The abbreviation pfb stands for purl front and back, a standard knitting increase used on the purl side of a fabric. The knitter inserts the right needle purlwise into the front leg of the stitch, wraps the yarn and pulls it through, then inserts the needle purlwise into the back leg of the same stitch and purls it again. This creates two stitches out of one, leaving a visible horizontal bump on the fabric surface.
Heard on the job
The pattern says to pfb in the next three stitches to shape the underarm curve.
Also heard as
- Pbf