We have a new shop sample.
Thora is knitted in WYS Retreat Twist Chunky,
It's an oversized v neck cardigan. Very cosy and casual.
Despite this project being very straightforward (and knitted by Sue!) I did go down a small rabbit hole re it's stitch pattern.
The pattern says it's knitted in brioche rib.
I'm not a prolific or proficient briocher so I didn't question what this meant until I read the instructions.
It's actually fisherman's rib. A garter stitch fisherman's rib.
I did know that brioche and fisherman's rib are considered to be similar. And with some research it appears they are actually the same just worked differently and with different tension implications.
The names of knitting stitches and techniques are not always consistent so it's worth double checking what it actually is rather than assuming.
I know some people would recoil in horror at the mention of brioche in a pattern! 😆
To satisfy my curiosity and give us all something to squish in the shop I made some simple swatches:
- brioche - brk
- fisherman's rib
- fisherman's rib garter stitch
All these swatches were knitted flat using one colour - WYS Retreat Chunky in shade 184. They have not been blocked.
I used a chunky yarn on 6mm but subsequent reading suggests using an even thinner needle for brioche to control all the squishiness.😆
Brioche - brk
This is the stitch pattern I think is most recognisable as brioche. It's a deep squishy rib with lots of stretch both length and width ways and it looks the same on both sides.
After knitting my brk swatch I can really appreciate the need for a stretchy cast on and cast off. The swatch is out of control stretchy.
Brioche uses slip stitches and Yarn Overs to create this extra stretch. These are then knitted together on the next row whilst working more slip stitches and Yarn Overs making a voluminous squishy fabric.
You can watch a good how to video by Purl Soho here.
They use their own abbreviations. This is one problem with brioche. Each designer has their own shorthand to make the same stitches.
Brioche can seem quite tricky and personally I've found some instructions to be overly complicated. I eventually completed two brioche projects after a couple of years of trying.
It was probably the combination of finding the right pattern that was written in a way that clicked with me plus the right time for me to understand it. So if you've tried brioche before and felt frustrated... don't give up! The right pattern is out there for you.
Fisherman's Rib
With fisherman's rib you knit alternate stitches into the stitch on the row below. Simply put your needle into the stitch below the stitch on the needle and knit it as usual. This makes fisherman's rib a more straightforward stitch pattern to work compared to brioche and is a good place for beginners to start.
It's also reversible like Brioche, so it would be great for a scarf or blanket although you might want to think about adding some kind of edge to contain it and stop it stretching out.
There's a good tutorial at Knitting Circle here.
Fisherman's rib is often mentioned as an easy dupe for Brioche and yes, it's almost identical.
The action of knitting into the row below then letting the stitch on the left needle fall off creates the YO and slip stitch that you make on purpose when working Brioche.
Therefore brioche can be taller and perhaps squishier than fisherman's rib. However everyone knits differently so you're knitting style may compensate for these differences.
This is a good in depth article on the differences between brioche and fisherman's rib.
The Thora cardigan has a different version of fisherman's rib. You only knit into the row below every alternate row and then knit every other row. The fabric is much flatter.
I do feel this sample would benefit from blocking to even out the stitches!
It does not look the same on the reverse.
This is it in Thora cardigan.
If you fancy making your own swatches to try out brioche and fisherman's rib you can download all the details here.
Or come squish them in the Pittenweem shop.
You can find out more about Thora here.
