The Alchemist Diaries

Bind Off (bo): The process of finishing a knitted piece by securing the stitches and creating a final edge.

Blocking: The process of shaping and setting the final dimensions of a knitted piece by wetting and drying or steaming it.

Bobble (mb): A small, raised decorative ball of stitches often used for texture.

Cable Stitch: A technique where stitches are crossed over each other, creating a cable-like pattern.

Casting On (co): The initial process of creating the first row of stitches on the knitting needle.

Circular Needles: Needles with flexible cables connecting two needle tips, used for knitting in the round or for large projects.

Continental Knitting: A method of knitting where the yarn is held in the left hand.

Cowl: A knitted garment worn around the neck, usually in a circular shape.

Decrease (dec): A technique used to reduce the number of stitches in a row, typically shaping the fabric.

Double Pointed Needles (DPNs): Short knitting needles with points at both ends, used for knitting in the round.

Dropped Stitch: A stitch that has slipped off the needle, usually unintentionally.

Fair Isle: A knitting technique that involves working with multiple colors in a single row to create intricate patterns.

Felt/Felting: The process of shrinking and matting wool fibers to create a dense fabric.

Frogging: Undoing or ripping out stitches in a project, often due to mistakes.

Garter Stitch: A simple stitch pattern created by knitting every row, resulting in a textured fabric.

Gauge: The number of stitches and rows per inch, which can affect the size and fit of the finished piece.

Grafting: Joining two pieces of knitting seamlessly using the Kitchener stitch.

Increase (inc): A technique used to add stitches to a row, often for shaping or creating decorative patterns.

Intarsia: A colorwork technique where different colored sections of yarn are used to create a picture or design.

Jogless Join: A technique to minimize the visual step that occurs when knitting in the round.

Knit-Purl Combinations: Creating textured patterns by combining knit and purl stitches in various ways.

Knit Stitch (k): The basic stitch in knitting, formed by inserting the needle from front to back through a loop and pulling the yarn through.

Lace Knitting: A style of knitting that involves creating decorative holes and patterns using yarn overs and decreases.

Magic Loop: A method of knitting small-diameter projects in the round using a long circular needle.

Mock Cable: Creating the appearance of a cable without using a cable needle.

Needle Size: The measurement of the knitting needle’s diameter, influencing the size and tension of the stitches.

Pattern Repeat: A section of a knitting pattern that is repeated to create a specific design or texture.

Pick Up Stitches: Adding new stitches onto the knitting needle, often along an edge or neckline.

Purl Stitch (p): Another basic stitch in knitting, created by inserting the needle from back to front through a loop and pulling the yarn through.

Ribbing: A pattern of alternating knit and purl stitches, often used for cuffs, collars, and edges.

Right Side (rs): The side of the knitted fabric that is intended to be the visible side, often the knit side.

Row: A horizontal line of stitches running across the width of the knitted piece.

Seed Stitch: A textured stitch pattern created by alternating knit and purl stitches within the same row and between rows.

Short Rows: Incomplete rows of knitting used to shape a garment.

Slip Stitch: A technique where a stitch is moved from one needle to the other without knitting or purling it.

Sock Knitting: Knitting socks using small circular needles or double-pointed needles.

Steek: Cutting through a knitted piece to create openings, often used in traditional Scandinavian colorwork.

Stranded Knitting: Another term for Fair Isle knitting, where two or more colors are carried across the back of the work.

Stitch Dictionary: A reference book containing various stitch patterns for knitters to use in their projects.

Stitch Marker: A small ring or clip placed on the needle to mark a specific point in the knitting.

Stockinette Stitch: A common stitch pattern achieved by alternating rows of knit and purl stitches, creating a smooth side (knit) and a bumpy side (purl).

Swatch: A small sample of knitting used to check gauge and test stitch patterns.

Sweater Construction: Various methods of constructing knitted sweaters, such as top-down, bottom-up, or in pieces.

Tension: The tightness or looseness of a knitter’s stitches, affecting the overall size of the finished piece.

Twisted Stitch: A stitch that is knit or purled through the back loop, creating a twisted effect.

WIP (Work in Progress): A knitting project that is not yet finished.

Wrap and Turn (w&t): A short-row technique where the yarn is wrapped around the needle to prevent holes.

Wrong Side (ws): The side of the knitted fabric that is not meant to be the visible side, often the purl side.

Yarn Over (yo): A technique where the yarn is wrapped around the needle to create an additional stitch and an intentional hole.

Yarn Substitution: Using a different yarn than the one specified in a pattern.