How to Be A Fabulous Knitter/Crocheter–Talk the Talk

Vera says:

Every discipline has its own jargon, and knitting and crocheting is no different. When I first started my blog, my audience was mostly other crafters, so we shared the same language.

As my audience expanded, and others read my blog, I only became aware of my lapse into needlespeak when a reader made the following comment.

I have no idea what an SNB at the LYS is, but it sounds like fun.

Whoops! Apparently,  I had some explaining to do.

Here are a few terms to make you either sound like a pro or explain what you’ve come across. These are not general abbreviations like k for knit, p for purl, or yo for yarn over (I’ll get to that in the future), bit a few terms to that knitters and crocheters use to describe out major obsessions, yarn and projects.

LYS: Local Yarn Shop. The yarn shop in your area.  I was so happy that my  LYS had the yarn I needed, and I wouldn’t need to order it online.

SNB: Stitch and B****. A gathering of knitter and crocheters to sit, knit, crochet, and  and chat.  One of the things Jean missed the most about Charleston is the often raucous SNBs at the LYS.

Stash: Yarn on hand, but it could also refer to other items such as needles or various items.  Often a point of obsession.  My stash is so out of control that I fear a visit from Hoarders

Stash Diving: Obtaining yarn for a project from stash on hand.  Often used as a badge of pride.  Got all the yarn I needed for my sweater by stash diving.

SEX: Stash Enhancement Expedition: Shopping or trading to increase stash, usually yarn.  Jill raised a few eyebrows among the non knitters when she wrote in her blog that she was going out for SEX.

FO: Finished object. After nearly a year of stop and go knitting, Shelia finally had an FO.

UFO: Unfinished object. We are so amazed that Patty refuses to have any UFOs and only works on one project at a time.

KAL/CAL: Knit Along/Crochet Along: When a group of knitters or crocheters gather, either in person or virtually to work on the  same project or different projects in conjunction with the same event.  I  finished up my crocheted shell on the last day of the Tour de France KAL.

Frog/Tink: Ripping out a project–Rip it…Rip it. Tink also means to rip out a project; it’s knit spelled backwards. It broke Kay’s to frog the sweater so far into the project, but she knew that making a sweater that fit properly is always best.

Now, go forth and talk the talk!

Vera Hannaford lives and crafts in Charleston, South Carolina. She pretty much lost her knitting, crocheting, and blogging mojos over the summer with only one FO (pictured on the left) from a Tour de France KAL/CAL. She hopes the cooler weather triggers her yearly hat knitting and crocheting phases.  Feel free to ask any knitting and crocheting questions in the comments.