What Do Asterisks and Brackets Mean in a Knitting Pattern?

An asterisk (*) marks the start of a sequence you repeat, and the words after it say how far to go. Brackets [ ] enclose a group you repeat a set number of times. Both save the designer from writing the same stitches out again and again. Both are easy to read once you split the line into steps. This guide goes through each mark with short examples. For the bigger picture, see how to read a knitting pattern.

What does an asterisk mean in a knitting pattern?

An asterisk marks where a repeat begins. As the Craft Yarn Council puts it, asterisks are used so the pattern does not have to write the steps out time after time. Take this line:

Row 1: *K2, P2; rep from * across, end K2.

You knit 2, purl 2, then go back to the asterisk and do it again, all the way across. The final "end K2" sits outside the repeat, so you work it once when the repeated part runs out.

Commas separate single steps. Stitch and Story suggests breaking the line at each comma first, then seeing which steps the asterisks repeat. The asterisk always sits before the sequence you repeat, and the semicolon separates that sequence from the instruction for what to do with it.

"Repeat from *" tells you to return to the asterisk. What follows can be "to end", a number of times, or "twice more".

What do brackets mean in a knitting pattern?

Brackets enclose a group of stitches you work a stated number of times. The Craft Yarn Council gives this example: [YO, K2tog] 6 times means you work yarn over, knit two together, six times, for six yarn overs and six k2togs in total. The number after the bracket is the count.

The difference from an asterisk is the stopping point. Brackets say how many times. An asterisk says where to start, and the words after it say where to stop. Elizabeth Smith Knits notes that the designer chooses between the two based on which is clearest for that instruction. "[K2, p2] to end" is a bracket that runs to the end of the row, so you will see brackets used both ways.

What do parentheses mean?

Parentheses ( ) do up to three jobs, so read the words around them.

• A repeat. Dummies shows "* K5, (p1, k1) twice, p1; repeat from * to end of row". Knit 5, then purl 1 and knit 1 two times, then purl 1, and start again from the asterisk.
• Stitches into one stitch. (K1, P1, K1) in next st means all three stitches go into the same stitch, which makes a small bobble. The Craft Yarn Council uses this example.
• Sizes. In a multi-size pattern, numbers in parentheses belong to the larger sizes, such as 8 (7, 6, 6, 6). Find the position of your size and use only that number.

If a line says "k2tog" and you want a refresher, see how to knit two together.

What about stitches outside the repeat, and "twice more"?

Anything written outside the asterisks is worked once, in the place the pattern puts it. Stitch and Story gives this line:

Row 12: * p1, k2, k2tog, k2, p4, k2, k2tog, k2, repeat from * twice more, p1.

The repeated part has eight steps. "Twice more" means two additional passes after the first, so you work it three times in total, which is 24 steps. The last p1 sits outside the asterisks, so you work it once at the end, as step 25.

The word "more" matters. Elizabeth Smith Knits explains the same idea for rows: "repeat rows 1 and 2, 2 more times" means you have already worked them once, so you work six rows in total. Write the total down before you start. It's a cheap way to avoid a miscount. If a pattern asks you to space decreases across a row, decrease evenly across a row walks through the counting.

What are nested repeats?

A nested repeat is a bracket inside an asterisk sequence. Elizabeth Smith Knits shows this line:

*[K1, p1] to 1 stitch before marker, k1, sm; repeat from * 1 more time.

Work the bracket to one stitch before the marker, then k1 and slip the marker (sm). That whole sequence is the repeat, and "1 more time" means you do it once more, from the asterisk. Take it a part at a time. Bracket first, then the stitches after it, then back to the asterisk. Crochet patterns use the same marks, and the crochet pattern guide shows how they read with rounds.

How do you read a repeat line at the needles?

Go one step at a time. Split the line at the commas so each step stands alone. Find the asterisk or the opening bracket and read to the end of the repeated part. Then read the words that say how long to keep going. Last, check what comes after the repeat, because those stitches are worked once. Counting the stitches in one pass, then dividing your row by that number, tells you whether the repeat will fit before you start.

Try it in Row & Round

Row & Round is coming soon to iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch. Its highlighter bar sits on the row you are working in your PDF pattern and shows the few lines around it, so you can look up from the needles and find your place again. Each tap on +1 moves the bar to the next row, and the bar says right side or wrong side.

Bottom line

An asterisk starts a repeat and the words after it say where it ends. Brackets repeat a group a set number of times. Parentheses can do either job, hold a one-stitch group, or list sizes. Read the pattern's own abbreviation list, split each line at the commas, and write out the total number of passes before you begin.