f712 cannoli and encore mega

Brioche stitch (aka Fisherman’s Rib) is a fluffy, thick rib. The concept is simple- yarn over strands are worked together with stitches to create an extra luscious, reversible knit fabric. It is like normal ribbing with a bonus!

When I first tried brioche years ago, I was trying to help out a friend that had started what looked like a simple 1×1 rib scarf. She ended up having to be in the hospital for a couple days, so I wanted to surprise her/cheer her up since I knew she didn’t really like the project she was working on. I thought I knew what she was doing. A couple rows of working plain k1, p1 stitch found me befuddled and confused. Why was her ribbing so full and scarf wider? I hastily ripped out my rows. When I arrived at the last row she worked, a giant question mark might as well have been above my head! There were extra strands of yarn and yarn overs every other stitch. Well, fast forward to now and I am happy to tell you brioche is not only easy but addictive!

There are two steps that tend to get knitters hung up about brioche- how to start and how to end.

I’ve made a video featuring a simple cowl design with brioche stitch in the round. Because I am using two different yarns/colors in the cowl, it is a lot easier to see what you are doing. The yarns are very thick and create a project with a short turn around time. Encore Mega is the solid color, and Cannoli (NEW this year!) is the multi. The combination of the two yarns also creates a reversible project- one side shows Encore Mega more dominantly while the other side shows Cannoli as the lead.

Perhaps you will try your hand at this magnificent and misunderstood stitch? Here is the pdf. Enjoy the video!