Common Abbreviations and Phrases
found in posts to the Socknitters Mailing List

BTW - By The Way

CIC - Children in Common. This is a charity that provides food, clothing and medical supplies to orphanges in Russia and Lithuania. For more information on Children in Common:

Circs - Circular needles

DF - Dear Friend

DH/D/S - Dear (Darling) Husband/Daughter/Son

DFIL/MIL/SIL/BIL - Dear Father-in-law/Mother-in-law/Sister-in-law/Brother-in-law

DGD/S - Dear (Darling) Granddaughter/son

DPNs - Double Pointed Needles

DYOS - Design Your Own Sock. This is the one of the ongoing Socknitters projects. As no one could agree on the best way to handle this project, it was decided that those who wanted to design and knit their own sock pattern would do that. There were some who wanted to design the sock and have someone else "proofknit" it, and there were some who wanted to be part of a two person team who would collaborate on the design and knitting of their original sock pattern. Check out our DYOS Patterns and DYOS Photo pages.

ECU - Eastern Continental Uncrossed. Refers to a knitting technique in which one who throws the yarn with the right hand takes the yarn under the tip of the needle when they purl, thus twisting the stitch, and, when knitting back, subsequently knits into the back of the stitch to straighten it.

EZ - Elizabeth Zimmerman - Often quoted author of several knitting "bibles" including Knitting Without Tears and Knitting Without a License

FAQ - Frequently Asked Questions - check them out by clicking here. 

FLW - Famous Last Words

FO - Finished Object

FOREPLAY - For Our Really Exciting Projects, Let's Add Yarn

Frogging - To yank the needles out of the current project and rip-it, rip-it, rip-it.

FFKD/P - Frog Free Knitting Day/Project - is this an attainable goal?

FWIW - For what its worth

<G> - Grin

HTH - Hope this helps

IM(H)O - In My (Humble/Honest) Opinion

ISD - International Socknitters Day

KIP - Knitting In Public

KIV - Knitting in Vehicle

KO - Knitting Opportunity

LOL - Laughing Out Loud

LYS - Local Yarn Shop

LYSO - Local Yarn Shop Owner

Mini-Knitting Lessons - Knitting lessons done in photos and posted on our photo page. So far we have "Knitting Right Side Out" and "Kitchener Stitching" More to come. Mini Knitting Lessons

MMST - Magical Mystery Socknitting Tour. This was our first official project. MMST was the brainchild of one of our members, Noel, who thought it might be fun to knit up some of the sock patterns on the Internet that don't have photos. The idea being to post photos on the photo page afterward for all the world (more or less) to see. Magical Mystery Sock Tour  

NAYY - No Affiliation, yada, yada. Used when you are recommending a product or store that you have no commercial or other business relationship with.

NQBE - Not Quite Big Enough

OSC (OKC or OSKC) - Obligatory Sock (Knitting/Socknitting) Content - This is the required part of your post to the list in which you talk about socks and/or socknitting.

Photo Page - the page where we keep photos of socks knitted by Socknitters' members. MMST sock photos are posted here, also. Socknitters Photo Page

ROFL - Rolling On the Floor Laughing

ROY G. BIV Socks - Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Indigo, Violet - Rainbow colored socks.

SAHM - Stay At Home Mom

SAM - or Operation SAM - Sock-A-Month. Socknitters latest project to benefit CIC.

SEX - Stash Enhancing Expedition/Expenditure/Experience Note: other people's use of "SEX" in
subject lines will NOT cause you to receive sex-related advertising email. It isn't recommended though because many members use their work email addresses for the list and employer's often frown on these words in emails or even filter messages with terms like this from their email servers.

Short Row Heels - You will find many explanations of short row heels and other socknitting tips and trick on our Tips and Tricks page.

SKIP - Sock Knitting (or as we prefer to say - Socknitting) In Public

SO - Significant Other

SSS - Second Sock Syndrome. This is an affliction that prevents the victim from knitting the second sock of a pair.

TIA - Thanks In Advance

Tinking - Tink is "knit" backwards and also the sound the needles make clicking against each other as you take out your knitting one stitch at a time.

TKGA: The Knitting Guild of America

TKGC: The Knitting Guild of Canada

TOAD - Trashed Object Abandoned in Disgust

TTFN - Ta Ta For Now

UFO - Unfinished Object

USO - Unstarted Object

<VBG> - Very Big Grin

WE - WoolEase yarn. Made by Lion Brand, this is a light worsted weight yarn that is a blend of acrylic, wool and rayon. A very popular yarn with socknitters.

WIP - Works in Progress

YA - Yarn abuse - Not as bad as you think: Nancy's explanation

YAQ - Yarn Acquisition Quest

YAS - Yet Another Sock

YCZ - Yarn Containment Zone (where we cache our stash)

YKYASKW - You Know You're a Socknitter When...fill in the blank yourself.