Ask Patty: Brioche Best Practices

This month we have two connected emails. Even if you’ve never done Brioche, read on. The tips apply to all of our knitting.

Help Patty,

I love two-color Brioche. My problem comes when I have to put my work down without marking what row of the ribbing I’m on. I’m sure there are super easy ways to tell where I am, but somehow I end up with the wrong colors or knits over purls.

Bad at Brioche Becky

Dear Becky,

I refuse to call you Bad at Brioche Becky because you are probably great at Brioche, but you just need a bit of help.

Years ago, I tried to memorize Brioche and I would mess it up every time. I realized I can’t memorize anything in knitting, I need to see it.

Cracking the Code

I saw a documentary on the code breakers and one thing that they all talked about was searching for a common denominator. I figured my knitting is just a code of knits and purls.

I would do a row of Brioche, put it down, and write down what I saw. I’d do the next row and do the same. I cracked the code.

But before we get to the not-so-secret code, let’s look at the basics.

For purposes of this discussion, we’ll talk about our colors and our side as light color, light side and dark color, dark side.

Our light-color yarn is called LC, and our dark color yarn is called DC. We also have a light side of our work (RS), called LS. This is the side whose knit stitches are light color, and a dark side of our work (WS) called DS. This is the side whose knit stitches are dark color.

To create two-color Brioche, you work two passes on circular needles to create one row of fabric. One pass is working the knits in one color while slipping the purls with a yarn over. The next pass is working the purls in the other color while slipping the knits with a yarn over.

Code Cracked

Yeah, yeah, you’re thinking, “I understand what’s happening but how do I re-start when I stop?” Until we can create a world where everyone respects our knitting space, we must learn how to read our knitting.

My observations:

1) When the two colors are on the SAME side (left), you are ready to TURN to work with the LC

2) When the two colors are on DIFFERENT sides, you are ready to SLIDE to work the DC

3) Light color comes first. Just remember, night follows day.

4) The YO will always be a different color than the slipped stitch. You always know you are working into that doubled stitch with the SAME color as the stitch, not the YO.

Let’s try it.

You have finished working DC, DS and have TURNED your work to be ready to work LC, LS (light color, light side).

What sorcery is this? How did we know?

See observations #1 and #3. The colors are on the same side (right—so you’ve already turned). I know it’s time to work the light color.

See observation #4. The YO is a dark color, so I know it’s time to work the light color next.

You have finished working LC, LS  and you are ready to slide to work DC, LS.

See observations #2 and #3. The colors are on different sides, so I know I’m ready to slide. Night follows day so it’s time for the dark color.

See observation #4. The YO is a light color, so I know it’s time to work the dark color next.

You have finished working DC, LS and you are ready to turn to work LC, DS.

See observations #1 and #3. The colors are on the same side (left—you are ready to turn), so  it’s time to work the light color.

See observation #4. The YO is a dark color, so it’s time to work the light color next.

Remember, with any knitting skill, if you observe, you can crack the code. Now anyone can interrupt you and you won’t lose your place.

But really, they shouldn’t. Just leave us alone and let us knit.

Where last we left our heroes

Last month I had this query about alternating skeins and I promised I’d come back

Now that we know how to read our knitting for two-color Brioche, we can double the fun!

One thing that can help you with yarn management is to number the balls. Notice I have color A & B (1) and color A & B (2).

How you alternate two skeins of each yarn depends on if it’s all rib or if you are following a pattern that has shaping.

With all ribbing, it’s the same process as with one ball of each color, but you’ll repeat it:

Color A (1): Work light color, light side (SLIDE).

Color B (1): Work dark color, light side (SLIDE instead of turn).

Color A (2): Work light color, light side (SLIDE).

Color B (2): Work dark color, light side (SLIDE instead of turn).

Now you turn and do the same thing on the dark side.

Color A (1): Work light color, dark side (SLIDE).

Color B (1): Work dark color, dark side (SLIDE instead of turn).

Color A (2): Work light color, dark side (SLIDE).

Color B (2): Work dark color, dark side (SLIDE instead of turn).

A pattern with shaping will alternate between light side row (RS) and dark side row (WS) (rather than two light sides and two dark sides in ribbing). You’ll need to alternate balls another way:

Color A (1): Work light color, light side (SLIDE).

Color B (1): Work dark color, light side (TURN).

Color A (1): Work light color, dark side (SLIDE).

Color B (1): Work dark color, dark side (TURN).

Color A (2): Work light color, light side (SLIDE).

Color B (2): Work dark color, light side (TURN).

Color A (2): Work light color, dark side (SLIDE).

Color B (2): Work dark color, dark side (TURN).

For either method, you’ll want to be consistent about how you carry the yarn. I like to take my working yarn in front of the opposite color and behind the same color.

Here I’m back to working Color A (1) and I am bringing it in front of the two dark colors (B) and behind the other light color A.

All that being said, do you really need to do this? Brioche can hide color variations quite nicely so first swatch to see if you even want to bother.

Here’s a swatch with 6 rows of Brioche fabric with one dye lot and 6 with the other, without alternating. I can’t tell. Can you?

There’s nothing wrong with being a perfectionist, but there’s nothing wrong with realizing if you don’t point it out, nobody will ever know!

Patty

To learn more about Brioche, check out Patty’s deep dive video class Brioche Building Blocks.