Genius Tips
Two-color Brioche Knitting: Tips and Hints
Dear Kay,
Oh good lord it was a brioche binge this weekend. I mean: head-down, burrow-in, get-down, two-color brioche.
I am loving it. Whatever happens, I’m going to have one fluffy wrap to wear down in my bunker.
Bristol Ivy’s Nesting Wrap is a pattern that has been tempting me ever since I wound the yarn a few weeks ago.
One of the reasons I wanted MDK to offer a brioche pattern is because I wanted to learn how to knit brioche. No better way than with a straightforward rectangle with some shifty bits to keep it interesting.
This yarn is Jade Sapphire Cashmere 4-ply. I can easily imagine this pattern worked in all sorts of yarns—anything buttery and fluffy. That said, I am a total goner for this particular cashmere stuff.
These two shades, Stonehenge and Pebble Beach, violate a popular belief that two-color brioche should have a lot of contrast in the colors. It’s true: these colors do not even remotely contrast with each other. At certain times of the day, this looks like a project knit with one color of yarn. Hell, they may BE the same color.
At 10:34 am, in Nashville, it looks two-color brioche. Or almost-two-color brioche. I guess it’s a secret-handshake sort of two-color brioche.
ANYWAY. Here are tips I’ve written down so far. They make sense once you’ve begun knitting this project.
Tips for Two-color Brioche Success
- Enjoy the gray area. The first 44 rows will take a while—think of them as the training wheels part of the Nesting Wrap. You’re knitting each row two times, once with each color. There is sliding of stitches back to the other end of the needle. There are four different kinds of rows to work. You are throwing yarnovers all the time. This is not a garter-stitch blanket, y’all. Don’t get frustrated if it seems like your brain is working a little more than usual. You’re making something very cool. It’s worth it. If you do exactly what the pattern tells you to do, it works. Amazing! And Bristol’s pattern includes helpful tips for figuring out what row to knit next if by chance you forget where you are.
- Pay attention to the beginning and end of rows. Row 1 starts with a knit stitch, Row 2 with a slipped stitch. Etc. Once you learn the rhythm of the four-row brioche stitch pattern, it gets easier, fast. Rows 1 and 3 use Color A; Rows 2 and 4 use Color B.
- It grows fast. Size 10 1/2 needles. 57 stitches per row. Half the stitches on each row are slipped. See? That’s a recipe for cranking a lot of knitting.
- Spread out your stitches. The weird thing in brioche is that you’re constantly working a yarnover plus a knit stitch together as one stitch. That’s what creates the woven-looking part between the columns of knit stitches. This starts to feel normal quickly. But at first you’re all: which stitch does that yarnover belong to? Spreading out your stitches lets you see the lay of the land.
- Mind your markers. The yarnovers sometimes jump over a marker. This is to be expected! These yarnovers must be disciplined most severely and returned to their proper place.
- Use beautiful yarn. Because you’re spending time with this project, you might as well enjoy the materials.
A Good First Project
For everyone wanting to try out a little brioche, our free Never Fail Muffler by Alice Beltran is a quick starter project for getting the rhythm of brioche stitch. It’s so low-dose a pattern that the word brioche doesn’t even appear in there.
We’re going to be launching a new batch of very pretty yarn that works with Alice’s pattern, so watch for that in next Saturday’s Snippets newsletter. (If you have somehow not signed up for Snippets, there’s a signup box on this page. We’re cooking up Snippets surprises and fun. If you’re into that sort of thing.)
Love,
Ann
It looks smooshy and lovely!
Gosh, I thought I was the Queen of Low-Contrast…a colleague once said he thought my computer screen was blank…but I am handing my crown to you! Subtlety rocks 🙂
I really love the colors you chose! I find them classy and soothing. It looks really soft and squishy.
Something else is useful that we figured out during a brioche class over the weekend. In two color you are always slipping the color YOU ARE NOT USING. Your brk and brp will always be working together as one stitch – a stitch and yo that are both the colors you are using. That’s useful when there is lots of contrast between the colors.
! That’s a lightbulb over the head r !
Thanks! evelation
I too have been on a brioche quest…I want to make the patterned brioche I have seen designed by Nancy Marchant. I have made a couple of scarves with plain, straight rows. I started the patterned ones a couple of times but couldn’t seem to get past the first few inches without getting hopelessly lost. I recently bought the most incredible silk yarn, with butterfly-like jewel tones that has inspired me to try again. I shall be triumphant!
I can vouch for the Never Fail Muffler. It led me down the rabbit hole, and I had to figure out brioche in the round! (One color only so far.) I’m taking a brioche break until I get to class with JC Briar at Madrona Fiber Arts Retreat in February. Have to leave something to learn!
Looking forward to seeing your new yarn.
I’ve never been enticed by brioche-stitch – until now. The curvy swirl and that buttery yellow with the creamy-cream have me in LURV. But since I also love eating, living indoors, and my poor long-suffering husband more, I think I’ll punt to the Never-Fail Muffler and something I can scrounge out of the stash! ;-D Thanks, as always, for the little push toward something new!
Wow, Ann…I love those subtle colors together! It’s Beyooootiful…
I bought the kit with blue and gray and will be starting it as soon as I finish the hat I’m working on. I promised myself to learn brioche in 2017 and I know as long as I’m working in cashmere, I’ll be happy working on something challenging!
That’s my second colorway pick. I may be making these into the distant future. And yes: cashmere takes the sting out of anything.
May I quote you, Ann? Seriously. That is one great line.
Brioche is also my 2017 “I’m going to learn it if it kills me!” I’m OK on the one-color brioche, but a lot of ripping out on the two-color. This is inspiring me to keep at it!