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
