Getting Started | Instructions
Asterisks, Parentheses, and Brackets | Knitting Garments
Once you’ve learned the basics of knitting – how to cast on and bind off, how to work the knit stitch and the purl stitch –you’ll be ready to start your first pattern. (If you need help with learning the basics, visit www.LearnToKnit.com.) In the beginning, looking at a knitting pattern can be very confusing — is that a foreign language it is written in?
Well, no, but it is the special language of knitting, which uses many abbreviations and terms, which save space and make patterns easier to read. So the first thing you need to do is become familiar with the knitting abbreviations.
Some of them are easy to understand, like these:
Basic Stitch Abbreviations
K or k = knit stitch
P or p = purl stitch
P or p = purl stitch
![Pattern 2 3 5 7 11 Pattern 2 3 5 7 11](https://www.mathsteacher.com.au/year8/ch15_graphs/03_number/Image15826.gif)
Lion Brand® Yarn offers over 8,000 free knitting and crochet patterns of various colors, sizes and project types. That means there's something for everyone – use our filters to find your next project! Sass 7-1 Pattern. GitHub Gist: instantly share code, notes, and snippets. 2.7.1 hasn't obviously been translated into English. It's completely in Russian, except the template names. So, for most users this version will be unusable.
A complete list of knitting abbreviations and terms and their meaning can be found at: www.YarnStandards.com.
Terms represent things you are to do, like these: | |
---|---|
CO = Cast on | |
BO = Bind off | (This is how you finish most knitted pieces. Binding off is sometimes called casting off. They mean the same thing.) |
Inc = Increase | (Add one or more stitches. The most basic increase is to work in the front, and then again in the back, of the same stitch. This can be done in both knit and purl stitches.) |
Dec = decrease | (Eliminate one or more stitches. The most basic decrease is to work two stitches together as one. This can be done in both knit and purl stitches. Different ways of increasing and decreasing change the way the project will look, and most designers have a specific method in mind. So usually your pattern will tell you how to do this.) |
Rep = repeat | (Do the same thing again the number of times stated in the pattern.) |
Sl = Slip | (Slip a stitch or stitches from one needle to the other, without working it.) |
YO = yarn over | |
Tog = together | (Work 2 or more sts together, forming a decrease.) |
Work even | Continue what you have been doing, without any increases or decreases. |
Maintain pattern as established | This is usually used when you are working a pattern stitch and are increasing (or decreasing) at the edges. It means that you keep the center part in the pattern as you have already set it up, and will add (or subtract) stitches at each end without disturbing that pattern. When enough new stitches have been added, they should be incorporated into the pattern. |
A complete list of abbreviations used in knitting can be found at www.YarnStandards.com. |
Getting Started
With the abbreviations and terms at hand, let’s look at a typical knitting pattern. Knitted items can be worked back and forth in rows to form a flat piece, or in rounds to form a tube with no seams, such as socks or hats. Special needles are used to work in rounds.
Let’s start by working a flat piece.
First the instructions will tell you to cast on a certain number of stitches. But wait – before you can start casting on, you must place a slip knot on one of the needles. Patterns never tell you to do this – they just assume you know it. Here’s how you make a slip knot (See Figures 1 & 2).
There are many methods of casting on. Some give a nice stretchy edge; others give a firm base. Unless the pattern tells you differently, use the method you were first taught.
Now let’s look at a typical pattern.
Instructions
CO 12 sts.
That means that you will first make a slip knot on one needle, then cast on 11 more stitches on the same needle. In knitting, the slip knot always counts as a stitch. If you are a crocheter, be sure to remember this, as in crochet, the slip knot never counts as a stitch.
Row 1 (RS): Knit.
Row 2 (WS): Purl.
Row 2 (WS): Purl.
This means that on Row 1, which is the right side of the piece (RS), you will knit all 12 stitches on the needle. Then for Row 2, the wrong side (WS) of the piece, you will purl every stitch.
The pattern may now say:
Rep Rows 1 and 2 until piece measures 4” from the beginning, ending with a WS row.
That means that you will keep repeating Row 1 (a knit row) and Row 2 (a purl row), in sequence until the piece measures 4” from the cast on row. To measure, place your piece on a flat surface and do not stretch it out. Place the end of a ruler or tape measure against the needle, and measure down to your initial cast-on row. If your work doesn’t measure what is specified, just keep repeating the rows. Since the pattern says to end with a wrong-side row, that means that the last row you work should be a purl (WS) row.
