Knit a Boxy Brioche Sweater

Brioche knitting has been super popular for a few years now and it doesn’t feel like it’s going away. I haven’t done a lot of brioche knitting (if you haven’t either, I have a super simple brioche knit headband at Our Daily Craft you can use to learn the basics), and it’s always been on my list to knit a brioche sweater.

The Candela Sweater from Ginko B. looks like a great option for those taking a first foray into brioche garment knitting. It’s a boxy sweater worked in worsted weight yarn, so it shouldn’t be too fiddly and should actually be a pretty fast knit once you get the hang of it.

Brioche in worsted weight is so squishy and nice, this is sure to become a favorite sweater. It’s meant to be oversized and has balloon sleeves for even more volume, and a wide neckline that makes it easy to layer on top of all sorts of things. The edgings are worked in I-cord so they don’t distract from the squish of the brioche, but still give the piece a finished look.

The sweater comes in 16 sizes with chest measurements ranging from 38 to 68 inches (97 to 173 cm). The pattern doesn’t indicate how much ease is recommended, so you can choose a little more or a little less as you like.

It also has options for doing the brioche with one color or two. The pattern notes say that people new to brioche knitting might like using two colors because it’s easier to see where you are in the pattern, but it’s up to you what kind of a look you’re going for and how much yarn you have.

You can grab a copy of the sweater pattern, and see variations using one color or two, on Ravelry.

And if you’re looking for more brioche knitting patterns, check out my (in need of an update!) brioche knitting roundup here.

[Photo: Ginko B.]

Easy Sweater Knitting Patterns

Knit a Mohair Sweater with a Colorful Twist

Knit a Classic Colorwork Yoked Sweater

Getting ready for back to school makes me think about pencil crafts, so let’s take a look at some pencil themed knitting patterns!

I recently made a pencil on a circular knitting machine, and it was a fun, quick, easy project that uses little bits of leftover yarn (and if you don’t have yellow you can make it a colored pencil using whatever color’s your favorite). And if you want to make a bigger version check out this pattern from Orange Olive Road on Etsy.

If you want to knit a pencil pillow by hand, check out Sketchy, available on Ravelry from Shana S. Cohen. This one uses worsted weight yarn and has two size options and the choice to make a pencil with an eraser or a colored pencil.

Pencil scarves seem to be the most popular kind of pencil knitting pattern, and there are lot of cute ones. This one from Cosy Craft UK mostly uses garter stitch, with some welts to add texture and what looks like an I-cord edging. It calls for DK weight yarn.

If you want to go all garter stitch try this version from Emsley Co Creations, which uses five colors of DK weight yarn and just a little shaping to make the point of the pencil.

There’s also this fun, mostly stockinette so it looks like it curls a bit, pencil pattern that looks like it’s worked in chunky yarn from Little Knits Studio. This one uses just a little garter stitch and easy shaping for the point.

If you don’t want a pencil scarf, how about some pencil socks? The No. 2 Pencil Socks from The Yarn Enabler are available from Ravelry and use five colors of sock yarn. They feature wide ribs to mimic the texture of a pencil and have options to be worked from the top down or the toe up.

Needs Sharpening by Alexander Walker is a free pattern on Ravelry that uses five colors of sock yarn to make a sort of shortie sock. The little bit of black at the tips of the toes inspired the name. These, too, can be worked in either direction and are available in three sizes.

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