Fisherman’s Rib and Brioche Stitch: What’s the Difference?

March 21, 2019 by Sarah White 1 Comment

This is a bit of knitting geekery, I’ll admit, but did you know there’s a difference between Fisherman’s Rib and Brioche Stitch? They look pretty much the same, but a different technique is used to make each.

Interweave has an in-depth look at the differences between Fisherman’s Rib and Brioche Stitch.

The short version is that Fisherman’s Rib is typically made by working into the stitch in the row below, while Brioche is worked with a combination of yarn overs and decreases. But there’s a lot more to these amazing squashy fabrics than just that.

Have you ever worked these stitches? I like Fisherman’s Rib because I feel like it’s a little faster, but they’re both great techniques!

[Photo: Interweave.]

Specific to knitters, you can join our Knitting Patterns Only group to get, well, knitting patterns, ask questions and gain inspiration for what to knit next.

Check out these books dedicated to Knitted Cowl Patterns still looking for more cowl patterns? Check these out on Etsy.

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Maryanne says
March 26, 2019 at 1:37 pm
I love both these stitches, for the way they look and also for knitting them. My only complaint is that they always stretch more width-wise than I remember, so I always have to plan for projects being shorter and wider when done (or longer and narrower while knitting).

Have you read?

A Beautiful Way to Keep Your Head Warm

I haven’t knit a lot of hats, because I don’t wear hats that often, and because I don’t wear hats that often, the ones I have knit tend to be pretty basic and utilitarian. There’s nothing wrong with that, but there’s also nothing wrong with treating yourself to a lovely hat that takes a little more time to knit but will also be a joy to wear whenever you need to.

I think the Two Grey Hills hat from Tressa Weidenaar is an example of that second kind of hat. With its allover colorwork design and use of DK weight yarn, this is going to take you longer to knit than, say, a ribbed hat in bulky yarn. But you’ll also get that time to enjoy the process and reflect on the meaning behind the colorwork, which is inspired by Navajo weavings.

The pattern calls for two colors of DK yarn and is available in two sizes, adult medium and large. Two colors with a nice contrast will be helpful for seeing the design, which is somewhat intricate in places.

Despite that, this isn’t a difficult pattern if you’ve done stranded knitting before. You need to know how to cast on, knit, purl, work in the round, do colorwork from a chart and decrease stitches to make this hat.

Make this hat with a soft yarn and you’ll want to wear it all day, every day when the weather is cold. You can grab the pattern on Ravelry, and also check out the Rug Weaver’s Headband, which has a different look but is also inspired by Navajo weaving. The headband might be a better choice to knit if you don’t live somewhere where you need a winter hat that often.

Looking for more hats? Check out these hat knitting patterns that use worsted weight yarn leftovers.

[Photo: Tressa Weidenaar]

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