π€« The secret to mastering 2-Color Brioche Knitting
Published about 1 month agoΒ β’Β 4 min read
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Knitspiration
βοΈ Brioche: Like knitting a cozy cloud
There are few things in knitting that give me as much pleasure as knitting up a piece of brioche fabric.
When I first discovered this unique stitch I was flabbergasted.
You see brioche has its own language around it.
Because I was still a newbie at the time, I had no clue what the heck was a BRK1? Or a Sl1YO?!?
It might as well have been written in Greek.
Luckily I stumbled upon Nancy Marchant's wonderful Brioche Stitch website where she explained how everything works.
In fact, it was Nancy who came up with the abbreviations we now use to describe the elements of brioche knitting.
What makes Two-Color Brioche different?
There are three things that distinguish two-color brioche from other types of ribbed or colorwork fabric:
It's reversibleβ Pretty much all ribbing is reversible, but brioche is a little different. This type of brioche has a positive and a negative side, which means what happens on one side is inverted on the other side. β Not only do shapes show on both sides, the colors will be reversed on the wrong side of the fabric, making for a more dynamic color combination. β
It's double sided βAs mentioned above the positive and negative sides are inverted. So your primary color will be the secondary color on the wrong side and visa versa. β This happens because you're literally knitting one side of the fabric with one color and the other side another color. But because of its stitch construction, both sides interact to create its distinct look. β
It has a unique construction βWhat gives this stitch its luscious, squishy feel is its unusual construction. Each row is actually made up of two rows of stitches. Yarn overs are knit together with a knit stitch to create the icon "V" rib found in brioche.
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Example of brioche stitch construction (via Gannet Designs)β
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It's such a versatile stitch that Nancy Marchant has written three books on the topic, exploring different aspects of brioche knitting.
BUT...
A lot of people struggle with Brioche because it can be difficult to wrap your head around its construction.
That's because it's not just a ribbing stitch, it's also a form of double knitting.
There's a lot happening when you knit this technique, especially when doing it flat.
HOWEVER
And when you get the hang of it, there are many gorgeous stitches you can knit using this technique.
Before you go...below you'll find a few ways we can work together, and other bits & bobs:
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