The CYC yarn standard abbreviations list doesn’t have any of the techniques defined, so I created a table with linked techniques to my explanations of techniques on Jill Wolcott Knits.
Linked Techniques
You can download CYC Abbreviations & Jill Wolcott Knits Techniques which has the abbreviations hyperlinked to my definitions. You should, of course, use the techniques provided by any pattern, magazine, or book you are using, but these linked techniques should be a good resource to keep on your favorite device!
I am my own publisher, and I have chosen to do a few things slightly differently than the CYC standards. I use all caps for some of my abbreviations: PM, SKP, SSK, SK2P, SSK, YO. I think this makes it easier to see them in a pattern. I do not use all caps for k2tog and similar abbreviations.
I have started moving away from using abbreviations of words as much as I used to in writing patterns. I don’t think the amount of space saved by using beg or rem or cont is going to change the number of pages in my downloadable patterns. Some of the abbreviations are actually easier than the words–I like ndls and rnds, and I use rep within a written instructions for clarity, but I don’t like BO instead of bind off except when used as a row designator: BO Row 6.
You may notice that I don’t have a link to M1, which I think is the most commonly used increase method. I like incR and incL instead. I use incRp and incLp in place of M1 p-st on the CYC list. I think that increases should be created as right-leaning and left-leaning mirrors just as we do with decreases.
When using my Techniques Library, it is sometimes useful to try a couple of different descriptions, or words that might be used to describe it, in case the title I have given it is different.
