The table below encompasses the knitting abbreviations used by the US yarn industry designers and publishers. This is the industry platform or a backbone in a sense. Please use this as a foundation and build upon it.
Abbreviation
Description
alt
alternate
approx
approximately
byo
backward yarn over
beg
beginning
bet
between
BO
bind off
cn
cable needle
CO
cast on
cont
continue
CC
contrasting color
dec
decrease
dpn
double-pointed needles
foll
follow
inc
increase
k
knit
kfb
knit 1 into front and back of a stitch; single knit increase
ksp
knit 1 stitch, slip this stitch from right needle to left needle, pass second stitch on left needle over first stitch and off left needle; return stitch to right needle; single right-leaning decrease
k2tog
knit 2 stitches together; single right-leaning decrease
k1B
knit stitch in row below
kwise
knitwise
LH
left hand
lp
loop
MC
main color
M1lp
make one left purlwise; single left-leaning purl increase
M1L
make one left; single left-leaning knit increase
M1p
make one purlwise; single purl increase
M1rp
make one right purlwise; single right-leaning purl increase
M1R
make one right; single right-leaning knit increase
M1 or M1K
make one stitch knitwise; single knit increase
m
marker
p2sso
pass 2 slipped stitches over
psso
pass slipped stitch over
pat or patt
pattern
pm
place marker
prev
previous
p
purl
pfb
purl 1 into front and back of a stitch; single purl increase
p2tog
purl 2 stitches together; single decrease
pwise
purlwise
rem
remaining
rep
repeat
rev St st
reverse stockinette stitch
RH
right hand
RS
right side
rnd
round
sl
slip
sl1k
slip 1 knitwise
SKP
slip 1 knitwise, knit 1, pass slip stitch over knit stitch; single left-leaning decrease
slip 2 stitches as if to knit 2 together, knit 1, pass 2 slipped stitches over knit stitch; centered double decrease
ssk
slip 2 stitches knitwise, knit these 2 stitches together through back loops; single left-leaning decrease
ssp
slip 2 stitches knitwise, return these 2 stitches to left needle and purl them together through back loopsl; single left-leaning decrease
SSPP2
slip 2 stitches knitwise, return these 2 stitches to left needle and then slip them as if to p2tog through back loops, purl 1, pass 2 slipped stitches over purl stitch; centered double decrease
sssk
slip 3 stitches knitwise, knit these 3 stitches together through back loops; double left-leaning decrease
sssp
slip 3 stitches knitwise, return these 3 stitches to left needle and purl these 3 stitches together through back loops; double leftleaning decrease
