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Thursday, December 15, 2005

Two Color Brioche Stitch Scarf Pattern

I have had tons of hits for this scarf, which I first found here. I got the pattern from Borealis Yarns. When I had a request for the pattern I got their permission to post the pattern. If you have access to it, you might want to check out the article in Spring 2005 Interweave Knits on Brioche Stitch. It helped me understand the pattern.

Two Color Brioche Stitch Scarf

This pattern is Copywrited by Borealis Yarns in St. Paul, Minnesota. This pattern was written by Abby. If you live in the Twin Cities area, please check out the store. It has a very good selection of yarn, and excellent service. I have permission to post this. If you put this on your own blog or website, please give credit to Borealis Yarns. Also, a link to my blog would be very nice, especially if you include the tips, the pictures are mine, ask before taking. If anyone finds any mistakes, please let me know. Thanks!

Edit: I forgot to add the finished dimensions of the scarf. Mine ended up being 3 inches wide and 5 1/2 feet long. If I make this scarf again I think I will cast on more stitches.

Materials:

1 Skein Noro Silk Garden (50 gr)/Yarn #1
1 Skein Mandalay Silk (50 gr)/Yarn #2
Size 9 circulars or double points - try a needle one or two sizes up from the recommended needle size for the yarn.

Abbreviations:

k1- knit one
yf - bring the yarn forward between your needles as IF you were going to purl
sl 1 - sip one as if to purl
yo before a knit stitch - lay the yarn over the top of your right needle. Make the stitch from this position
yo before a purl stitch - lay the yarn over the top of your right needle and bring it between your needles to the front. Make the next stitch from this position
k2tog - knit two together
p2tog - purl two together

Important tip: You always change yarn EVERY ROW

Pattern:

Using Silk Garden/Yarn #1 - LOOSELY cast on 15 stitches
DO NOT TURN WORK - Push the work to the right tip of your needle.
Using Mandalay/Yarn #2 - k1 *yf, sl 1, yo, k1*
TURN WORK

Row 1 Silk Garden/Yarn #1 - k1, p2tog *sl 1, yo p2tog* until 1 stitch remains, end k1
DO NOT TURN WORK - Push the work to the right tip of your needle
Row 2 Mandalay/Yarn #2 - k1 *yf, sl, yo k2tog* until 2 stitches remain, yf, sl 1, yo, k1
TURN WORK

Row 3 Silk Garden/Yarn #1 - k1, k2tog *yf, sl, yo k2tog* until 1 stitch remains, end k1
DO NOT TURN WORK - Push the work to the right tip of your needle
Row 4 Mandalay/Yarn #2 - k1 *yf, sl, yo p2tog* until 2 stitches remain, sl 1, yo, k1

Repeat rows 1-4 until desired length, ending with row 4
Using Silk Garden/Yarn #1 bind off as follows:
k1, *k1, pass the 1st stitch over the 2nd, k2tog, pass the 1st stitch over the 2nd.*

Tips from me:

I would suggest you follow the pattern very closely for a few inches, at least until you get the yo pattern down. What helped me not have to rely on the pattern was this little trick, I've included pictures to help a little bit.

When this side is facing you, you can see the knit stitches made by the Mandalay(black)/Yarn #2. It helps to remember that you ALWAYS start with the Silk Garden/Yarn #1, and you don't turn your work until both yarns are on the same side of the scarf. The only other thing is that when this side of the work is facing you, you purl with the Silk Garden/Yarn #1 and knit with the Mandalay/Yarn #2. This is Rows 1 and 2.

black

Now, with this side facing you, you can see the rows of knit stitches made by the Silk Garden (Purple)/Yarn #1. When this side of the work is facing you, you knit with the Silk Garden/Yarn #1 and purl with the Mandalay/Yarn #2. This is Rows 3 and 4.

purple

If you use the same yarn I did, I had a little of the Silk Garden left over, so when deciding which end of the ball to work from (center or outside), pick the end with the color you like best. Also, if you are doing this pattern for the first time, choose two yarns that have high contrast, it makes it much easier to do. Be careful while knitting this, because I found it hard to correct a mistake. But you may have an easier time than I did!

If anyone has any questions please feel free to ask, but leave your e-mail address so I can respond to you!

20 comments:

  1. Thanks for posting this. Now, one quesiton. What length is the finished scarf? How wide is it?

    ReplyDelete
  2. thanks for this post. I just could not ever get the Interweave Knits two-color brioche instructions to work. I was getting frusted. But then I tried yours, and voila! It worked like a charm.

    ReplyDelete
  3. I was checking out a pic from Weekend Knitting by Melanie Falick and wanted to know how to do the two colour brioche stitch without buying the whole book ... so thanx for the know how!

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  4. This is so cool!!
    Question: can you do this if you're a Continental knitter? Or do you have to use the throw method?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous1:58 PM

      I'm a continental knitter and it worked just fine for me.

      Delete
  5. Anonymous10:20 PM

    HELP!

    Your pattern looks really great, but I am really confused.

