Level up on Brioche Knitting

One of the techniques knitters seem to have the most trouble with, and we’re asked pretty frequently to address, is Brioche Knitting. It doesn’t look like this pandemic will be out of our lives anytime soon, so what better time to dig into or perfect a new technique than when we’re all stuck inside.

This knit along will be a little different. It’s going to be progressive, with three successive levels of difficulty. The first two projects are quick to help build skills and confidence and the last project is a way to put all of your skills together and solidify what you’ve learned. Feel free to jump in at whatever level suits you best. I’ll be doing instructional videos along the way to help you get started and build your confidence. As with all of our knit alongs, participation is free. Everyone is welcome to join, just please try to support us by purchasing your supplies from www.needlesinthehay.ca.

In addition to the added bonus of instructional videos, we also have the Facebook Virtual Knit Along group and will be hosting discussions there so that you can ask your questions and get additional help. If you’d like to join the group, visit this link: https://www.facebook.com/groups/883466498774921/

To make things easier we’ve provided a schedule for the video releases and laid out all of the materials required for each project in handy collections to make your choices easier.

Level 1 – Skipp by Jared Flood

The first level is a simple brioche rib hat for knitters who have never done brioche before or need to build their confidence with brioche rib.

What supplies will you need?
-Buy your pattern here: https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/skipp
Needles: 2.75mm and 3.5mm 16” circular
Notions: Ring stitch markers, including a unique marker for the beginning of the round & darning needle for weaving in ends
Yarn: 2 skeins of Brooklyn Tweed loft, of 1 skein each of two contrasting colours for two colour version.
280 (305, 320) total yards of fingering weight wool yarn for single colour OR 140 (153, 160) yards of MC, 140 (153, 160) yards of C1 of fingering weight wool yarn for two colours.

Click here to get your supplies!

Who can skip level 1? If you’ve already perfected brioche rib in single and double colours, including left learning and right leaning decreases, you can hop on at level 2. If you want a refresher, or have never done brioche, level 1 is a good place to start.

Level 2 – Windrow by Bristol Ivy

The second level is a brioche cowl knit in the round that can be done in either single or two colour brioche. We’ll build on the brioche rib and decrease skills we learned in Level one, while adding simple cable twists and basic chart reading.

What supplies will you need?
-Buy your pattern here: https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/windrow
Needles: One 16-32” circular needle in size 4.5 mm (fabric is very stretchy)
Notions: Ring stitch markers including unique marker for beginning of round, Cable needle, Darning needle
Yarn: 2 skeins of Malabrigo Rios, or 1 skein each in two contrasting colours for two colour version.
Any worsted weight yarn with a bouncy rounded structure will work. You will need 350 yards for single colour or 175 yards each of two contrasting colours.

Click here to get your supplies

Who can skip level 2? Knitters who have got their brioche rib, decreases, increases and cable twists figured out. It’s also a great help if you’re already comfortable with chart reading.

Level 3 – Ramble by Andrea Mowry

Level 3 is to bring everything together in a slightly more involved asymmetrical shawl project. The Ramble Shawl has a beautiful brioche herringbone pattern which will give you lots of practice on your increases and decreases. By the time you finish level three you should be a pretty confident brioche knitter!

What supplies will you need?
Buy your pattern here: https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/ramble-4
Needles: 4.5mm 32” OR 40” circular
Notions: darning needle, scissors, and a row counter is highly recommended
Yarn: DK weight yarn. Main Colour - 330yd; Contrast Colour - 330 yd. We’ve got lots of options. Click the supplies link to see all of our ideas.

Click here to get your supplies