All I need for knitting is my wool, a few needles and a cosy spot. In theory. In reality, however, a large part of my favourite hobby also takes place on the screen. I read blog articles or newsletters, check out what the knitting world is up to on Instagram and Ravelry and find inspiration on Pinterest. In this context, I kept coming across strange expressions that I didn't know what to do with at first.

Over time, I have learnt to understand the slang of the knitting community and now know what is behind the most common terms and strings of letters: they are mostly English phrases and their abbreviations, which make sense when translated and are even self-explanatory. So what initially seemed like a secret language turned out to be not difficult at all - like so many things once you know them. To help you get to know it, I have explanations for the most commonly used expressions for you today.

OTN - on the needles

Means "on the needles" and refers to all the knitted items that are currently in progress and therefore occupy needles.

WIP - work in progress

In a sense, a work in progress is a piece of knitting that is currently being actively knitted. It is possible to have several WIPs at the same time, although only one piece of knitting can be being worked on at any one time. The decisive factor is that the ongoing projects are not forgotten, but that the aim is to complete them. If this is no longer the case, the WIP becomes a UFO.

PHD - project half done

Means "half finished project" and is therefore self-explanatory.

FO - finished object

Designates the finished piece of knitting and thus stands in contrast to the UFO.

UFO - unfinished object

Literally means "unfinished object", but this can be misleading. In the knitting world, this term is not used for all those knitted items that have not yet been completed because they are still on the needles (OTN) and are actively in progress (WIP). But for those that have not been finished for weeks, months or years - and where it looks like they never will be. Because they weren't fun, the yarn ran out or another piece of knitting was started. Or even for no reason at all. Quite simply, UFOs are unnoticed or forgotten projects that often end up at the bottom of the knitting basket or at the back of the wardrobe.

URO/UO - un-recognised object

And so it can happen that the unfinished piece of knitting (UFO) becomes a URO/UO, an unrecognised object. Namely when it has been lying unnoticed in a corner for so long that when it is found again, it is no longer even clear what it was supposed to become. How sad! But maybe the old instructions will turn up again - then the unrecognised object (URO) could become an active knitting project again (WIP), and maybe even be completed after all (FO).

SSS - Second Sock Syndrome

If you knit socks, you may be familiar with it: second sock syndrome. While it's a lot of fun to knit the first sock - after all, the colour gradient or pattern are still new and exciting - the second sock is often a little slower to knit. Sometimes you just don't have the motivation to knit exactly the same piece again. So it can happen that another project is started first and the second sock is postponed until later. As long as the single sock is still alone in the basket, it is a typical case of UFO.
The S in Sock could also stand for Sleeve - because some people also find knitting the second sleeve tough and boring... they then like to travel to Sleeve Island.

Sleeve Island

Literally translated as "island of sleeves", Sleeve Island is an imaginary place where all those who don't feel like knitting the second sleeve of a jumper or jacket seek refuge. They give themselves and the knitted item a little break. Let's hope that their holiday on Sleeve Island will give them new motivation and joy to continue knitting!

TAAT - two at a time

This abbreviation refers to the practice of knitting two identical pieces at the same time. These can be socks or sleeves, for example. Perhaps a good idea for all knitters who suffer from second sock syndrome or like to rest on Sleeve Island.

DPN - double pointed needles

Literally translated, these are "double pointed needles", i.e. the needles of a needle game.

KAL - knit-along

This abbreviation stands for knit-along. It refers to a virtual event in which everyone knits the same design in a set period of time, linked by an online exchange via social media. A KAL is usually organised by designers, bloggers or yarn manufacturers who define a hashtag for this purpose, e.g. on Facebook, Ravelry or on their own website. The central aspect is to enjoy working on a design together, regardless of location. A start date is set, rarely an end date, because the focus is on fun, not time pressure. All interested parties receive information about the material in advance, although the instructions are sometimes not published until the starting date.

Mystery KAL

The Mystery KAL is a special variant of the KAL. It is mysterious because the participants do not know in advance which design they will be knitting. In addition to the necessary details about needles and yarn, the most that is given before the start is a hint that it will be a scarf or a specific technique. The instructions are published piece by piece and the mystery on the needles gradually takes shape. Just the thing for all those who like to be surprised.

CAL - crochet-along

The same principle as KAL, but for the crochet community.

LYS - local yarn shop

The local yarn shop is the wool shop around the corner: your favourite local shop where you can buy what you need for your handicrafts.

Stash

If you regularly buy more yarn than you can knit or crochet in the aforementioned LYS, you will have a large stash. This common English term refers to all those skeins and balls of yarn that you have hoarded at home, like a squirrel in its winter stash. For some wool lovers, these are actually considerable quantities...

Stash-busting

When you're running low on storage space, it's time to use up your stash. Luckily, there are many tutorials for one-strand projects or scraps that can be used to slowly but surely deplete your wool stash. This process is called stash-busting.

TINK

If you read the word knit backwards, you get TINK. And it means exactly that: knitting backwards. We've all been there - we knit and knit and suddenly we realise we've made a mistake in the penultimate row. So we have to undo what we have knitted, stitch by stitch, until we reach the mistake, so that we can fix it. TINK is therefore the careful, slow process of knitting back.

Frogging

If the mistake is a long way back or your knitted piece doesn't meet your expectations, then there's only one thing to do: pull out the needles and start frogging! And this is called frogging. Derived from the frog and its croaking, which in English-speaking countries - unlike here - sounds like ribbit, ribbit. And this English frog croaking sounds almost like rip it, rip it, which translates as ribbel es, ribbel es.

Lifeline

Knitting backwards or ribbing is much more complicated with lace knitting than with plain knitting. It is therefore advisable to pull a safety thread into the work so that no stitches are lost if corrections are necessary. This saving thread is called a lifeline.

Now you know what ribbing has to do with frogs and hopefully you've also learnt a few other new terms. Have fun knitting - and talking shop about it.