Want to Learn a New Knitting Skill This Year? Try Brioche Knitting

January 2, 2015 by Sarah White

I got a little obsessed with brioche knitting this fall. I’m not quite sure I’m over it; I really want to knit a brioche cowl (when by all accounts I should be over cowls, too, given how many I knit before Christmas).

This knitting technique involves working some stitches and slipping others on one side of the knitting and usually doing the opposite on the other side to make a squishy, warm, reversible fabric that looks really cool in a single color or in two colors.

I have a tutorial on the basics of brioche over at About, as well as a simple potholder and two-color scarf pattern.

If you want to learn more and see some different ways of using brioche stitch, check out the free brioche knitting ebook from Knitting Daily. (Free subscription signup required.) This book covers the basics and offers five free patterns for you to try (I seriously love that tank top, designed by Katy Ryan).

Have you tried brioche knitting? I’d love to know if you give it a go or what you think of it if you’ve tried it before.

[Photo via Knitting Daily.]

Looking for Brioche Patterns? Check these out on Etsy

These Christmas Knitting Pattern Books on Amazon

Next Pattern:

Comments

Jeanne says
January 4, 2015 at 8:29 pm
If you haven’t already done so, check out Rodekool on Knitty http://www.knitty.com/ISSUEdf10/PATTrodekool.php I made a dozen of these for gifts a few years ago. It’s not a cowl and not really a scarf… It’s just awesome.
Sarah White says
January 4, 2015 at 9:35 pm
Oooh, that’s a cool one. Thanks for sharing!

Have you read?

Krampus Sweater Knitting Pattern

Santa and Saint Nicholas generally get all the good press, but Central European kids know you don’t want to just be good so you get presents from St. Nicholas; you also want to avoid the ire of Krampus. (He’s depicted as a human-like figure with horns and usually hairy or furry who gives birch rods instead of gifts to kids who are bad.)

If you’re the type to embrace the naughty side (or you just want to scare the children into good behavior over the holidays), maybe you’ll want to knit a Krampus sweater.

This one, from Sofie Amalie Laulund, is a top down circular yoke sweater with Krampus faces at the top and cavorting Krampuses further down the body, with some traditional Scandinavian snowflakes thrown in for fun.

Because of the large motifs there’s not a lot of room for adjusting the fit, but it is available in five sizes (the Ravelry page doesn’t say what the sizing is, and it says its worked with no ease but the photo looks like the sweater has a bit of positive ease, so if you decide to make this one just check the measurements and your own comfort level for ease when picking a size).

It also uses five colors, but there’s very little red and brown so you can probably use scrap yarn for those parts. It calls for DK weight yarn. You’ll want a background color that helps the creatures stand out. You could also work the snowflake bands in different colors if you want to mix it up.

The pattern is available in both English and Danish, and you can find it on Ravelry. This is the designer’s first pattern, which kudos to them because it’s such an ambitious (and fun!) project I’m happy to add to my collection of whimsy-filled knits.

[Photo: Sofie Amalie Laulund]