Wool Works: terms commonly used on the knitlist

Common terms used on the knitting list

This page explains many of the expressions used on the knitting list to new subscribers. If you're new to the list, and you see something you don't understand, chances are it's described below, so please read this page before you post to the list to ask. This page is based on a glossary provided by Deborah A. Abbott, daa1@troi.cc.rochester.edu. If there's something else you'd like to see here, let me know.

Amy: Amy Detjen, amy@winternet.com. The list administrator. See also St. Amy.
BIL: Brother-in-law.
Camp: A knitting retreat such as Meg Swansen's knitting camp in Wisconsin, USA, and its imitators.
CKs: Chatty Kathys, or, what the Knitlisters are in the words of someone who signed off the list because of all the traffic.
The Bird: See Peacock.
DD, DH, DS, etc.: Dear daughter, dear husband, dear son, etc. On the knitlist, DH occasionally means "dear wife" when one of the dear gentleman knitters on the list lapses into net-speak to refer to his SO.
DIL: Daughter-in-law.
DPs: Double pointed needles, available in 5, 6, and 8 inch lengths. Used to knit small tubes. Used on projects such as socks, mittens, sleeves, etc.
EZ: Elizabeth Zimmerman, author of many books on knitting and knitting videos; mother of Meg Swansen, owner of Schoolhouse Press.
FO: FINISHED OBJECT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Frog stitch: Not to be found in any of Barbara Walker's Stitch Treasuries. It means to rip out a whole row at a time: as the frog says, "Rip it, rip it, rip it, rip it..." Compare with tink.
Fruit caps: Cute children's hats inspired by fruits such as the strawberry. The pattern is #10, "Kids' Fruit Caps," by Ann Norling, PO Box 1440, Mill Valley, CA 94942; it may also be available at your local yarn shop. The pattern is worth the price of around $3. It's a quick project and good first two-color pattern. The original pattern uses Knitaly yarn; two skeins of Brown Sheep worsted yielded two strawberry caps knit in the largest size (2 yrs). Pattern contains tips for adapting the pattern to fit adults and premies. There is also a Flower Cap pattern available.
Grab bag: See Webs.
Hamilton: US book catalogue (no store, no phone, no credit cards) that offers great deals on remaindered books about knitting and other topics. Request a free catalogue from Edward R. Hamilton, Falls Village, CT 06031-5000 (only from inside the States).
ICOSH: In Case Of Stripped Headers. This came about when the server started stripping headers randomly, and people started using this acronym to describe their posts' contents.
Jill: Jill McAllister, the founder of the Knitlist.
jersey: British term interpreted as sweater in the US.
KBs: Knitting Buddies; as in "Dear KBs"
KIP: Knitting in public.
Kool-Aid: US, packets of colored, flavored powder that can be used to dye yarn (or mixed with water and sugar, and drunk, if you prefer).
MIL: Mother-in-law.
MK: Machine knit. Although discussion of machine knitting happens occasionally on the list, there are better places for it, especially the MK mailing list mentioned on the computer-related knitting resources page.
Patternworks: A US yarn store with a great catalogue, available for $3 ($5US if you're in Canada) from +1 (800) 438 5464. They have a Web page at http://www.patternworks.com/. (Caution: Forgetting to support your local yarn shop may be dangerous to its health.)
Peacock: A challenging and lovely lace washcloth pattern originally published in Work Basket and rewritten by Medrith Glover and published in Knitter's magazine, issue 26. The same pattern (without any corrections as has been rumored) is available from Medrith Glover. Send $3 for Peacock pattern and price list and info to The Woolroom, P.O. Box 353, Quincy, CA 95971. Knitlist members report that this is a very satisfying small project and great to give with a bar of nice soap as a present.
Pressie: British slang for present (gift).
ROTFL: Rolling on the floor laughing (general net-speak).
St. Amy: Amy Detjen, our second KnitList administrator, who has put in many hours keeping the server going.
SEX: Stash Enrichment eXpedition
SIL: Son-in-law, sister-in-law.
SO: Significant Other.
Stitches: US knitting conferences and extravaganzas organized by Knitter's magazine, complete with market with vendors from all over the US. Call +1 (605) 338 2450 for information.
Sweater: US generic word for knit garment that goes on the top half of the body. Includes British pullover, jersey, and cardigan, but not waistcoat, which in the US is called a vest.
Tam: Short for "tam o'shanter," a flat round cap that resembles a beret.
Tink: Unknitting stitch by stitch. Compare with frog stitch. Term invented by Wendy Chatley Green's husband, who observed that "knit" spelled backwards is "tink."
UFO: Unfinished object.
Unicorn: US book catalogue with incredible knitting selections; to request a catalogue, call +1 (800) 289 9276.
USO: Unstarted object.
VBG, VWG: Very Big Grin, Very Wide Grin (general net-speak).
VK: Vogue Knitting magazine.
Vest: US term for British "waistcoat."
Webs: Yarn store in Northampton, Massachusetts, USA, which sells full-priced and discount yarns. Also famous for their "Grab Bag." For questions, call +1 (413) 584 2225. To order information ($2), call +1 (800) 367 9327 or mail $2 to P.O. Box 147, Northampton, MA 01061-0147. Enjoy their services but don't forget to support your local yarn shop if you're lucky enough to have one.
WCZ: Wool containment zone. See YCZ.
WIP: Work in progress.
YCZ: Yarn containment zone. Your closet, room, or home, depending on how many WIPs, UFOs, and USOs you have.

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Emily Way (emily@woolworks.org)

Last updated June 3, 1999