Saturday, August 5, 2017

A is for August, B for Brioche, & C is for is "Can-do" Attitude!

Hello Everyone,
August is upon us and we will be learning the abc's of Brioche! Brioche has literally exploded in its popularity due to designers like Stephen West (www.westknits.com) and Andrea Mowry (www.dreareneeknits.com). We think Brioche is an experience to share and enjoy. That's why we are having classes devoted to all things Brioche. We are teaching a two part class on a Brioche Bandana Cowl by Lavanya Patricella (www.lavanyapatricella.com) as well as  Beginner, Intermediate, and Advanced Brioche Hats in three separate classes. Our Advanced Hat is the Beezee hat by Katrin Schubert Instagram @katta_rinah). Our Intermediate Brioche Hat is called Crossover by Elmer Galam Since I am knew to Brioche, I am starting with our Beginner Brioche Hat, Cappuccino and brioche hat by Knitting for Breakfast Fabia & Alessia Taverna (Instagram _@knittingforbreakfast), two Italian sisters in the knitting world who are inspired by nature.
I have admired Brioche for quite a while. The texture, the combination of colors, and it's reversible. How can you not love something that is reversible?!! But what exactly is Brioche? I bought a book on Brioche sometime last year, “knitting BRIOCHE The Essential Guide to the Brioche Stitch” by Nancy Marshant. Maybe, someday, I would get to it. And now, Linda tells me someday is now! I am excited to learn Brioche. It's artistic and intricate. 
According to Wikipedia, Brioche knitting is a family of knitting patterns involving tucked stitches, i.e., yarn overs that are knitted together with a slipped stitch from the previous row. Such stitches may also be made by knitting into the row below (equivalent to the slipped stitch) and dropping the stitch above (equivalent to the yarn over). The tucked stitches may form a second layer of knitting in front of the first layer, resembling an array of arches or (seen upside-down) of fish scales. Brioche knitting may have originated in the Middle East. However, the term "brioche" seems to have derived from French slang for "mistake". The name might be a reference to the brioche dinner roll, which is formed of two pieces, one stacked atop the other. Brioche Stitch is included in Barbara G. Walker's A Treasury of Knitting Patterns and in Elizabeth Zimmermann's Knitting Without Tears. Nancy Marchant introduced several varieties of the brioche stitch to American knitters with her book Brioche Knitting, inspired by the brioche knitting she found very prevalent in the Netherlands. The brioche stitch can be used to knit any kind of garment or project that regular knitting can be used for, but will be double-thick. Nancy Marchant standardized brioche-knitting abbreviations and terminology so that knitters worldwide could share patterns and understand the abbreviations. Marchant has attempted to standardize and simplify the terminology for the stitch. She defines the basic stitch of brioche knitting as the brioche-knit stitch, which she calls the "bark" stitch (abbreviated "brk"), which consists of a knit-stitch knitted together with its "wrap," a yarnover from the previous row. The brioche-purl stitch (or the "burp" stitch (abbreviated "brp") is the purled version. Each bark or burp stitch is followed by a yarn-front, slip-one, yarnover (yf-sl1yo). This sets up the bark and burp stitches for the next row. In brioche knitting, it takes two "passes" to complete a single row of knitting, since only half the stitches are knitted each time. The other half is slipped. For this reason, it takes more knowledge to be able to count rows and stitches and measure gauge.
Brioche knitting does take concentration, but the results bring luscious texture and stunning, reversible patterns to our knitting. Learning Brioche is definitely taking our knitting game up a few notches. Join us and get immersed in the beauty of the Brioche stitch. To view what we have on our needles, visit our new Instagram page @ yarns.by.hpf and of course, our Facebook page. Enjoy the beauty of Brioche!

Knit On! Lisa




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