Have you ever wanted to try brioche knitting to see if you like it?
Because knitting is our hobby; our happy place, we want to enjoy learning something new but often times we aren’t willing to dive into a whole project.
Today on the blog I wanted to do a round-up of free tutorials and knitting tips for brioche knitting. So that you can try a few stitches with yarn you have at home and if you do enjoy it where to go next.
We also have brioche refresher tutorials for both English and Continental style knitters so that you can have a quick reference guide to come back to when you need it. As always for our long posts you can quickly skip to your section of interest by using these links:
TIPS FOR BRIOCHE KNITTING
Often we fall in love with complex, two colour brioche projects. They look amazing but if you’re new to brioche the can be very intimidating. If you are new to brioche I’d suggest stepping into it one step at a time.
- Start with flat, single colour brioche. Knit several inches with just plain brioche stitch until you feel comfortable that your hands and brain know how to work it.
- Now introduce increases and decreases. These are not difficult to work when you’ve got the brioche basics and will allow you to create some beautiful projects!
- Learn how to recognise ‘fix’ basic mistakes. Missed a yarnover? Catch it on the next row so you can just pick it straight up.
- Reading your gauge? With brioche knitting you work two ‘rows’ for every row that you can count. This is due to the nature of brioche, you are slipping every other stitch so it takes two rows to work all the stitches. This means that when you measure row gauge you will be working two rows for every row you can ‘read’.
BRIOCHE TUTORIALS
If you want to try a few brioche stitches with some yarn you have in your stash then why not pop over to our Brioche tutorials here. All you need is a few moments to watch the video and test the technique with yarn you know you already love.
BRIOCHE REFRESHERS
If you just need a quick reference guide or a refresher of working brioche then these videos are for you. Techniques covered here are:
- Brioche Knit (brk)
- Brioche Purl (brp)
- Slip 1 Yarnover (slyo)
- Brioche Increase
- Brioche Left Leaning Decrease
- Brioche Right Leaning Decrease
ENGLISH STYLE – YARN IN RIGHT HAND
CONTINENTAL STYLE – YARN IN LEFT HAND
PROJECT WORKSHOP IN BRIOCHE
For those looking for a more step-by-step approach and who like to learn new techniques while working on a project then why not enroll in the free Brioche Basics workshop where you tackle the Malandros Scarf.
I’m a big believer in learning new techniques step-by-step. This is the first step in my Brioche knitting lessons and I will start at the very beginning. In this class, you will learn the best cast-on for Brioche and how to work the basic Brioche stitch. Once you’ve mastered this we’ll move on to increases and decreases in brioche and the best way to bind-off in Brioche.
Once you’ve mastered the basics you’ll be ready in future lessons to move on to the next step, working in the round and two colour brioche. However, starting slowing with the first step will give you time to really master Brioche Knitting and learn how to ‘read’ your stitches.
If this sounds like something you want to try, then click this image:
NEXT STEPS
If by now you have truly fallen in love with Brioche then I have a few Workshops that you might like to try. These are again step-by-step workshops and they all have dedicated support threads in our KnitHub. so you can tackle a brioche cardigan, brioche shawl or join us for the upcoming brioche sweater knit-along.
All of our project workshops have their own yarn kits available too so that you can just click and knit as soon as the yarn arrives at your door! Choose from:
BRIOCHE CARDIGAN WORKSHOP
This workshop works through a baby/child cardigan in brioche that is worked from the top down with raglan shoulder shaping. Every stage of the cardigan is detailed with videos and tutorials to help you along.
When you are finished you’ll also get a pdf of the adult version of the cardigan that you can knit for yourself!
If you want to nab the yarn for this workshop you can find the junior yarn kit here.
BRIOCHE SHAWL WORKSHOP
Take your Brioche knitting to the next level with this 2-Colour Brioche shawl; Vines and Vale. This shawl starts with just a few stitches and works from there. This makes it ideal for learning as you have only a few stitches when you begin.
This class works through every section of the shawl in a step-by-step tutorial from the cast-on right through to the blocking. You have the option of working with either chart or written directions. As an added bonus there is a troubleshooting section at the end to help with common problems that are encountered.
You can also find yarn kits for this workshop here.
BRIOCHE SWEATER KNIT-ALONG
Our Brutach sweater is this autumn’s knit-along. If you have never joined a knit-along or a KAL before don’t worry we have beginner knitters and lifelong knitters working side by side on the same pattern over a number of weeks.
Each week a new clue or pattern section is released and we all work on that section together. This means that you have all the support you need as well as a group of virtual knitters cheering you on to finish your garment.
To find out more about this KAL and to pick up a yarn kit pop over here.
If after all of this you have decided that brioche just isn’t for you but you’d like to try another project workshop or masterclass then you can see all of the available online classes here.
If you have any questions just pop them in the comments and I’ll do my best to help.
Happy Knitting!
