Well, I SAID I was a Heretic…

I recently recorded an interview with the KnottyGirls Podcast, and we had an absolutely AMAZING time! I twirled around my backyard in my Sky Chair while we talked about many things.

Chief among them was my irritating insistence on using non-traditional knitting terms. On good days my odd thoughts are the sand in the oyster shell. On bad days, they’re just poison ivy.

In the early Summer I finished a marathon session of designing, which meant a marathon session of tech edit conversations back and forth this month.  I think I must be the average tech editors worst nightmare — a designer who uses different terminology, and has (what she thinks) is a logical reason for doing so!

It’s true, I do use some unusual terminology, but not in a stubborn or non-thoughtful way.  If a publication is set on their own style, I’m happy to back down and have their terminology laid over my design.  But I feel it’s incumbent on me to mention to editors some of my reasons for using a more logic-based approach to knitting terminology.

The first thing is to divorce tradition from useful definition. I know, I know, knitting is full of tradition, and much of it is fun and cool and quirky.  I don’t want to change every oddball thing that knitters do, but I DO feel that a few well chosen technology updates could make knitting more intuitive (and thus more joyful) for every knitter!

Some folks will cling to the terminology they’ve grown up with, and that’s fine. I’m not demanding that anyone change, but be warned that when you purchase a pattern from me, I may use terminology you’re not used to (always with an explanation of the term, and how it relates to a more traditional term if necessary).

I began using these alternative terms because in my classes I realized that different knitters will achieve techniques in different ways. Most knitters are Western, some knitters are Combination, a very small number are Eastern.

Terminology
Here’s what I mean when I mention the following two terms

[table]Western Orientation, Eastern/Combination Orientation

A stitch which is seated on the needle so it wants to be knit through the front loop.,A stitch which is seated on the needle so it wants to be knit through the back loop.[/table]

Note: You’ll know the stitch “wants” to be knit a certain way because when the needle is inserted that way the stitch opens up big and fat and wide.

Within these basic styles are then further differentiations in how a knitter holds their yarn, their needles, and how they actually form their stitches (wrapping, picking, scooping, etc).

For the most part I find labels more divisive than helpful, although they are sometimes necessary. I prefer terminology that is universal — more democratic — and can apply to ANY knitter regardless of their chosen knitting style.

In short, I prefer to describe the outcome of a knitting technique, rather than insist that the knitter get there in a specified manner. Here are a few examples of terminology I’d love to see changed.

[table]Traditional Term,What Is Meant, Alternative Term
Knit 1 Tbl (knit 1 through back loop),Twist this stitch as you knit it, Tw1 or Twist 1[/table][table]How To Achieve This

Basically knit so that the stitch is “unhappy” – doesn’t open up fully – so that the little legs of the stitch are twisted as you enter the stitch.

If you knit Eastern or Combination knit into the front of the stitch; If you knit Western knit into the back of the stitch.[/table]

[table]Traditional Term,What Is Meant, Alternative Term
K2tog (knit 2 together),Knit 2 stitches together so they slant to the RIGHT,K2tog-R[/table]

[table]How To Achieve This

Insert the needle into the 2nd stitch on the LH needle; then into the 1st stitch on the LH needle and knit these two stitches together.

If you are a Western Knitter your stitches should already be seated to receive the LH needle without twisting. If you’re a Combination Knitter you’ll want to re-orient the stitches so they sit on the needle in the opposite direction THEN knit the stitches together.[/table]

 

Annie’s Hint:
The tip of the working needle will be pointing to the RIGHT when making this decrease!

[table]Traditional Term,What Is Meant, Alternative Term
K2togTbl or Ssk or Skp (knit 2 tog through back loop OR slip slip knit OR slip knit pass over),Knit 2 stitches together so they slant to the LEFT, K2tog-L
[/table]

[table]How To Achieve This

Insert the needle into the 1st stitch on the LH needle; then into the 2nd stitch on the LH needle and knit these two stitches together.

