What does knitwise mean?

"Knitwise" refers to a specific direction or method of working stitches in knitting. When you knit a stitch "knitwise," you insert the needle into the front of the stitch from left to right and wrap the working yarn around the needle to create a new stitch. This term is often used to distinguish between knitting and purling, with purling involving a different insertion method. Essentially, it indicates how to manipulate the yarn and stitches to achieve the desired texture and pattern in the fabric.