I have a few days off work – Time to learn a new knitting skill!

Brioche Knitting –  Phew –  It’s been a while since I had to really sit and study a knitting text book to learn a technique!! 😯

Why Brioche knitting? Two guilty reasons…My American friend, Judy Rosenburg sent me a link to a beautiful Brioche scarf pattern on Ravelry. (Thanks Judy!!)

This pattern–> The Glen Scarf

Isn’t that pretty?

I loved the pattern and rushed out and bought yarn to make it in green and purple to match a coat I have…then looked at the pattern….

Barking? Burping? Excuse me?! What the heck are those symbols on the chart?? I felt like a total beginner knitter 🙁

My second reason was that I felt rather guilty because I had an untouched book on Brioche knitting that  I bought a year ago for LAST YEAR’s knitting New Year’s resolution to learn brioche.

Out came the forgotten brioche book, spare yarn and grim faced determination. (Ben, Kitty and Ziggy all avoid me when I get this look for fear of a ferocious “SHHhhing” if they disturb me)…

This is the book…Knitting Fresh Brioche by Nancy Marchant

It’s the kinda book I like – I started at page 1 and was taken, step by step through leaning a whole heap of new stuff.  I wasn’t expecting to learn new cast ons and cast offs! Two Colour Italian Twisted Cast on (seems like waving a needle in the air randomly until stitches form…but it does work) and the matching Italian (Kitchener) cast off where “challenging”. Apart from a very good “how to” section, there are a selection of different pattern swatches and several scrumptious scarves and shawls…some in Rowan Kidsilk Haze 😳 We know how I love that yarn don’t we?

It’s really well written with clear picture and explanations for the techniques. I’d never give this to a beginner though – there is too much “fun with yarnovers”!

Want to see how I got on?

I started a test piece and worked basic brioche rib, then practiced one by one the different increases in the book, then the decreases. I got an odd shaped piece of knitting but a rather fetching improvised design 🙂

My first brioche knitting…

This is the wrong or “dark” side ( A bit Star Wars there…)

I also used this sample to practice the Italian cast on and off

Cast on…

Cast off (or “bind of” if you’r reading this in the USA)

Each stitch is held forward from the work by a yarnover or “shawl” of yarn behind it – you can see the red shawls behind the white stitches here in a close up…

It looks like this but the colours reversed on the other side!

I’ve just done my first pattern swatch done using a chart and learning the symbols. This is an easy one but I’m really chuffed I’ve got this far 😀

The S-Twist Brioche

And the back view..

different on the back but still attractive…

I think I’m about 5 years from managing the Glen Scarf Judy sent me…we shall see…I love a challenge!