Knitblog Lingo

Here is a list of abbreviations, acronyms, and terms often seen on knitting blogs (and sometimes blogs in general), to help the new knitblog reader along. Feel free to suggest more, and I'll add them to the list. Most of these were ones I had to figure out when I first started reading knitblogs.

• <3: Heart. If you turn your head on its side to the right, you will see.



• ADD: Attention Deficit Disorder. Many knitters suffer from knitter's ADD, a condition where the knitter starts up multiple projects and switching between them.



• AI: American Idol. A TV show that seems very popular among knitblog writers, because I keep seeing AI and wondering, artificial intelligence? Al short for Albert/Alexandra? (Because in a sans serif font, capital I looks like lowercase l.) After missing this for the umpteenth time, I'm adding it to the list.



• Alice St*rmore: Alice Starmore. A knitwear designer who (along with her daughter, Jade Starmore) is well-known for her intricate Fair Isle designs as well as Aran designs. She is the author of some very in-demand books (Pacific Coast Highway, Aran Knitting, The Fair Isle Knitting Handbook) which are now out of print and consequently are available from used bookstores for prices in excess of $200US. Some of her books (The Celtic Collection, The Children's Collection, Fisherman's Sweaters) are readily available. She currently sells selected patterns (some of which are excerpted from her books) in kits from her web site, http://www.virtualyarns.com/.



• armscye: A garment construction term, referring to arm hole of a garment.



• AS: Alice Starmore. See Alice St*rmore.



• ASC: All Seasons Cotton, a cotton/acrylic blend yarn by Rowan.



• b/c: because.



• BFF: Best Friend Forever, or Best Female Friend.



• BFL: blue-faced Leicester. A type of sheep, and also denotes the kind of wool from that particular sheep. Some spinners really like this stuff.



• BIL: Brother In Law. See also FIL, MIL, and SIL.



• blog carnival: A periodic collection of good blog posts centered around one topic. Hosted at http://blogcarnival.com/. For more information, click here. This term was most likely invented by the web site's owners.



• blogcation. Vacation from regular blogging. May or may not be correlated with a vacation IRL.



• blogdar. blog + radar = blogdar. Meaning: project detection mechanism. Flying under the blogdar: Engaging in stealth knitting and, therefore, not blogging about any or all progress made on said project(s). Definition courtesy of trek.



• blogiversary. Anniversary / birthday of the blog. A milestone worth celebrating, sometimes by holding a contest. Other milestones include large round numbers of posts and comments.



• BMFA: Blue Moon Fiber Arts, the producers of the beloved STR.



• BSG: Black Sheep Gathering, an annual fiber festival held in Eugene, OR, near the end of June.



• BSJ: Baby Surprise Jacket. A popular pattern by Elizabeth Zimmerman in which an oddly-shaped plane of knitting folds and becomes a beautiful jacket, hence the "surprise". There is full description at Knitwiki.



• BTW: By The Way.



• button: A small image which symbolizes a project, blog, or other idea. The Tricoteuses Sans Frontiers button on my sidebar is an example. Copy them to your own server and upload them to your blog, so that when your page is loaded it does not cause extra load on other people's servers.



• CAL: Crochet ALong. See also KAL.



• camnesia: The state of having forgotten the camera, resulting in any blog article about an event being without photos.



• CASP: Cheap Ass Secret Pal. I think it was sponsored by Knitty on the knittyboard.



• CE: Cotton Ease, a popular yarn manufactured by the Lion Brand Yarn company.



• CFSP: Cash Free Secret Pal. This has been replaced by CASP.



• circs: Circular needles. Two pointed needles attached by a flexible cable. These are used for knitting in the round (tubes), such as for socks and hat. See also DPN.



• CMF: Crown Mountain Farms, a purveyer of handdyed fiber and handspun yarns.



• CPH: Central Park Hoodie. A popular sweater pattern published in the Fall 2006 issue of Knitscene.



• CSM: Circular Sock (Knitting) Machine. A hand-crank machine for knitting circularly, usually for socks. Here is a good reference about sock machines.



• CTH: Cherry Tree Hill. A yarn company that makes several types of popular handpainted yarn, especially sock yarn and lace.



• curse: See Sweater Curse.



• CYCA: Craft Yarn Council of America. A trade association for the yarn industry. It has defined standards for knitting and crochet tools and yarn weights.