When you repeat a knit row and then a purl row for a number of rows, your are creating a pattern called stockinette stitch. This is abbreviated St st. You will see that there are definite right and wrong sides to stockinette stitch. Usually the knit side is the right side, but sometimes the purl side is used for the right side. When this is done it is called reverse St st.
When a pattern tells you to work in St st, it means to alternate a knit row with a purl row.
Now let’s try another stitch pattern.
CO 12 sts.
Row 1: Knit.
Rep Row 1 until piece measures 4” from the beginning.
You have created what is called garter stitch, made by knitting every row on a flat piece. This is a reversible pattern, as there is very little difference between the right side and the wrong side.
When a pattern tells you to work in garter st, it means to knit every row.
Asterisks, Parentheses, and Brackets
Now we need to stop and take a look at the symbols that are used in knitting patterns. These too are used to save space and to make the pattern easier to read. They may be confusing at first, but you will soon learn to follow them. Knitting patterns may have a series of steps that are repeated several times across a row. Rather than writing out these steps time after time, asterisks (*) are used to indicate the repeats.
You will find asterisks used in many different patterns, such as ribbing. Ribbing is that stretchy pattern often used at the bottom and cuffs on a sweater to provide flexibility. Here is a typical ribbing pattern.
CO 18 sts.
Row 1: *K2, P2; rep from * across, end K2.
That means that you will knit the first two stitches, then purl the next two stitches; then you will knit 2, then purl 2, again, and repeat the steps following the asterisk all across the row until the last two stitches which you will knit.
Row 2: *P2, K2; rep from * across, end P2.
Note that you will be purling the sts you knitted on the preceding row, and knitting the sts you purled on the preceding row. Many times patterns will say: knit the knit stitches and purl the purl stitches.
1 2 3 6 7 Pattern
You will be creating ribbing by repeating these two rows in sequence.
Brackets [ ] are also used to enclose a group of stitches that are to be repeated a specified number of times. The number immediately following the brackets tells you how many times to do the step. For instance, [YO, K2tog] 6 times means you will YO, then knit 2 sts together, then do that again 5 more times, for a total of 6 YOs and 6 K2togs.
Parentheses are sometimes used in the same way.
Parentheses are used to indicate a group of stitches that are to be worked together into a stitch, such as: “(K1, P1, K1) in next st.” That means you will work all of those stitches in one stitch, which makes a popcorn st.
Knitting Garments
When you knit your first garment, you may run into some terms that confuse you. Here is what they mean.
Terms | |
---|---|
The piece that will be worn on the left front and left arm of your body. | |
The piece that will be worn on the right front and right arm of your body. | |
This is used when you are asked to work two different steps (perhaps shaping at the armhole and at the neck) at the same time. | |
Work same as Left (or Right) piece, reversing shaping: | This can be difficult for a beginner. Let’s say you have worked a series of decreases on a left shoulder. Instead of telling you exactly how to do this for the right shoulder, in order to save space the pattern may just tell you to: Work same as left shoulder, reversing shaping. That means you have to figure out what to do! It will be easier if you take pen and paper and sketch out what you did the first time; then do this in reverse for the other piece. For example, the armhole decreases on a left front are worked at the beginning of right side rows. To reverse it for the right front, work the decreases at the end of the right side rows. |
Special Thanks
Thanks to Jean Leinhauser, one of the industry’s foremost designers/editors and best-selling author who has worked tirelessly to promote the crafts of knitting and crochet, for preparing this helpful outline on “How to Read a Knit Pattern.”
And special thanks to Leisure Arts for granting permission to reproduce the diagrams used in this article. The diagrams are taken from Learn to Crochet the Easy Way by Jean Leinhauser.
You may have noticed (or if you haven’t yet, you soon will) that many WorldEdit commands take a “pattern” as a parameter. Patterns range from very simple (such as a single block -
stone
) to very complex. Patterns determine what blocks get set into the world as a command, tool, etc operates.- Available Patterns
- Special Block Data Syntax
Available Patterns¶
Note
This list may be incomplete as patterns are added to WorldEdit. In addition, our API allows other plugins to register new patterns, which will not be listed here.
