I'm working on a knitting project that uses brioche stitch. Well, one of the brioche stitches, actually. There are several, which is part of what makes it so complicated to try to research and learn about brioche.
Brioche is also one of those things that doesn't really "work" until you have knit many rows. At least 4 or 5. Until then, all you have on your needles is a big frothy mess, and you're convinced that you have been doing it wrong. (And sometimes, you have! It's easy to lose your place at first, and almost impossible to rip back and fix a problem once you have started.)
Brioche stitch looks nice, and it's non-curling, and you can create some amazing striped color effects. But it can also be a little awkward to work. It is extremely warm, due to creating a double-thick fabric. However, the flip side to that quality is that it also eats up a lot of yarn. Between 1.5 and 2 times as much yarn as it would take to knit the same item in stockinette, according to my rough estimation.
The kind of brioche stitch which the Miri cowl uses is simple, although a little weird the first few times you do it. You knit into the stitch below the one on the left needle. Just poke the needle in there, pull the loop through, and then drop both stitches off the left needle. By going through the stitch below, you will automatically be picking up the stitch above, so it won't run. (Although I tested this before I started knitting, because I was afraid!)
Nancy Marchand is the undisputed champion of brioche stitch. She mainly uses the other style of brioche, which involves slipping stitches. She has a bunch of great patterns available if you want to try your hand at this unusual technique.
Image courtesy Flickr/Drew and Didi
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