• DD: Dear Daughter. Any other single or double initials which are not listed here are likely to be abbreviations for the blogger's family members whose names are being kept secret, in deference to their own privacy policy. See also DH, DS.



• DFS: Diamond Fantasy Shawl, a shawl design by Sivia Harding.



• DH: Dear Husband. Don't see many DW's around the knit blogosphere! Any other single or double initials which are not listed here are likely to be abbreviations for the blogger's family members whose names are being kept secret, in deference to their own privacy policy. On this blog, my pseudonym for my DH is The Sweetie. Another example is TMK (The Mysterious K). See also DD, DS.



• DIY: Do It Yourself. Or "Do-It-Yourself", as a money-saving or creative strategy for getting something you want.



• DK: Double Knit. This usually refers to a weight of yarn, lighter than worsted and heavier than fingering. It comes from the technique double knitting, in which a two-sided knitted piece is done both sides at the same time, and which was traditionally done in this weight.



• DPNs: Double Pointed Needles. These are used for knitting in the round (tubes), such as for socks and hats. See also circs.



• DS: Dear Son. Any other single or double initials which are not listed here are likely to be abbreviations for the blogger's family members whose names are being kept secret, in deference to their own privacy policy. See also DD, DH.



• EAC: Evelyn A. Clark, a popular knit designer, especially of lace shawls. Most of her patterns are available from Fiber Trends.



• ECF: Eye Candy Friday. Proposed originally by Purly Whites, a new tradition of posting beautiful photos on your blog on Fridays, to beautify the blogosphere.



• EL: Elizabeth Lavold. A knitting designer and yarn brand for Silky Wool and Silky Tweed, among others. More here.



• EoP: Eye of Partridge. A type of stitch used for the heel flap when knitting a sock. Alternative to heel stitch.



• EL: Elizabeth Zimmermann's Percentage System. Described in Knitting Without Tears.



• ETA: In a knitblog, this usually means "Edited To Add". That is, the author of the blog post went back and added something to the blog entry.



• EZ: Elizabeth Zimmermann. A prolific knitter and writer, she is celebrated widely for her wisdom and fine yarn patterns in her many books.



• FAQ: Frequently Asked Questions. A collection of questions and their answers - if there is one, check it before asking a question.



• F&F: Feather & Fan. A very popular pattern family, often applied to shawls and socks.



• FBS: Flower Basket Shawl. A popular lace pattern designed by Evelyn Clark. It was originally published in the Fall 2004 issue of IWK and is distributed as a pattern leaflet through Fiber Trends.



• FHBF: Future Husband / BoyFriend.



• FIL: Father In Law. See also BIL, MIL, and SIL.



• flashing: An effect when using handpainted yarn where bright spots in the yarn end up adjacent to each other, causing (unsightly) bright spots. See also pooling.



• FO: Finished Object. This denotes a piece of knitting (or other constructed item) that has been finished.



• FPS: Forest Path Stole. A lacy stole pattern original by Faina Letoutchaia, originally printed in the Summer 2003 edition of Interweave Knits, now available here (scroll down to PT-59).



• frog: (verb) To rip out knitting. Etymology seems to be that "rip-it" sounds like "ribbit", the sound that a frog makes. Other terms extend this, such as "off to the frog pond" means something is to be frogged.



• FYS: Flash Your Stash. The annual FYS day is April 1. This is when bloggers show photos of their entire stash. It appears to be organized on the Knittyboard.



• GCNI: Gulf Coast Native Improved. A breed of sheep; also refers to fleece from this breed of sheep. More information here.



• ggh: A German brand of yarn distributed in the US by Muench Yarns. It appears to be (or have been) an abbreviation for Garn Großhandel Hamburg.



• grrl: An alternate spelling of the word "girl," often with the connotation of strength as opposed to weakness associated with the word "girl." Probably derived from Riot Grrrl.



• GYS: Gimme Your Stuff, a swap focused on international swapping.



• Harlot, The: Stephanie Pearl-McPhee, the Yarn Harlot. A knitter and author of "knitting humor" books. She blogs at http://www.yarnharlot.ca/blog/. More information at Wikipedia.



• HP: Harry Potter.



• IC: Interweave Crochet, a new crochet magazine, published by the same company as IK, Interweave. It has had several special issues, and starting in Fall 2007 will publish quarterly.



