This week I worked almost exclusively on my new brioche project.  I did get one of my goals completed from last week’s WIP weekly update.  I completed the back of the blue sweater I’m working on, so now I can move on to finishing the front and working on the lace pattern.  But that will have to wait until I finish my new brioche project though, because I am brioche obsessed!

I had an “Ah-ha” week when it came to working on my new brioche scarf.  First, when I figured out how to do the Italian cast-on and then again when I figured out how brioche works.

Brioche takes a little while to figure out, but once you “get it”, it’s a fun stitch/technique.  And once you have the Ah-ha moment where you figure out how brioche works, brioche is straight forward.

I’m taking an online class with Nancy Marchant and I am so glad that I decided to do this.  Brioche is very unique and if I had started to work the pattern without learning the rules of brioche, I’m sure that I would have messed up.  It’s not that brioche is hard, it just takes some practice.  Brioche is a process of working with yarn-overs and slip stitches to create the pattern and a cushiony fabric that looks good on both sides.

The challenge with brioche is understanding how the yarn-overs are paired with a knit stitch.  These 2 strands are always worked together to create a brioche-knit stitch.  In the sample that I created I was able to figure this out pretty quickly, but the pattern for the brioche scarf includes increases and decreases.  This was like throwing the proverbial wrench in the knitting when I started the scarf.  One wrong move on the increase and it was back to the beginning.  So my first night of working on the scarf ended with me starting over 3 times.  At 1am I forced myself to go to bed, knowing that persistence doesn’t always work with knitting.

My 2nd day of working on the scarf pattern was the “ah-ha” moment that I needed.  I finally figured out the increases and decreases and got into the rhythm of brioche.  Once you get this form of knitting down, it really is a lot of fun.  I love the design and shape of this pattern.

I can’t wait to finish this scarf and to move onto the 2 color brioche scarf that is the next project in this class.  You can see Nancy’s finished scarf here!

Have a great week of knitting!