.

Place Marker - Pm Expand

Place a stitch marker on the needle or in the fabric as indicated.

Slip Marker - Slm Expand

Slip stitch marker from left needle to right needle.

Through Back Leg - Tbl Expand

Knit (or purl, as indicated) next stitch working through the back leg instead of the front leg of the stitch.

With Yarn in Back - Wyib Expand

Work next stitch or instruction (usually a slip stitch) with yarn held in back of the work.

With Yarn in Front - Wyif Expand

Work next stitch or instruction (usually a slip stitch) with yarn held in front of the work.

Yarn to Back - Yb Expand

Bring yarn to the back between the two needles.

Yarn to Front - Yf Expand

Bring yarn to the front between the two needles.

Non-Stitch Terms

Cable Needle - Cn Expand
Continue - Cont Expand
Contrasting Color - CC Expand
Double Pointed Needle(s) - Dpn(s) Expand

Used in circular knitting when the circumference of the piece is too small for circular needles.

Established - Est Expand
Every Other Row - Eor Expand
Main Color - MC Expand
Measure(s) - Meas Expand
Approximately - Approx Expand
Knitwise; as if to knit - Kwise Expand
Pattern - Pat Expand
Purlwise; as if to purl - Pwise Expand
Remain(ing) - Rem Expand
Repeat - Rep Expand
Right Side - RS Expand

This is the front of the fabric or outside of your project.

Round - Rnd Expand
Wrong Side - WS Expand

This is the back of the fabric or inside of your project.

Stitch Patterns

Garter Stitch - Gtr St Expand

Knit every row.

Stockinette Stitch - St st Expand

Knit on right-side rows, purl on wrong-side rows.

Techniques

Bind Off - BO Expand

Work (knit or purl, as indicated) 2 stitches, * pass first stitch over second stitch and off the right needle, work next stitch; repeat from * until 1 stitch remains, fasten off final stitch.

Cast On - CO Expand

Make Bobble - MB Expand

Loosen next stitch, [knit into the front, then back] twice, then front again of loosened stitch, turn - 5 sts; Purl 5, turn; with left needle, pass second, third, fourth and fifth stitches 1 at a time over the first stitch and off the right needle—1 stitch remains, Bobble made.

Pick Up and Knit - PU & K Expand

Insert needle, from front to back, in indicated stitch or space in fabric; wrap yarn around needle as if to knit; use tip of needle to pull yarn through to the front of the fabric.

Wrap and Turn - W&T Expand

Used in creating short rows as follows:
On a Knit row: With yarn in back, slip next stitch purlwise, bring yarn to front of work, return slipped stitch to left needle, bring yarn to back of work, then turn work.
On a Purl row: With yarn in front, slip next stitch purlwise, bring yarn to back of work, return slipped stitch to left needle, bring yarn to front of work, then turn work.
When arriving at wrapped stitch later in the pattern, knit it (or purl it, as indicated) together with its wrap.

Garter Tab Cast-On and Edging - Traditional Expand

Garter Stitch Tab + Edging

Traditional - Watch Video Here 🎬

Cast on 3 total sts using Long Tail Cast-on.

Rows 1-6: K3, turn work.

Row 7 (RS): K3, place marker, pick up and knit 3 sts along vertical side edge of Tab (1 st in each Garter ridge), place marker, pick up and knit k3 from cast-on edge - 9 sts.

 

To continue edging on shawl work as follows: 

Every Row: K3, slip marker, work as per pattern or recipe to last 3 sts, slip marker, k3.

 

 

Garter Tab Cast-On and Edging -Judy's Magic Cast-On Expand

Judy’s Magic Cast-On - Watch Video Here 🎬

Cast on 6 total sts using Judy’s Magic Cast-on, or 3 sts on each needle-tip.

Turn the needles so the purl side is facing. Working only the stitches on the top needle, leave the stitch on the bottom needle remain on the cord, continue as follows:

Rows 1-6: K3, turn work.

Row 7 (RS): K3, place marker, pick up and knit 3 sts along vertical side edge of Tab (1 st in each Garter ridge), place marker, k3 from opposite side of cast-on edge - 9 sts.

 

To continue edging on shawl work as follows: 

Every Row: K3, slip marker, work as per pattern or recipe to last 3 sts, slip marker, k3.

Let's Be Social

Join the Marly's Minions Facebook group to share, ask questions, or chat about all of your yarn related crafts!

Join the group
Digital avatar of a woman with brown hair in a bun, glasses, and a black jacket, waving and saying "hi" with a word bubble above her hand in the website footer. -Marly Bird

Quick Links

The Pattern Shop

Our Free Patterns

Blog

Marly Bird House

Learn to Knit & Crochet

About

Giveaway Terms and Privacy Notice

Find Us Everywhere

Join the Newsletter

YouTube Channel

Marly's Minions FB Group

Etsy Store

Ravelry Store

 

AN ELITE CAFEMEDIA HOME/DIY PUBLISHER

Information from your device can be used to personalize your ad experience. Do not sell or share my personal information.

Privacy Policy   Terms   Copyright © 2025