• IK: Interweave Knits, a popular knitting magazine, published by Interweave.



• IMHO: In My Honest Opinion, or In My Humble Opinion.



• IOW: In Other Words.



• IP: Intellectual Property. Or, Internet Protocol.



• IRL: In Real Life. Face to face, in person.



• ISE: International Scarf Exchange. A popular swap of scarves.



• IW: Short for IWP.



• IWK: Interweave Knits. See IK.



• IWP: Interweave Press, a publisher of craft-related books and magazines, such as Interweave Knits, Interweave Crochet, and Spin-Off.



• JMM: Judith MacKenzie McCuin, a well-known spinning instructor and author.



• k: An abbreviation in knitting patterns which means knit (as opposed to purl or yarn over). It may be capitalized, but does not have to be. K2P2 is "knit 2, purl 2" and when repeated creates ribbing. Generally, kxpy refers to a ribbing pattern of some kind. See also p, yo.



• k2tog: An abbreviation in knitting patterns which means "knit two together". This means to insert your needle into two knit stitches and knitting. It is often used in symmetry with ssk. This is one of many types of decreases.



• KAL: Knit-A-Long. When 2 or more people decide to knit the same project (or from the same book or publication, as in the case of Scarf Style/Wrap Style) at the same time. Usually, there is a blog affiliated, where all KAL participants are expected (or even required) to post regularly about their project, and where questions and discussions of the pattern are welcome. See also CAL.



• KAMS: Knitters Against MS. Organized by Claudia, those who support Claudia in her annual Ride Against MS.



• kfb: Knit Front and Back. This is a common increase, in which you knit as usual but do not remove the stitch from the left needle, and then knit into the back loop (like ktbl) and then pull the stitch off the left needle.



• KFYS: Knit From Your Stash. A KAL focused on knitting from your stash. This was proposed in 2007 by Wendy of Wendy Knits.



• KIP: Knit In Public. Displaying the activity of knitting in a public space, such as the subway or bus, park, coffeeshop, or bar. This helps us Represent how popular and fun knitting is to the Muggles.



• kitchener: (verb) To perform Kitchener stitch. Kitchener stitch is a technique for grafting knitted pieces together in a way that appears seamless. Typically used for closing the toes of top-down socks. The story of its origin, and a new technique for performing it, is at TECHknitting.



• KMKS: Knit Mitt Kit Swap. A swap for knitting kits to knit mittens. There is a web site for a recent one (the first?) here.



• knitblog: A blog focused primarily on knitting (and sometimes spinning too!)



• KP: KnitPicks, an online retailer which offers economical yarn and knitting supplies. Their most recent hit is the KP Options interchangeable needles set, competing with similar products from Denise.



• KPM: Koigu Premium merino yarn. Produced by the Koigu yarn company.



• KPPPM: Koigu Painter's Palette Premium merino yarn, a handpainted version of KPM. Produced by the Koigu yarn company.



• KR: Knitter's Review. A free, weekly online knitting magazine which, in addition to providing great searchable reviews of yarns, hosts a forum, shop, an occasional in-person events.



• KSKS: Knit Sock Kit Swap. A swap for knitting kits to knit socks.



• ktbl: Knit Through the Back Loop. This is a knit stitch variation in which you insert the needle through the back loop instead of through the front loop and knit it. It twists the stitch and looks a bit different. It is often used to tighten up what would otherwise be a loose stitch.



• KVS: Knitting Vintage Socks. A popular sock knitting book by Nancy Bush, published by IWP.



• LMK: Let Me Know.



• LMKG: Last Minute Knitted Gifts, a popular book of patterns. As the title implies, great for gifts, last minute or no.



• LOL: (from http://www.urbandictionary.com) Laughing Out Loud or Lots Of Laughs. It has also been reported that some people think it means Lots Of Love.



• LTL: Larger Than Life. Usually refers to the Larger than Life bag in the Spring 2007 issue of Interweave Crochet.



• LYS: Local Yarn Shop. As opposed to online or non-local yarn shops. This is the one you go to when you are out of yarn, needles, or notions, or when you just want to browse.



• MAS&W: Massachusetts Sheep and Wool Festival. An annual event held in May, possibly the last weekend.



• MDK: Mason-Dixon Knitting. A book written by the authors of the Mason Dixon Knitting blog. This book is known for popularizing many patterns, including the ball band warshcloth, log cabin blanket, facecloth, dish towel, and burp cloth.
  



