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Pin: Two-Colour Brioche Knitting in the Round.

Two-Colour Brioche in the Round

Create vertical stripes and other intricate designs with this lush stitch.


Brioche knitting creates a lush and squishy fabric, created by working every round twice for deep ribs. When using two colours, you can create vertical stripes or other designs for stunning effect. Designer Nancy Marchant (www.briochestitch.com) has done extensive research on brioche knitting and taken the artform to a whole new level, and we in the the knitting community are all deeply in her debt.


My designs only tackle some very basic stitches for two-colour brioche knitting in the round (so far), but there’s lots more you can do with brioche, so do check out Nancy’s work if this piques your interest. Below, I’ve included links to the two cast on types you will need for two-colour brioche knitting, as well as an excellent tutorial video for the basics of two-colour brioche knitting the round.


Happy brioching!

Video Tutorial

How to Do It

Basic Principle:



You’ll be working each colour separately as you go around a circular project twice to complete one round.

Brioche Basics

With brioche, you’ll be working every round twice: first the background colour, then the foreground colour.


In my designs, I use the labels Dark Colour, or DC (which is usually in the background) and Light Colour, or LC (which is usually the foreground colour).


You can use any contrast level or orientation you wish, just remember which label applies to which colour you chose. (The reason I don’t simply use Background Colour and Foreground Colour is that the two colours can switch within a single design.)


The yarn-overs you see on the non-working needle are in the last colour you worked. In other words, looking at the round you just did, you will see one stitch, then a slipped stitch of the other colour with a yarn over of the same colour as the previous stitch. This is the colour you worked last on that needle.


To prevent your yarns from getting tangled, move the yarn end for the colour worked first in the round forward and leave it hanging down the front of your work as you work the other colour. This will also keep the last yarn over on the final stitch of the round tight while you knit it with the other colour.

A Starter Brioche Stitch Glossary

Note that I use slightly different abbreviations than some designers, as I find the hyphens in the middle of long abbreviations make them easier to read.

Brk (brioche knit) stitch in progress.

brk (bark, or brioche knit): knit the stitch that was slipped in the previous row together with its yarn over


Image description: Brioche knit (brk) stitch in progress. The working needle has pulled the Dark Colour yarn knitwise through both yarns of the first stitch on the non-working needle.

brk2tog (brioche knit two stitches together): knit the slipped stitch and its yarn over together as one with the stitch beside it


brk-yo-brk (brioche knit, yarn over, brioche knit): brioche knit into the front loop of the stitch, but do not slip off needle. Yarn over front to back, then brioche knit into the back loop of the same stitch, letting stitch drop off left needle.


brM1L (brioche make one left-slanting): pick up the bar (both coloured strands between stitches) and placing on the needle with the left leg at the front. Knit into the left leg.


brM1R (brioche make one right-slanting): pick up the bar (both coloured strands between stitches) and placing on the needle with the right leg at the front. Knit into the left leg.

Brp (brioche purl) stitch in progress.

brp (burp, or brioche purl): purl the stitch that was slipped in the previous row together with its yarn over


Image description: Brioche purl (brp) stitch in progress. The working needle has pulled the Light Colour yarn purlwise through both yarns in the first stitch on the non-working needle.

brssk (brioche slip, slip, knit): slip two stitches one at a time knitwise, including any yarn overs, insert left needle back through slipped stitches from left and use right needle to knit them


brsssk (brioche slip, slip, slip, knit): as for brssk, except slip three stitches

Slip 1, yarn over, yarn to front.

sl1-yof (slip one, yarn over, yarn to front): with working yarn in front, slip the next stitch purlwise, then bring the yarn over the needle (and over the slipped stitch), then back to the front under the needle, into position to purl the following stitch. This combined purl and yarn over is considered to be one stitch.


Image description: Slip 1, yarn over, yarn to front (sl1-yof) stitch in progress, showing the working yarn in the Light Colour coming up in front of the needle to create a yarn-over over the Dark Colour stitch on the non-working needle. The working needle is inserted purlwise through the stitch.

"Burped" stitch showing a slipped stitch with yarn over.

A brioche purl stitch, and a completed sl1-yof (slipped stitch, yarn over, yarn in front) on the working needle. The burped stitch has only one colour (the Light Colour), and the sl1-yof stitch has the Light Colour as a yarn-over over the Dark Colour, which was slipped from the previous round.

yf-sl1-yo (yarn forward, slip one, yarn over): Bring the working yarn under the needle to the front of the work, slip the next stitch purlwise, then bring the yarn over the needle (and over the slipped stitch) to the back, in position to work the following stitch. This combined slipped stitch and yarn over is considered to be one stitch.


Note: Yf-sl1-yo looks very similar to sl1-yof, except it is coming from a brk stitch instead of a brp stitch.

Revolution Toque
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Learn Brioche Stitch with this simple knit cap!


Inspired by the Liberty Caps of the French Revolution, this striking toque would look amazing with many colour combinations. It can be worn inside-out or outside-in to make black or red (or your two colour choices) the more predominant colour. This simple ribbed watchman’s cap design is the perfect way to start knitting brioche. You never know—it just might start you on a knitting revolution!


Worked from the brim up in the round. All needed brioche stitches are explained in the pattern.