If you are a Combination Knitter your stitches should already be seated to receive the LH needle without twisting. If you are a Western knitter you will want to slip the first two stitches (either knitwise twice; or knitwise then purlwise) and then knit these two sts together as an Ssk.[/table]

 

Annie’s Hint: The tip of the working needle will be pointing to the LEFT
when making this decrease!

 

[table]Traditional Term,What Is Meant, Alternative Term
Wyif,Hold the yarn toward you, WyRS if the Right Side of the work is facing; WyWS if the Wrong Side of the work is facing.

 

Wyib,Hold the yarn away from you, WyWS if the Right Side of the work is facing; WyRS if the Wrong Side of the work is facing.[/table]

 

[table]How To Achieve This

 

In some techniques (Double Knitting) you will want to hold the yarn toward you while working on the Wrong Side of the piece. This can be confusing when the term is “With Yarn in Front”; I’ve had many students email me with questions about this. Using the RS/WS as the point of reference seems natural and more clear.[/table]

 

BONUS
Knitting In The Round / Knitting Garter Fabric
When Working as a Combination Knitter

When knitting in the round, or back and forth in garter, you must do one of two things:
1) Either knit through the front loop of each stitch (the tip of the working needle will point to the RIGHT as it enters the stitch) in the traditional Western Style, or
2) As you wrap each knit stitch, wrap it in the OPPOSITE DIRECTION than you normally do.  This will cause the stitch to be seated in the Combination manner in the following row/round and will set up the stitch to be entered through the back loop, in the Combination Style.

At this point I hope I haven’t confused you too much! I just want folks to THINK about their knitting logically, not be slaves to outdated or inexact terminology which makes full comprehension of complex techniques more difficult. I am the G.B. Shaw of knitspeak.

UPDATE!

After writing this piece, inspired by some questions tech editors had for me, I discovered the reason that I’ve been receiving emails from folks trying to knit my Paisley Shawl from Jane Austen Knits.

Well, the reason was that the tech ed on this project decided they didn’t like my own chart, so they rewrote it, making significant changes that make knitting up the edging of the chart practically impossible.

If you’ve tried to knit this up and have failed,

Here is the IK Jane Austen Knits chart (changed from my original)

…and here is my own chart,

 

Symbols aside (I never expect anyone to use my own symbols, these are just what I use when writing up the pattern to send in to the editor) there are some significant changes.  All of the ‘non stitch’ sections were removed – but these are NECESSARY to create the lace the way I designed it.

Also, the VDI’s were removed and some VDD’s were changed to K2togs.  I don’t know why, but there it is.

The faggoting between the green and blue sections won’t look the same, either, as in my chart they’re worked as a kind of lace/garter, but in the IK chart it’s St st, and thus not as sturdy and the holes will collapse easier.

Below are some of the terms I use for those of you who may not be familiar with them:

• St st – Knit on RS, Purl on WS
• Rev St st – Purl on RS, Knit on WS
• Sl 1 wyRS – Slip 1 stitch with yarn held to Right Side of work
• Sl 1 wyWS – Slip 1 stitch with yarn held to Wrong Side of work
• YO – Yarn Over
• K2tog-R – See above (aka k2tog)
• K2tog-L – See above (aka Ssk)
• P2tog-L – Purl 2 together so the dec slants to Left when viewed on the RS of the work (same as K2tog-R when worked on WS of work)
• VDD = Vertical Double Decrease: Sl 2 sts as if to work k2 tog-R, k1, pass slipped sts over (decrease of 2 sts)
• VDI – Vertical Double Increase: K into front of st, YO, k into back of same stitch.
• Inc 1 Right: Knit into st immediately below next st on needle, then knit next st on needle, creating a right-slanting inc.
• Inc 1 Left: Knit next st on needle, then into st immediately below that st, creating a left-slanting inc