• MDSW: Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival. Also seen as MD$W in reference to the emphasis on the marketplace. An annual event held at the Howard County Fairgrounds in West Friendship, MD, on the first full weekend in May.



• meme: A thing that someone does on a blog, and asks other people to do the same thing on their blog. Note that to make this interesting, everyone's results should be kind of different. There are lots of them. It's kind of like playing "Truth or Dare" in blogland - it reveals a little bit about yourself. It also comes in handy when there is nothing else to talk about. Some popular memes: 6 weird things about yourself, books you've read / want to read / have no interest in / on your shelf. Here is what wikipedia has to say.



• MIL: Mother In Law. See also BIL, FIL, and SIL.



• MSn: Mystery Stole n, where n is a number. Mystery Stole 3 started in June of 2007. A Mystery Stole is a pattern which is released in parts, over a period of time. The final design is not known until all of the parts are released. It is designed by Melanie Falick of Pink Lemon Twist. To receive announcements of Melanie's KALs, join her Yahoo! Group.



• MS&W: See MDS&W.



• muggles: Adopted from Harry Potter books, this refers to non-knitters. Coined by the Yarn Harlot.



• NETA: New England Textile Arts, the founding organization of SPA. They have a Yahoo! group.



• netiquette: Etiquette for the online world.



• NSG: Noro Silk Garden. A popular yarn by the Noro yarn company. This yarn (as well as many others by Noro) is best known for its long color changes.



• NSK: Notorious Sock Knitters. A moniker adopted by BMFA for its clientele. They include NSK stickers with orders.



• nupp: A combination stitch which involves knit and YO stitches in the same stitch over and over. On the following row the stitches are all purled together. The effect is a little round bead of knitting. This stitch is difficult for many knitters. It can be approximated by replacing the purl n together with "slip n-1, p1, psso". An extended discussion of the role of nupps and similar stitches in Estonian lace may be found here.



• OK: The Opinionated Knitter, a book by Elizabeth Zimmerman.



• OMG: Oh My God.



• OTN: On The Needles.



• p: An abbreviation in knitting patterns which means purl (as opposed to knit or yarn over). See also k, yo.



• PDX: The airport code for Portland, Oregon, it sometimes generically refers to Portland.



• PGR: Priscilla Gibson-Roberts, the author of Knitting in the Old Way.



• PITA: Pain In The A**.



• PNW: Pacific NorthWest. Seattle area, Washington State, and sometimes Oregon.



• pooling: An effect when using handpainted yarn where colors end up adjacent over several rows, causing (unsightly) large blotchy spots of color. See also flashing. The same yarn, and indeed the same pattern, can appear either variegated or with lots of flashing and pooling, depending the amount of yarn used in the circumference or width of the piece. Both flashing and pooling can be avoided by alternating skeins, to break up exact repeats of the color sequence. Some knitters dislike pooling and either alternate skeins or avoid handpainted yarn; others embrace the look and let the yarn do what it will.



• pr0n (spelled with the digit 0), sometimes pron (spelled with the letter o): An alternate spelling of p-o-r-n, in an attempt not to be found by web searchers looking for the real thing. Usage is usually knitting related: yarn pr0n is beautiful, often close-up, photographs of yarn.



• PS: Project Spectrum. A celebration of color and crafting. In 2006, it was a different color a month. In 2007, it is a few colors every few months. Project Spectrum was invented by Lolly.



• PSA: Public Service Announcement.



• psso: Pass the Slipped Stitch(es) Over. This is a pattern instruction which usually follows slipping stitches and then doing a knit or purl stitch. This usually decreases the number of stitches.



• Ravelry: An online organizer and knitting community. A Ravelry user may enter his/her knitted or crocheted projects, stash, list of future projects, link it to photos in Flickr and blog entries, and see who else in the Ravelry community is making the same projects and stashing the same thing. Currently, accounts are by invitation only, but anyone can request one by going to the site. There is a several week backlog of serving invitation requests, so please be patient. Future Ravelers (as members are called) are advised to photograph all projects (in progress and finished) and all stash items individually and upload them to Flickr in order to prepare for starting your notebook.



• Rhinebeck: New York State Sheep & Wool Festival. An annual event held in Rhinebeck, NY on or near October 20 (might be the 3rd weekend in October?).



