brioche | On the Needles

You guys know I’m a big sweater knitter. I love a great big, weeks- (or months-) long project that I can really sink my teeth into. And if it’s a pattern that I’m making up as I go along, and documenting the whole thing, even better!

But sometimes, there’s nothing better than finding a great pattern and banging out a project in a little over a week.

This little cowl is one of those projects.

It’s finished! And it’s super cute!

It’s not perfect (the decreases are a little weird, and I don’t love how the CO edge pulls a little, compared to the super-stretchy brioche fabric), but I don’t mind. The pattern was quick to work up, and the finished object is cute and totally wearable. It was a super fun little knit. I’m not going to say it was “easy”, but once I got my brain around the whole brioche thing, it was pretty straightforward.

One thing I really love is how it’s totally reversible! The big color-blocks on the right side are fun, but I kind of love the way the contrasting colors peek out between the bright blue ribs. (It’s even prettier, and more glow-y in person!)

This is definitely a piece that I intend to wear a lot in the future!

Have you finished up any fun, quick projects recently?

It’s been a while since I tried something truly new in knitting. I’ll try a new cable or stitch pattern, but even the most complicated stitch pattern still just uses a combination of the same handful of stitches. And I’m not afraid to try a new pattern or come up with a new design, but it’s all really just putting the same stitches in different order. I’m not complaining, I love my usual knitting, but none of that is really a new skill.

So I decided to try something that’s truly new to me. Brioche! (This isn’t a tutorial about brioche knitting- I’m not even finished with my first piece, so I’m very much not an expert!) Brioche is super cool! It’s knitting, but its stitches are just different enough from regular knits and purls that it’s a little tricky. It took me a few evenings to really get the feel of it. The finished product ends up with a sort-of two-color ribbing, and is seriously fluffy. It’s kind of magical.

I browsed Ravelry and found the Fingering Brioche Bandana Cowl by Lavanya Patricella. It looked simple enough and like something I’d actually wear. (These days with a very grabby kid, long scarves and shawls aren’t terribly practical, but my neck is still cold!) fingerbandanacowl01 I pulled out those mini-skeins of Tosh Merino Light, fired up Google to look for instructions, and after a few false starts, I was cruising along. I love how the royal blue peeks through to the outside of the cowl, and I love how squishy the fabric is!(Though I might actually like the “inside” better. The color-blocking is a little more subtle, just peeking through between the ribs of blue.)I’ve still got a way to go before I perfect my brioche knitting though, my gauge is a little bit all-over the place and my decreases are a weird and sloppy (though I might be able to block them out a bit). At least I have a reason to keep practicing!Have you tried any new techniques lately? What were they? How did it go?