How To Read A Knitting Pattern
I remember what it was like to pick up my knitting needles for the first time in years and look at a knitting pattern, trying to read it, and think what in the world does this mean?
Truth is, I may have learned to knit the basic stitches as a child, but that was it. I had no clue how to actually read a pattern until I started knitting again as an adult.
So I took questions I remembered I asked myself, and used google to see what newly beginner knitters were asking when it came to reading a knitting pattern… and I have the answers for you!
We are going to break down everything, from the abbreviations commonly found in patterns to the break down of RS (right side) & WS (wrong side).
After you’re through with this reading, you’ll be able to read & understand knitting patterns.
How to Read A Knitting Pattern For Beginners
Reading a knit pattern does not have to be overwhelming. Trust me, I remember when I first started and I was searching everywhere trying to find my answers.
That’s why I’m going to give everything in one spot.
All about the difference between WS & RS and what it is, the full breakdown of a knitting pattern.
What are the brackets for? And what are the asterisks for? I’m going to answer that all below.
Let’s begin.
Abbreviations
Typically, most patterns will explain the abbreviations in the pattern. I just want to give a quick run down on the most common used abbreviations used.
WS – Wrong Side
RS – Right Side
K – Knit
P – Purl
CO – Cast On
BO – Bind Off
St(s) – Stitches
Inc – Increase
Dec -Decrease
The Break Down Of a Knitting Pattern
Now that we know the abbreviations, let’s look at the following snippet of a pattern I made up:
Row 1: K1, P1, *P2, K2, (K5, P5)X2, K2*, P2
Alright, this might look a tad overwhelming. Let’s break it down from the start.
Row 1 is letting you know what row you are working on. As the pattern progresses, the amount of rows will increase as well.
Now we see multiple K’s & P’s throughout this row. As broken down in the abbreviations, K represents knit and P represents purl. When we have a number behind, it means to do that stitch that many times. Therefore, we knit 1, purl 1.
Before we jump any further, let’s break down what the stitches in the asterisk and brackets represent.
The asterisk * means to repeat these stitches along this row until we reach the last 2 stitches which we will purl 2.
The brackets () mean we are going to repeat these stitches just 2 times (the X2 lets us know it’s 2 times. If it was more, it would say x_).
How you read the pattern is as follows:
Knit 1, Purl 1.
Purl 2, Knit 2, Knit 5, Purl 5, Knit 5, Purl 5, Knit 2. Continue knitting this throughout the rest of the row.
Reached the last 2 stitches, Purl 2.
The Difference Between WS & RS
RS means right side. And WS means wrong side.
The right side is the “pretty” side of the work. And the wrong side is the “ugly side”.
Think of doing laundry and you have a shirt that is inside out. That would be the wrong side and the shirt being pulled inside out, would then be on the right side.
Knowing what side is what is important when knitting your piece. Often times, the first row would be considered the right side, but the pattern will clarify if its the WS or RS. This is important to know as it helps with knitting each row and ensuring your knitting the correct stitches.
Remember, right side is the pretty side, wrong side is the ugly side.
Check out these blog posts next on your journey of learning to knit: How to knit, how to purl