• Represent: A movement started by Stephanie Pearl-McPhee to give a theme to her book tour and to encourage knitters everywhere to show the world how great knitters are in works and in numbers. Official page.



• RS: Right Side. A knitting abbreviation that refer to the "right side" that is, the side that is meant to be visible in the finished object, as opposed to the "wrong side." See also WS.



• RYC: Rowan Yarn Classic, a sub-brand of Rowan yarn.



• SABLE: Stash Amassed Beyond Life Expectancy. The situation of having more yarn (or fiber) than can be knit within the rest of your lifetime.



• SAM: Sock A Month. A KAL, currently in its third year, where the participants knit a sock a month for the year. There is a blog here.



• SAHM: Stay At Home Mom.



• S&W: Sheep & Wool. Example: Vermont S&W Festival. There are lots of festivals dedicated to the display and sale of sheep and sheep-related products. See also MDSW, Rhinebeck, VTS&W.



• SIL: Sister In Law or Son In Law. See also BIL, FIL, and MIL.



• SKB: Simple Knitted Bodice. A sweater pattern from Stitch Diva.



• SKC: Sexy Knitters Club. A KAL where the participants knit sexy designs. It is hosted at http://sexyknittersclub.blogspot.com. [Note: All of their dates seem to be in 2008, even though I'm living in 2007.]



• SKS: Sensational Knitted Socks. A popular sock knitting book by Charlene Schurch. There is a sequel, More Sensational Knitted Socks.



• sl: Slip. A knitting pattern abbreviation meaning to slip stitches from the left needle to the right, usually purlwise (as if to purl).



• SLC: Salt Lake City. Lots of bloggers live there or go there.



• snail mail: Postal service mail. So called because it is slower than e-mail.



• SNB, also written SnB: Stitch 'N' Bitch. Many knitting group use this as their name. This was already a widely used name for knitting groups before the book Stitch 'n' Bitch came out. I think there was some legal wrangling when the book came out defending a "trademark" but I haven't heard about it recently, so I figure it died down.



• SOAR: Spin-Off Autumn Retreat. Sponsored by Spin-Off, a magazine published by IWP.



• SOTM: Sock Of The Month, as in a SOTM club. There are lots of these, where you "subscribe" to receive sock yarn and patterns on a regular basis.



• SP: Secret Pal. A recurring swap where each participant prepares goodies for a recipient, but they are supposed to keep their identity a secret. As of this writing SP10 is closed to signups. There are other secret pals swaps, as well.



• SPA: SPA, Knit and Spin. An annual event since February 2003, held in Portland, Maine and sponsored by New England Textile Arts.



• squee: A happy noise, like "yay".



• SS: Stockinette Stitch. This stitch is formed by knitting on the right side and purling on the wrong side.



• ssk: An abbreviation in knitting patterns which means "slip, slip, knit". This means to slip the first stitch knitwise (put your needle in as if to knit, and pull it off the other needle), twice, then stick the other needle through the two slipped stitches and knit. It is often used in symmetry with k2tog. This is one of many types of decreases.



• SSS: Second Sock Syndrome. The ennui experienced when, having finished a sock, the knitter realizes s/he has to do it all again before the project can really be considered "finished." The reluctance to start or work on the second of a pair of socks. This can be avoided by doing the two socks of a pair at the same time, either on separate sets of needles or by doing 2 socks on 2 circs (or, for the bravest of all knitters, doing two socks simultaneously, one inside the other.



• SSYC: Simply Socks Yarn Company, an online retailer of sock yarns.



• stash: Stash is the yarn and/or fiber that the knitter already owns. Sometimes events such as "Flash Your Stash" are held in the blogosphere, where people show photographs of their stash. Some knitters collect yarn whenever they are moved; others avoid stocking up on yarn unless they are ready to work on it. Most of us, I gather, fall somewhere in between, being limited in funds and space to store said stash. Marinating is what the yarn (or fiber) does while you are not looking at or using it.



• stash enhancement: What happens when items are added to the stash.



• Stitches: An annual trade show. There are three held regionally, Stitches Midwest in August, Stitches East in October, and Stitches West in February. They are sponsored by Knitting Universe, which also holds "camp" events and publishes XRX books.



• STR: Socks That Rock. This is a sock yarn created by Blue Moon Fiber Arts (see BMFA) and has many enthusiastic fans.



