About Brioche Knitting

Brioche knitting looks pretty tricky, but it’s not – once you get the hang of it!  I found it helps to have the big picture in mind to keep track of everything that’s going on.

And if I could describe what’s going on in one word, it would be ALTERNATING.

Stitches are alternated to create a very ‘squishy’ ribbing.
Colors are alternated at the same time, showing the knits in one color and the purls in another.
You work every other stitch, alternating with a sl1/yo on the stitches that aren’t worked.
It’s worked by alternating colors each row.
And if you’re working back and forth, you’ll be alternating the knit and purl for each color.

Don’t worry about keeping all that in your head, though!   To show you what that looks like in practice, take a look at this video.  If you haven’t already, also check out our Setup Row tutorial to get you started.

Other useful tips:
– Brioche knit is abbreviated with ‘brk.’  You’ll knit the stitch together with the yarn-over that crosses it.
– Brioche purl is abbreviated with ‘brp.’  You’re going to purl the stitch together with the yarn-over that crosses it.
So if you hear a knitter referring to ‘barks’ and ‘burps’ this is probably what they’re talking about (and not their puppy, but that’s always possible too!)
– Sl/yo or sl1/yo means that you’re going to slip a stitch and at the same time, complete a yarn-over which crosses the slipped stitch.  Be sure to bring your yarn forward to start.