Knitting Abbreviations

What it is

Knitting abbreviations compress repeated stitch actions and pattern directions into a consistent written language.

How Ruke patterns use it

Every English Ruke PDF includes an abbreviations section for the terms used in that pattern. This article explains how to use that section together with the full Ruke Abbreviations directory.

When to use it

Use it before starting a pattern and whenever an unfamiliar shortened instruction appears.

What to check

Check the definition supplied in the current pattern because direction-specific Ruke terms such as K2togL and K2togR are not interchangeable.

Common mistakes

Guessing from a similar abbreviation, ignoring capitalisation, or relying on a generic glossary instead of the current Ruke pattern.