• st: stitch. sts means stitches.



• Sweater Curse: The Sweater Curse states that if a knitter knits a sweater for his or her loved one prior to matrimonial ceremony, they will break up. A more detailed description is in Wikipedia.



• SWS: A wool/soy blend yarn by Patons. It has long color changes, similar to Noro.



• SWTC: South West Trading Company. A yarn brand well known for alternative fiber content, such as soy, milk, and corn.



• tag: (verb) To tell someone else (usually another blogger) to do something, usually a meme. Common usages: I've been tagged, I'm tagging you (with a meme).



• TIA: While it could mean any of several things, in a knitblog it probably means Thanks In Advance.



• tink: To undo knitting one stitch at a time. "Tink" is "knit" spelled backwards. This is a much slower way of ripping back than frogging.



• TLC: A sub-brand of yarn by Coats & Clark.



• TMI: Too Much Information. Occasionally, a blogger posts information that might be a bit more than we all needed to know.



• TNNA: The National NeedleArts Association. A trade organization which holds trade shows and sponsors such programs as Stitch 'n' Pitch and Stitch to Win Against Breast Cancer.



• TPI: Twists Per Inch. A way of measuring yarn for twist.



• TSF: Tricoteuses Sans Frontiers ("Knitters Without Borders"). Organized by the Harlot, a movement within the knitting world to donate to and support MSF/DWB (Medecins Sans Frontiers / Doctors Without Borders).



• UFO: UnFinished Object: A piece which is not finished. Implies that it has been set aside due to any number of causes, ranging from misbehavior to just plain ennui. Some knitters feel that these are a blight- they should either be finished or frogged.



• unvent: (verb) To "invent" something that has been invented before by someone else. To discover something for the first time yourself, knowing that someone else has probably done it before. It was coined by Elizabeth Zimmerman who humbly refused to credit herself with techniques that she describes in her books.



• VK: Vogue Knitting. A well established, popular knitting pattern magazine.



• VLT: Victorian Lace Today. A relatively new book focusing on lace designs from the Victorian era, updated for modern yarns and styles.



• VM: Vegetable Matter. When working with natural fibers straight from the farm, they often contain VM which needs to be removed.



• VT S&W: Vermont Sheep & Wool Festival. An annual event held in Essex Junction, Vermont on or near September 9 (second weekend in September?).



• WIM: Work In Mind. An idea for a future project.



• WIP: Work In Progress. A piece of knitting (or other constructed item) which is in progress; the implication is that it is actively being worked on.



• WPI: Wraps Per Inch. A way of measuring the weight of yarn.



• WPI tool: A tool, usually wood and shaped more or less like a dowel, which helps measure wraps per inch. For a good explanation (and photos of beautiful hand-turned ones) look here.



• WS: Wrong side. A knitting abbreviation that refer to the "wrong side" that is, the side that is NOT meant to be visible in the finished object, as opposed to the "right side." See also RS.



• wtf: What The F**K.



• Yarnival: A blog carnival for knitters. To submit articles or get information on the next Yarnival, go here.



• yds: yards.



• YFC: Yarn Focus Challenge. A movement where the participants vow not to buy yarn except on certain days, in order to limit the growth of their stash. The latest one was announced here.



• YMMV: Your Mileage May Vary. In other words, you may get different results.



• yo: yarn over. A knitting "stitch" where the yarn is looped around the needle to make a stitch. The effect it creates is a hole in the fabric, and it is a mainstay of lace patterns. See also k, p.



• YPF: Yarn Pr0n Friday. A movement to show really nice photos of yarn on Fridays in the blogosphere.

Thanks so much to everyone who keep sending in new terms to list!

P.S.: If you have a blog and would like to link to a specific term here, you can! Just use <a href="http://knitswithasilentk.blogspot.com/2007/03/knitblog-lingo.html#
term">Word to be linked</a> (all in one line, with no space after the #), where term is the word you want to link to (the word in bold) with any non-letter symbols and spaces removed. The term is called an anchor. For example, you can link to LYS by inserting this code:

<a href="http://knitswithasilentk.blogspot.com/2007/03/knitblog-lingo.html#LYS">LYS</a>

which looks like this:
LYS. To find anchors in this page, select View Source in your browser and look for the <a name="term"> tags.

This article has appeared in Yarnival! and in Lucia's Carnival of Knitting.