How To: Two Color Brioche, Knit Flat

How much fun was yesterdays post?! I know that one-color brioche is pretty straightforward once you get going but I was SO excited to share that with you! 

Today we're going a little further down the rabbit hole and delving into TWO COLOR brioche. Still knit flat, but we're going to introduce some new skills. 

But before we get any further, I want to take a moment to discuss some terminology which I TOTALLY didn't include in yesterdays blog. I was all caught up in recording the videos and putting them up on Youtube (all new skills learned yesterday) that I totally spaced. So lets talk about that briefly. 

First and foremost, brioche uses BRK (brioche knit, also referred to as "bark") and BRP (brioche purl, also referred to as "burp"). I love that as knitters we have our own language! In any case, you won't often see knit and purl stitches in brioche patterns, you'll see those two common directions replaced with brk and brp. 

Additionally, the stitch that it between the brk's and the brp's is the sl1yo (slip one stitch purlwise and yo). This is done with the yarn brought to the front of the working fabric and creates a duplicate stitch on every row. So now when you watch the videos you'll hopefully have a clearer sense of what I'm talking about. 

2-Color Brioche: What's Different?

Ummm... most of it! Much like yesterday, we will work a setup row using Color 1 (in the video I use "Lemon" in Ewe So Sporty from Ewe Ewe Yarns). Beyond that, things take a whole new turn. I was actually thinking about it this morning as I sat down to finalize todays video... two color bricohe, knit flat, is probably the most complex as far as remembering what comes next. 

So here's how the fabric is built, and then we'll move on over to the details of what's in the video and the video itself.

Two color brioche is actually worked 4 times "per row". I put that in quotes because when you've completed the 4 rows you actually end up with two completed rows of knitting but you can't do half of that. So all 2-color brioche, knit flat, is worked in multiples of two rows. 

  • Row 1 is the setup row. This won't be repeated again, it is only worked once. You'll knit this using color 1. Do not turn your work. Slide all the sts back to the right side of the needle to be worked again. 
  • Row 2 is also worked on the RS of the fabric so you'll need DPNs or a circular needle for this project. You'll knit this using color 2. This will be worked using BRPs not BRKs. Turn your work.
  • Row 3 is knit using color 1 and will be worked in BRPs. Do not turn your work. Slide all the sts back to the right side of the needle to be worked again.
  • Row 4 is knit using color 2 and will be worked in BRKs. Turn your work at the end of the row. 

So you can see that brioche knit flat using two colors is worked in multiples of 4. It's SO worth it though.

Let's get to that video!

Knit Along

What you'll need:

  • 2 DPNs in a US 6 (or a circular needle, your preference)
  • 2 colors of sport or DK weight yarn

Here's the written version of what I'm speaking about - I have a few minor errors that I'd like to point out. At one point I DO mention slipping a stitch knitwise... WRONG! It's purlwise. I have no script so I get a bit kerfuffled sometimes. And secondarily, when I'm at the end of row 4 I mention working the wrong side using color A at the beginning... I mean the RIGHT side. The written instructions below should clear that up. 

Cast on 20 sts. 

Row 1 (RS; setup row a, using Color 1): K1, *k1, sl1yo; rep from * to last st, k1.

Row 2 (RS; setup row b, using Color 2): K1, *sl1yo, brp; rep from * to last st, k1.

Row 3 (WS, using Color 1): K1, *sl1yo, brp; rep from * to last st, k1.

Row 4 (WS, using Color 2): K1, *brk, sl1yo; rep from * to last st, k1.

*** The video ends here - the remaining 4 rows I work off camera are worked thus:

Row 5 (RS, using Color 1): K1, *brk, sk1yo; rep from * to last st, k1.

Row 6 (RS, using Color 2): K1, *sl1yo, brp; rep from * to lsat st, k1.

Row 7 (WS, using Color 1): K1, *sl1yo, brp; rep from * to last st, k1.

Row 8 (WS, using Color 2): K1, *brk, sl1yo; rep from * to last st, k1.

If you have any questions or feedback, leave it here. I'm happy to answer any questions. 

Tomorrow we'll look at one-color brioche in the round!!! Prepare to have a TON of fun. Thanks for stopping by and happy brioche-ing!

Meaghan Schmaltz2015, brioche, tutorial, ewe ewe yarns9 Comments