by Maura Dailey

Created on: February 22, 2007   Last Updated: April 12, 2007

Knitting and crochet have both enjoyed a long lifetime in the crafting world. Unfortunately, if you're new to either, the sheer number of acronyms and definitions that you'll need to learn can intimidate even the bravest of souls. I'll touch on some of the most common here, focusing on the terminology you might have seen in print, either in magazines, blogs, or online forums. I won't be able to delve into pattern terminology, as it varies widely by pattern author and country of origin. Fortunately, most pattern designers will provide a glossary of definitions to use for each pattern or collection and the more basic abbreviations out there have become somewhat standardized.

Some Knitting Terminology

AS (and other variations): Alice Starmore
Alice Starmore is a professional knitwear designer who writes patterns and sells her own line of yarn. Her designs are widely revered, but her willingness to resort to legal pressure for all manner of things has tarnished her otherwise sunny reputation. Not many of her books remain in print, nor is much of the yarn that she used still in production, so existing copies (and yarn!) are much sought after. Her daughter Jade also designs knitwear and sells her patterns alongside her mother's work.

DB: Debbie Bliss
Purveyor of yarn and many fine knitwear patterns.

dpn: Double Pointed Needles
Straight knitting needles without any ends. They're typically used when knitting in the round, such as when making socks, hats, or other knit tubes.

EZ: Elizabeth Zimmerman
The author of several knitting books and other instructional materials. Probably best known for her book "Knitting Without Tears".

FO: Finished Object
You're done, you made it, you bound it off and took it off the needles. Congratulations! Now get back to work and finish all those UFOs in the back of your closet.

Frog: To undo one or more rows of knitting by unraveling the stitches, typically an avenue of last resort and reserved for the desperate or the frustrated. There are other ways to solve most knitting mistakes. According to KnitList (http://knitlist.com), the name came from "rip it", which sounds a bit like "ribbit", the sound a frog makes. Thus, frog stitch, or the verb "to frog."

KAL: Knit-ALong
When a group of knitters decide to knit the same object at the same time, either in person or online. When done online, community blogs or forum threads provide advice, tips, and a sympathetic ear if it all goes horribly wrong. Knitty (http://knitty.com), an online knitting magazine,

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