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

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.

I guess I must have had this pattern on my mind, because I had chosen this log cabin blanket recipe to write about, promptly forgot about it and a couple of weeks later started knitting a log cabin blanket using all my pink yarn.

It might stay pink if it makes it to baby blanket sized, or I might add in some pastel green and blue, too, to make a bigger blanket. We’ll see. I’m also holding several strands of yarn together to make a kind of bulky yarn, which means it’s deeply satisfying how much yarn is used even as the project is still relatively small.

In Kristen Finlay’s version, DK weight yarn scraps (or fingering/sock yarn held double) are used to make a simple scrappy log cabin blanket that’s lighter weight than my version. Log cabin is a great technique for knitters of any skill level because it’s worked in garter stitch. The only not completely basic technique you need for log cabin knitting is picking up stitches.

If you’ve never worked a log cabin knitting project before, this is a good introduction, and it is really nice to use all your yarn scraps in one big project you’ll use for years to come.

If you use a lot of DK weight yarn you can keep building on it whenever you finish a project, or if you use more worsted weight you can do the same thing with it, it will just be a little bigger starting out than the pattern calls for. How big it gets is totally up to you.

I have really been enjoying working on my log cabin project, and it’s my current sitting at my desk and need a break knit (do you have one of those or is it just me?).

Ready to start your own log cabin blanket knitting project? You can grab the free pattern from Kristen Finlay on Ravelry.

Need more log cabin inspiration? Check out more log cabin knitting patterns.

[Photo: Kristen Finlay]

Comments

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).

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