Knitting Definitions, Spinning Terms , & Yarn Guide

Knitting Definitions

The following abbreviations are commonly used in Trembling Prairie's knitting patterns. If you do not know how to complete a stitch used please consult a good knitting reference book.

St Stitch
St St Stockinette stitch. Knit on odd rows, purl on even rows for flat knitting. For circular knitting, knit every row.
K Knit
P Purl
KB Knit through back loop
SL Slip stitch
PSSO Pass slipped stitch over stitch just knit.
BO Bind Off (cast off)
PM Place Marker
SM Slip Marker

Decreases:
K2T Knit two stitches together.
SSK Slip, Slip, Knit - Slip first st knitwise, slip second st knitwise, insert tip of left-hand needle into the fronts of these two sts from left, and knit them together.
K2TB Knit 2 together through back loops.
SKP Slip Knit PSSO - slip 1 st, knit 1 st. pass slipped st over knit st.
S2KP Slip 2 sts., K1 st, Pass 2 slipped sts over knit st.
SK2TP Slip 1 st, K2T, Pass slipped st over knit st.
K3T Knit 3 together
P2T Purl 2 together
P2TB Purl 2 together through back loop

Increases:
YO Yarn over - wrap the yarn over the needle once before working the next st.
OO Yarn over twice
M1 Make one - lift the yarn strand between stitches with the left needled from back to front. Knit through through the front to twist the stitch. (This will slant to the right - to create a left slant reverse the directions - pick up from front to back, and knit through back.)
KFB Knit into Front and Back of st.
PFB Purl into Front and Back of st.

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Spinning Terms

YPP Number of yards per pound. To figure this out measure the number of yards in a skein of yarn, then weigh it. If weighing in grams calculate the number of ypp like so: # of yards ÷ weight in grams x 454 (because there are 454 grams in a pound).
WPI Wraps per inch. Gives a more accurate guideline to the grist of yarn needed. Especially helpful to spinners wanting to spin their own yarns for a knitting pattern. To measure wrap your strands of yarn loosely, but close together without gaps, around a round instrument (dowel, pencil, etc.) for a distance of 2 inches. Count the number of wraps and then divide by two. Wrapping for 2 inches gives a more accurate figure. Using a round dowel also provides a more accurate measurement without stretching the yarn. Stretching the yarn makes the grist smaller.
TPI Twists per inch. This is easiest to measure with a linen counter to magnify the yarn. Count the number of bumps in one inch of yarn and divide by the number of plies. For example: if you counted 10 bumps in one inch of 2 ply yarn, it would be said to have 5 tpi's.
TA

Angle of twist refers to the angle (in degrees) that the fibers in a spun yarn lay. The angle of twist will determine the handle of the yarn. No matter how thick or thin a yarn is, yarns with the same angle of twist will have the same handle (i.e. hard or soft) and strength. The lower the twist angle the softer spun the yarn is; or the fewer twists per inch. Certain twist angles are best for certain yarns (see chart).

An angle guide (based on a protractor) is used to measure the angle of twist by laying the yarn parallel to the center line and determining the angle that most closely matches the direction the fibers are laying. There is a relationship between the angle of twist and the twists per inch. Finer yarns require more twists per inch than thicker yarns with the same twist angle.

Yarn Purpose Twist Angle
Knitting Yarns 14 - 20
Weft 20 - 25
Warp 25 - 30
Hard Yarns above 30
Z Spun Yarns spun or plied in a Z direction - that is clockwise.
S Spun Yarns spun or plied in an S direction - counter-clockwise. Most handspun yarns are singles spun Z and plied S.
Roving/Top A long even strand of carded or combed fibers. Carded preparations are generally referred to as roving. Combed preparations are generally referred to as top.

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Yarn Guide

Use this handy chart for judging the approximate gauge of your handspun yarns. I strongly recommend doing a swatch before starting any knitting project, to avoid disappointment further into the project. While this chart is a good starting point you will see the range of yarns that fits into each category is pretty wide and overlaps the other categories.

Yarn Weight Yards per pound Wraps per inch
Cobweb 6000+ 42+
Lace 3000 - 6000 36-42
Baby 2400 - 3000 30-36
Fingering 1800 - 2400 24-30
Sport 1300 - 1800 18-24
DK 1000 - 1400 12-18
Worsted 900 - 1100 8-14
Aran 700 - 1000 6-10
Bulky 400 - 700 8-

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