Not to worry! Most designers take the time to make a "key" or a "legend" at the beginning of each pattern to help you out. But just in case, here are some of the most common acronyms and abbreviations to help you though the Language of Fiber
Commonly Used Stitch Terms in Patterns:
Terms reflect American English
| BEG | Begin or Beginning |
| BET | Between |
| BLO or BL | Back Loops Only or Back Loop |
| BP | Back Post |
| BPDC | Back Post Double Crochet |
| BPESC | Back Post Extended Single Crochet |
| BPHDC | Back Post Half Double Crochet |
| BPSC | Back Post Single Crochet |
| BPTR | Back Post Treble Crochet |
| CA or B, C, etc | Color "A", "B", etc |
| CC | Contrasting Color |
| CH | Chain Stitch |
| CH-# | Make chain for required # of stitches |
| CH-SP | Chain Space |
| CONT | Continue |
| DC | Double Crochet |
| DC2TOG | Double Crochet 2 Stitches Together |
| DEC | Decrease |
| DTR | Double Treble Crochet |
| FLO or FL | Front Loops Only or Front Loop |
| FP | Front Post |
| FPESC | Front Post Extended Single Crochet |
| FPHDC | Front Post Half Double Crochet |
| FPSC | Front Post Single Crochet |
| FPTR | Front Post Treble Crochet |
| HDC | Half Double Crochet |
| INC | Increase |
| LP or LPS | Loop or Loops |
| MC | Main Color |
| M/M or MM | Move Marker or Marker Moved |
| PM | Place Marker |
| RND or RNDS | Round or Rounds |
| RS | Right Side of Work |
| SC | Single Crochet |
| SC2TOG | Single Crochet 2 Stitches Together |
| SKP or SK | Skip |
| SLST | Slip Stitch |
| SP or SPS | Space or Spaces |
| ST or STS | Stitch or Stitches |
| TCH or T-CH | Turning Chain |
| TOG | Together |
| TR | Treble Crochet |
| WS | Wrong Side of Work |
| YO | Yarn Over |
| YOH | Yarn Over Hook |
Commonly Used Terms in Conversation:
Terms reflect American English
| BiCRAFTUAL | Someone who Crochets & Knits |
| C2C | Corner to Corner |
| CAL | Crochet Along |
| CIP | Crocheting In Public |
| FOTH | Fresh Off The Hook |
| FROG/FROGGING | To Rip Out (can be rnds/rows or entire project) - "Rip It" (ribbit - ribbit) |
| HOTH | Hot Off The Hook |
| HSPY | Haven't Started Project Yet |
| ISO | In Search Of |
| JOTH | Just Off The Hook |
| LYS | Local Yarn Shop or Store |
| MGB2C or MGBTC | Must Get Back To Crocheting |
| OCD | Obsessive Crocheting Disorder |
| OOAK | One Of A Kind |
| PABLE | Pattern Accumulation Beyond Life Expectancy |
| PHD | Projects Half Done |
| PIF | Pay It Forward |
| RAK | Random Act of Kindness |
| RTS or R2S | Ready To Ship |
| SABLE | Stash Accumulation Beyond Life Expectancy |
| STASH | Generally refers to Yarn on hand |
| STASH BUSTER | Project that utilizes a lot of yarn |
| TAC or TALC | Take Along Crochet |
| TIA | Thanks In Advance |
| TOAD | Trashed Object - Abandoned & Disgusted |
| UFO | Unfinished Object - (usually abandoned or neglected) |
| USO | Unstarted Object |
| VANILLA | An easy project. (smooth, plain) |
| WIP | Work In Progress |
| WIVSP | Work In Very Slow Progress |
| YAP | Yet Another Project |
| YARN BARF | Tangled mess of yarn ejected from center of a skein - generally found when digging for the starting tail of a new skein |
| YARN BOMB | Decorative piece of Fiber Art in a very public place - Fiber Graffiti |
| YARNIE | A lover of yarn (could also reflect small business owner who spins and dyes own yarns) |
| YART | Yarn Acquisition Road Trip |
| YAS | Yarn Acquisition Syndrome |