PROJECT LEVEL: Intermediate

Digital download includes:

  • PDF (standard) - best for printing or for sighted knitters

See “Accessibility” for more information about file types.


About Collection

Revolution Collection

Start a knitting revolution with these starter two-colour brioche-knitting projects. Learn the basics of knitting this lush, striking stitch with projects that teach you how to knit two-colour brioche in the round.


Patterns include a wide range of sizes and have full tutorial support.


About Design

Construction

Hat is worked in the round from the bottom up.


Variants

  • Matching-Colour Brim
  • Inverse-Colour Brim
  • Brimless

Sizes

Measurements given are head circumference, not garment dimensions. Age ranges are approximate. This garment has slight negative ease.

  1. EXTRA SMALL (Infant / Toddler): 15 inches to 18 inches (or 38 to 46 cm)
  2. SMALL (Child): 17 inches to 20 inches (or 43 to 51 cm)
  3. MEDIUM (Youth): 18 inches to 22 inches (or 46 to 56 cm)
  4. LARGE (Adult Small): 20 inches to 24 inches (or 51 to 61 cm)
  5. EXTRA LARGE (Adult Large): 22+ inches (or 56+ cm)

Supplies

Yarn

1 ball each of two contrasting colours of worsted-weight yarn with 100.6 metres in 50 grams (or 110 yards in 1.76 ounces) of a natural fibre yarn. (100% synthetic fibres not recommended for brioche stitch. Wool or alpaca is best.)


Needles

3.5 mm (US 4) eight-inch (twenty-centimetre) double-pointed needles OR two short (approximately 16 to 29 inches or 40 to 72.5 cm) circular needles OR one long (approximately 42 inches or 105 cm) circular needle for use with Magic Loop Method OR SIZE NEEDED TO OBTAIN GAUGE.


Notions

  • Yarn needle
  • Stitch markers

Gauge

24 stitches and 36 rows = 4 inches (10 cm) over normal stockinette stitch knit flat OR


18 stitches and 32 rows = 4 inches (10 cm) over brioche stockinette stitch in the round.


About Samples

Red and Black Matching Brim (Older Boy):

Knit Picks Swish Worsted, a plied 100% Superwash Merino worsted-weight yarn with 100.6 metres in 50 grams (or 110 yards in 1.76 ounces) that knits up to 18 to 20 stitches in four inches (or ten centimetres) with size 4.0 to 5.5 mm (US 6 to 9) needles over stockinette stitch knit flat.

  • Colourway: Serrano

Knit Picks Swish DK, a plied 100% Superwash Merino DK-weight yarn with 112.5 metres in 50 grams (or 123 yards in 1.76 ounces) that knits up to 22 stitches in four inches (or ten centimetres) with size 3.75 mm (US 5) needles over stockinette stitch knit flat.

  • Colourway: Coal
  • Size: 4 (Adult Small)

Red and Black Brimless (Younger Boy and Woman):

Knit Picks Swish Worsted

  • Colourways: Coal and Serrano
  • Size: 3 (Youth)

Green and Black:

Knit Picks Swish Worsted

  • Colourways: Black and Peapod
  • Size: 3 (Youth)

Techniques & Resources

Skills you will need:

  • Knit
  • Purl
  • Make a gauge swatch in stockinette stitch

All other required stitches are explained.


Techniques used:

The brioche stitches have definitions and photos showing what they look like.


Included resources:

  • A comprehensive list of links to online tutorials on my website for necessary skills. Tutorials are screen-reader accessible, with instructions relayed fully in text, and also include videos and downloadable photo tutorials.
  • Full glossary
  • Schematic
  • Instructions for alterations

Publishing Information

Release Date: 2012

Most recent revision: 2024

Publisher: My Secret Wish Publishing

Knitting pattern type: Multiple Design Options

Project type: Hat, Beanie, Toque

Page Count: 9

ISBN (Standard PDF): 978-1-989800-85-0


COPYRIGHT AND LICENSING NOTICE: This pattern is copyright My Secret Wish Publishing. Your purchase of this pattern gives you the right to use it for personal, non-profit use only. To license the pattern to use for profit, please e-mail me for permission. You do NOT have the right to print the pattern for other people (unless they reside in your household) or to transfer the digital file to any other person. This pattern may not be sold, copied, or distributed in any way.


Update History

December 2017:

  • Revised formatting of PDF to align with current template style.
  • Clarified language where necessary.

June 26, 2024:

  • Updated URLs for new store and social links.
  • Updated PDF to match current formatting style and allow use of bookmarked headers to navigate.
You will get a PDF (4MB) file
Talena Winters wears a textured scarf and smiles at the camera.

About My Secret Wish Knitting

Hi! I’m Talena Winters (a.k.a. the Yarn Mermaid).

I started My Secret Wish Knitting in 2010 to empower and delight knitting heroes like you who want to elevate your knitting and make magic with yarn. When I’m not concocting new yarn potion recipes, I’m creating story magic as a fantasy and romance author and fiction editor (at talenawinters.com). I live with my family and pets in the Peace Country of northern Alberta, Canada, where sweater weather lasts at least nine months a year and my closest neighbours are bears and wood nymphs.


This website is a labour of love by a team of one (me!). If you found value here, please support the effort by purchasing a pattern. If you want more knitting magic, check out my community events and newsletter in the Knitting Circle. We’d love to have you!