Tip
Here’s a video detailing some of these patterns which were added in WorldEdit 7: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S5wCVMf3SvM
Single Block Pattern¶
The most basic pattern of just a single block. A block is identified by two parts: the block type, and additional block states. These two links to the Minecraft Wiki, along with WorldEdit’s in-built tab-completion for commands, should guide you in specifying the block you want. Additional states are always appended to the type using the syntax
block_type[state1=value,state2=value,..]
. Note that when states are not specified, or if some are left out, the default values will be used for those states.Example: Single block patterns
Setting a selection to stone:
Setting a selection to a note block with a specific instrument and pitch:
Random Pattern¶
This pattern allows setting random blocks from any number of other patterns. The basic form is as simple as a comma-separated list of patterns, which will be chosen from evenly. You can also specify weights for each pattern with
<x>%<pattern>
.Example:: Random Patterns
![Patterno Patterno](https://www.w3resource.com/w3r_images/c-for-loop-image-exercises-13.png)
Setting a selection to different types of stone, equally distributed:
Setting a selection to mostly red wool, with a small amount of glass (5:1 ratio, see note below):
Note
Despite the percentage sign, weights need not add up to 100. They are cumulative and will be divided by the total. That is,
5%dirt,15%stone
means 25% of blocks will be dirt, and 75% will be stone. In other words, weights are relative to each other, not to 100. Because of that, the pattern 5%dirt
isn’t valid. If you only want to set 5% of blocks to dirt, you should use the random noise mask.Tip
You can use any other pattern as one of the choices, not just the single block pattern. Keep reading to see more patterns…
Random State Pattern¶
Prefixing any block type with an asterisk (
*
) will randomly choose between all states for that block for each position.Amarra luxe 4 3 510 cc. Example: Random State Pattern
Setting oak logs facing in random directions:
Clipboard Pattern¶
The
#clipboard
pattern will take blocks from your clipboard in the same arrangement. This makes it easy to build one part of a repeating complicated pattern by hand, and then repeat it over and over. You can also offset the pattern by adding @[x,y,z]
.Example: Using the clipboard pattern
Replacing all existing blocks to your clipboard:
Using the clipboard in the first image to replace a hill. Note the repeating layers.
Using an offset to align the clipboard:
Type or State Applying Pattern¶
This pattern, prefixed by
^
, lets you set the type or states of a block without modifying everything else. This pattern will, for example, allow you to change a spiral staircase from oak to acacia without having to worry about the stairs facing in different directions and so on. You can either specify a block type (to change block type but not states, where applicable), or any number of states (to only change those states, where applicable).Example: Type/State Applying Patterns
Replacing all oak stairs to acacia stairs, while maintaining orientation, etc:
Removing the water from all waterloggable blocks:
Doubling up all slabs:
Block Category Pattern¶
This pattern allows setting random blocks within a block category, often referred to as a “tag”. Tags allow grouping blocks together under a single name. Minecraft comes with many tags inbuilt (see the link) and also allows creating and modifying tags via data packs. You may already have noticed these tags being used as a mask in the example above (
##slabs
).The syntax for this pattern is
##<tagname>
, which will randomly choose between the default state of all blocks in the category. You can also mix this with the random state pattern (##*<tagname>
) to use all states, not just the defaults.Example: Block Category Pattern Usage
Replacing all existing blocks with rainbow wool:
Pattern 2 7 26 101 400
Setting the selection to random types of slabs, both top/bottom/double, and waterlogged at random:
Special Block Data Syntax¶
Some blocks have additional syntax for setting extra information.
Sign Text¶
Paterno 2 7 14
You can set text on signs by separating it with a pipe symbol (
|
). Note that if the text has spaces, you must wrap the entire pattern in quotes '
.Example: Setting sign text
Simple Example:
Pattern 2 7 8 3 12 9
With spaces and rotation:
Player Heads¶
Paterno 2 7 12
You can set the skin of a player head by specifying a username after the pipe symbol.
Example: Setting a skin on a head
Mob Spawners¶
You can set the type of mob to be spawned (again via the pipe symbol). Note that the name of the mob must be an entity ID. Prefixing minecraft: is optional, modded mobs must have a namespace.
Example: Creating a squid spawner