GLOSSARY
Aran is yarn weight. The term is used in the UK. In the US it is known as worsted. It is 10 ply yarn.
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A
Aran
Binding off is finishing off the knitted piece by processing the stitches in such a way that a neat edge is created and the stitches cannot come undone.
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B
Binding off (B/O)
Bulky yarn
Bulky is the US term for chunky yarn. It is 12 ply yarn.
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Cables are stitch patterns created by some of the stitches are moved several positions to the left or right. It creates a pattern where the stitches overlap one another.
C
Cables
Cable needles
Short needles, usually with a bend in the middle, used to hold stitches temporarily when creating a cable pattern.
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Casting on (C/O)
Casting on (in patterns abbreviated to 'c/o') means putting new stitches on the knitting needles. It is possible to cast on additional stitches during the creation of the piece, but most commonly this is done at the very start.
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Chunky yarn
Chunky yarn is a heavier yarn weight. In the US it is known as bulky yarn and it is 12 ply.
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Circular needles
Two short needles, connected by a cable. These are used to knit in the round and make it possible to knit continuously without having to turn the work.
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Counters
Counters are used to count stitches and rows. There are manual and digital counters available.
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Double knit yarn is arguably the most commonly used yarn weight. It is 8 ply yarn.
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D
Double knit (DK) yarn
Double pointed needles (DPN)
Needles without a stop - with tapered ends on both sides. These needles are used to knit in the round, for example: to create socks.
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The term fingering yarn is mostly used in the US. In the UK it is called 2 ply yarn, which means it is a very light yarn.
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F
Fingering yarn
The garter stitch is a stitch pattern created by knitting very single row.
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G
Garter stitch
The knife grip is a way to hold the knitting needles. They are held in the same way a knife is held. It is a very common way to hold knitting needles.
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K
Knife grip
Knit stitch
The knit stitch is the first stitch a knitter learns. It is the basis of all stitches, most notably the garter stitch, where all rows are knitted (as opposed to purl stitches).
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A lace pattern is a delicate pattern of stitches, increases and decreases, which forms holes and shapes and resembles lace (as created with lace bobbins).
L
Lace pattern
Lace yarn
Lace yarn is the lightest yarn weight. It is 1 ply. The term 'lace' is used in the US.
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Pencil grip is a way of holding the knitting needles. They are held in the same way a pensil is held. It is a very old-fashioned way of holding knitting needles and is very rarely used nowadays.
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P
Pencil grip
Ply
Ply indicates the number of strands that make up the yarn.
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Purl stitch
A purl stitch is a knitting stitch where the stitch is worked from front to back (the opposite direction of a knitted stitch). With a combination of knitted and purled stitches the stocking or stockinette stitch can be created.
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A row in knitting indicates a full length of stitches on the knitting needles.
R
Row
A skein is a loosely coiled length of yarn, often in a twisted bundle (looks a bit like braiding). Like the more common balls of yarn, a skein can come in a variety of weights. Weight, in this context, refers to the total weight of the skein, not the thickness of the yarn.
S
Skein
Single pointed needles (SPN)
Needles with a stop at one end and a tapered end at the other. Pieces are knitted 'straight' on these, which means you have to turn the work at the end of each row.
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Slipknot
A slipknot is the first stitch to go onto a knitting needle when starting a new piece. It can be easily undone by pulling on the tail. However, in knitting, it is the first stitch of the first row of stitches and is not meant to be undone. The tail can be used to tighten the stitch once all other stitches are on the needle.
Sport yarn
Sport is the term used in the US to indicate 4 ply yarn.
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Stitch
A unit used to indicate one single loop created by knitting or casting on.
Stitch holders
Stitch holders are used to 'park' stitches not needed in the active piece being worked at that time.
For example: when creating a neckline, the stitches for one of the shoulders will be worked and the ones for the other shoulder can be placed on a stitch holder. When the second shoulder is to be worked, the stitches are transferred from the stitch holder to the knitting needle.
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Stitch markers
Stitch markers are used to mark particular point in a knitted piece while creating it. They are commonly used to mark the start and end of a stitch pattern (such as cable or lace patterns) or the start and end of a row when knitting in the round.
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Stockinette or stocking stitch
The stockinette stitch is also referred to as stocking stitch. It is a stitch pattern created by alternating knitted rows and purled rows.
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Super bulky / super chunky
Super bulky is the term used in the US for 14 ply yarn. It is known as super chunky in the UK.
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Swatch
A swatch is a small piece of knitted work, created to calculate how many rows and stitches go into a square inch or cm. The expected tension is indicated on the label of the yarn, but usually also mentioned in the pattern.
A tapestry needle is a slightly longer needle with a larger eye than regular sewing needles. Traditionally, the name says it, it is used for tapestry work. Because knitting yarn is thicker than sewing thread, it usually doesn't fit through the eye of a regular sewing needle, so a tapestry needle is used instead.
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T
Tapestry needle
Tension
Tension is the number of rows and stitches per square inch or cm. It is measured by creating a swatch of a certain number of rows and stitches. A bit of calculation is required.
An upholstery needle is curved, which allows for sewing pieces together when they are side by side.
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U
Upholstery needle
Worsted is the term used in the US for what is known in the UK as aran. It is 10 ply yarn.
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W
Worsted
Yarn is the material used for knitting. Most commonly this will be wool (which can come from a variety of animals), but it can also be plant-based (such as cotton) or man-made (such as acrylic).
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Y
Yarn
Yarn holders
When unwinding yarn, the ball or skein may move. To prevent this, a yarn holder can be used. They come in various shapes and sizes. They can be made of various materials.
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