    You describe the following:

    yo before a knit stitch - lay the yarn over the top of your right needle. Make the stitch from this position

    yo before a purl stitch - lay the yarn over the top of your right needle and bring it between your needles to the front. Make the next stitch from this position.

    I tried out the pattern and had a tough day. Are these standard YO's? How is this different than bringing the yarn btn the needles to switch position for knitting or purling? I'm not sure how you simply 'lay the yarn over the top of the needle' or where it goes.

    I also can't figure out which direction you're winding for these funky YO's; is it clockwise for K, counterclockwise for P?

    ????
    thanks for anything you can clarify!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Anonymous3:35 PM

    I would like to make a wider version of this scarf. I'm having trouble figuring out how much to cast on. Will any odd number of stitches work? Or does it need to be a multiple of 3? And also odd?

    thanks, Irene

    ReplyDelete
  7. Anonymous10:14 AM

    I have been so bad at answering questions. Sorry! Irene, it has been so long that I'm not sure how to widen the scarf, but you might try casting on a multiple of two plus three more stitches. Let me know if that works. Thanks!
    Rebecca

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  8. Help!!

    I know the pattern is the best one I've found online, I am hoping to really get to do this scarf... I am having trouble with the first row though... are the *'s placed correctly?? because after the first "sl 1" the next one is the "yo" part of the previous row and it is really loose is that right? and also I only get one color loops on my work is that also right?

    Thanks,
    Alex

    ps. Rebecca I read somewhere that the pattern has to be a multiple of 2 plus 1 I hope it helps

    ReplyDelete
  9. some clarifications for beginners (like me).

    it took me a little while to get this right . . . i'm a beginner, and with the help of the youtube video i learned that yo on the knit side really means "don't do anything" - just knit with the yarn in front as if to purl, and it's already in this position because you brought the yarn front before slipping a stitch. for purling, you wrap the yarn around the right needle before doing the stitch.

    rows 2 and 4 - with two stitches remaining . . . 'sl, yo, k1' - is really 'sl, and then knit last stitch with yarn in front (i.e. don't do anything, just knit the stitch)'. getting this right was the key to making it all work (as a beginner, i thought 'yo' would mean - if yarn is in front, move to back, etc., but no - just knit but with yarn in front (it creates an extra stitch, so kind of key). yb means yarn back, obvi.

    45 stitches makes a nice wide scarf.

    hints: if the yarns are together at the end of the row, you will start with yarn #1, if they are at opposite ends, you do not turn and start with yarn #2.

    stitches alternate single and double . . . if the single stitch is cleanly part of the purl ridge being formed on side facing you, you will be purling; if the single stitch is part of the ridge on the side facing away, you will be knitting (it's easy to forget where you are); essentially knitting two rows, and then purling two rows (alternating colors).

    fun and beautiful.

    (unknitting isn't that difficult, but for a beginner like me - painstaking . . . so slow and steady).

    ReplyDelete
  10. Anonymous10:42 AM

    Thanks Ale the multiple of 2 plus 1 tip worked beautifully. I have one question is there someway to make the edges look a little better? They seem kinda ragged and ugly to me but I'm not sure if that's how they're supposed to be or if it's because I need more practice.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous2:01 PM

      you could slip the first stitch of each row.

      Delete
  11. Giselle11:20 AM

    Your pattern was the ONLY brioche knit stitch pattern that I could follow. Everything else was so confusing. Thanks for helping me learn the brioche stitch. I love it!

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  12. Oh, thank you so much. I like it but i only knew how to knit it circle. I did not think it is so simple. Thank you for share :)

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  13. Anonymous6:36 PM

    To make the edges smoother, don't knit the last stitch; just slip it, then pick it up as the knit1 on the next row. I do this on all scarves because it makes the edges so much smoother, neater, and cleaner looking.

    ReplyDelete
  14. Hello, just like some of the earlier comments here, this was the only 2 color brioche stitch pattern i understood and was able to make a sample..thank you so much for sharing the pattern.
    More practice and would love to make maybe a scarf for a start and also looking at making a hat in the round too....again thank you so much..Monika

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  15. Anonymous3:10 PM

    Hello, I'm starting to make this pattern of yours it's very pretty, I wondering what the difference is between, sl, and sl 1? do they both mean slip 1 ?
    Best Regards

    ReplyDelete
  16. Hi all...i find placing a lifeline at the end of completed row 4 very helpful...correcting mistakes in brioche stitch in 2 color is difficult. I had to frog a few rows.

    Lifeline can be placed after the repeats (row4) at any stage of pattern.

    Please look at this utube video to see how it is placed, start to finish and also how to place stitches back onto the needle.

    This way no need to fix mistakes just frog to the lifeline.

    Hope this helps.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0MVX3vljypw

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  17. Lilli D4:47 PM

    The multiple for the brioche stitch in any form is a multiple of 2 + 1.

    ReplyDelete
  18. Anonymous7:50 PM

    THANK YOU FOR THE PATTERN. I LOVE IT BUT HOW DO I BIND OFF IN COLOR?
    MARY K.
    mflowers5@wi.rr.com

    ReplyDelete