Posted in knitting

Cast-on Monday: Learn a New Stitch

Posted on by Laura Kate

As I ponder my goals for 2024, I am reminded of one goal that has history. Looking back on annual goals for three years, one item seems to pop up every year: mastering the brioche stitch. I have tried and failed.

Gentle reader, if you are not a fan of knitting, you may wish to stop reading now and move on to a post more to your taste. If you are a knitter, you are probably at least a little sympathetic. Maybe you also have tried brioche. If not, here is a wonderful example illustrating why you may want to learn it.

Njord cowl by Emelie Litwin

In brioche, there are often two colors worked together. Each row has 2 passes – one for the light color and another for the dark. It is truly double knitting and as such, makes incredibly plush and warm garments. But it has its own language with unique chart symbols used only in brioche knitting. 

Emelie’s cowl is what I lust for. But, let’s be real, my first brioche garment is more likely to be one of these:

Left: VidaFetti Headband by Victoria Ida. Right: Waystone Mitts by Alicia Plummer

After three false starts while watching a Craftsy tutorial that didn’t help me at all, I turned to Utube and got some help. Andrea Mowry’s tutorial on two color brioche worked flat broke me through my learning curve.

Here is the beginning of my swatch:

There are a few mistakes, but I let them be. Unknitting brioche is almost as challenging as knitting it is. For now, I’m happy to have dipped my toe in the murky brioche waters. It is a good enough start.

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One of six children, I was raised by a busy mom, who instilled in me a love of fabric. Though I learned to sew and knit at a young age, it was the arrival of my first grandchild that pushed me into action. A long-time knitter, I am now ready to explore all things fiber.

23 thoughts on “Cast-on Monday: Learn a New Stitch”

      1. Thanks, Kath, I will take a look at your example and other in-the-round samples. Also I found that Elizabeth Zimmerman has a hat made in what she calls “Primerib” stitch. It is in the round.

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  9. Bravo to you! Learning Brioche has been rattling around my head for a long time… I have tried, but not had success so thank you for the link to Andrea Mowry! (And that cowl… oh my, that is stunning!)

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