Level Up Your Brioche Knitting Skills: Beginner and Beyond

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Brioche knitting is a favorite technique of mine. I just love the soft, springy texture created by simply cushioning each stitch with a squishy yarnover. Plus, it’s the kind of stitch that gives me a lot of pleasure to knit. It’s challenging enough to keep my interest, delights me as it appears on my needles, and can showcase simple ribbing or complex charts, depending on the project.

Above: Unified Field Cowl by Joni Coniglio

I recently had the pleasure of teaching a friend of mine how to knit brioche. She had chosen a squishy twisted headband pattern without even realizing it was brioche stitch—and then found herself struggling to understand how the yarnovers paired with their mate stitches. We got it sorted out after a fun evening of practice; she ended up with a very cute headband, and I found myself thinking about other good projects for beginner brioche knitters.

Related: Learn the Structure of Brioche

Once you’ve learned the basics of brioche, choose a project that will challenge you but where you can still be successful. If you’d like to get brioche stitch comfortably under your needles, here are my pattern recommendations for single-color and two-color brioche (worked flat and in the round), more complex allover brioche textures, and brioche cables.

Single-Color Brioche Knitting Projects

Here’s your starting place: working one color at a time in basic brioche rib. Working in rows and working in the round each offer slightly different challenges for the beginner brioche-knitter, but these projects start you off slowly so you can get the basics down.

Caen Cowl

This long, looped cowl designed by Deborah Helmke is as simple as it gets; it’s worked flat in one color, with either a seam or a graft to join the two ends together. Along the selvedges of your Caen Cowl, add fringe for a fun boho look.

Mason Street Scarf

The Mason Street Scarf, designed by former Interweave Knits editor Meghan Babin, features row after row of basic brioche stitch, worked with two yarns held together. To change colors, simply work a few rows while holding two different colors together, rather than two of the same.

Bayeux Cowl

This cowl project will introduce you to working brioche in the round, as well as mixing up your stitches from the basic rib. The Bayeux Cowl, designed by Jennifer Mattesky, features an offset brickwork pattern, which adds lots of visual interest for very little extra effort.

Kittredge Wrapper

If you’re a knitter who likes to jump into new stitches with both feet, check out the Kittredge Wrapper by Quenna Lee. The brioche portion of this garment is mostly just a rectangle with very simple shaping (and is actually only worked in half-brioche, so it goes a little faster).

Two-Color Brioche Projects

Adding a second color to your brioche is truly no more difficult than working with one color—in fact, some people find that the second color makes it easier to keep your place! You end up with the loveliest reversible fabric, with a different dominant color on each side.

Isotopy Mitts

If you’d like to try a project with just a little bit of brioche, consider Moon Eldridge’s Isotopy Mitts. You’ll use two-color brioche worked in the round for the cuffs, then switch to stranded colorwork. Notice how Moon cleverly features a different dominant color on each mitt!

Frost Blush Beanie

The cozy, squishy Frost Blush Hat by Courtney Spainhower demonstrates how you can play with different yarns in two-color brioche. The pink yarn is a smooth highland wool, while the white yarn in between is a brushed suri. Try it out once you’re confident you can read your stitches through a bit of fluff!

Unified Field Cowl

This pattern is a wonderful introduction to two-colored brioche worked flat, and it happens to be available for free! Designer Joni Coniglio, our former Technical Editor, will walk you through creating a seamless join in your brioche in a helpful video series. Part 1 is available here, then move on to Part 2.

Brioche Textures and Variations

If you think that all brioche patterns are ribbed, let me introduce you to the world of brioche variations, which make use of paired yarnovers in overall textural patterns.

Related: Variations on Brioche Stitch

Sweet Honey Beret

For a small project that will get you comfortable with brioche texture, check out the adorable Sweet Honey Beret, designed by Faina Goberstein. The allover honeycomb brioche variation gives the fabric a lovely, structured drape, perfect for a beret.

Brioche Cables and Shaping

I’m obsessed with brioche cables, although I personally haven’t yet given them a try. These are the projects I’m eyeing—one in one-color and the other in two-color brioche.

Morning Coffee Cowl

This cushy cowl is worked flat in one-color brioche and joined with a graft. Jen Hurley’s Morning Coffee Cowl is a great intro to brioche cabling, as it features a straightforward twist that stays the same for the full length of the cowl.

Marbled Brioche Scarf

Make the most of the wonderful two-sided nature of brioche with the Marbled Brioche Scarf, designed by Moon Eldridge. While the effect is visually striking, all of the cables are worked the same direction and in parallel, so it’s easy to keep track of where you are and focus on the technique.

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I don’t know about you, but I’m definitely itching to cast on a brioche project that will test my skills. For me, that means brioche cables. But wherever you at in your brioche journey, the important thing is to be patient with yourself and take things one step at a time.

What brioche skill are you hoping to learn next? Let me know in the comments!

Yours in Stitches,
Andrea Lotz

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Learn Brioche Knitting Basics and Beyond