Brioche Exploration

One of the most popular posts on this blog is my rudimentary exploration of brioche. My favorite method of knitting brioche is the method of "knitting in the row below" (rather than the technique using yarn-overs as popularized by Nancy Marchant). I've combed the Interwebz in an effort to summarize the different stitch variations you can produce using this technique.

I've recently been knitting up a storm of cowls, spurred on by a giant sale at my local Michael's craft superstore. The yarn I've been using is a bulky, self-striping 100% acrylic yarn - something I would ordinarily never use. But this stuff is perfect for exploring brioche knitting; it produces lovely, cushy cowls that I can knit up in a handful of hours! By alternating rows from different balls or from the 2 ends of the ball (so that you use different parts of the colour sequence), you can get some really interesting and attractive colour patterning.


Here are some photos showing the different textures you can get with "K1B":

 ["rose fabric", alternating K1B rows with purl rows]

 [honeycomb brioche on the outside]

 [honeycomb brioche on the inside]

 ["stockinette" brioche, right side]

[stockinette brioche, wrong side]

I've updated my Brioche post with my new findings (a few more recipes for stitches created by "knitting one below"), and also with a simple and free cowl pattern of my own devising. Drop by!