Brioche is such a divisive technique.
Would you believe that I ran away from it for many years?
A few years ago I decided to tackle it head on, working my way slowly through different variations in the technique. By the time I finished, I had completely fallen in love with knitting brioche.
I loved the dense, squishy fabric. I loved the dramatic effect of increases and decreases. And I love wearing it! If you’ve been afraid of this technique, I hope the autumn seasons patterns will help you fall in love with it as well.
Tealach Hat
This hat is a great way to get started with two colour brioche. To start, you have two options for a brim. You can choose the Italian 2-colour cast on or a garter stitch brim. Each one has its own advantages and pitfalls to watch out for. Let’s take a look:
Italian Cast-on
If you begin with the 2-colour Italian cast on you will have a super stretchy edge that will allow both colours of brioche to flow all the way from the very edge into your hat. This creates a beautiful but stretchy edge. In fact, the edge it creates is SO stretchy, I recommend sizing down your hat size with this edging.
Tip: There is so much stretch in both the cast on and the brioche stitch that the same size hat will stretch to accommodate several sizes of head.
One of the big advantages of the folded brim is it will also help to anchor the hat on your head. Having it folded creates a snugger edge as you wear it and will help to prevent the hat sliding off your head.
This cast on has a tendency of twisting on your needle as you work. This means that the first two rows of brioche will require a lot of care and attention. For this reason if you are new to brioche knitting I would suggest getting started with the garter stitch hat brim. This will give you a nice base to work with that will allow you to really focus on learning the basics of two colour brioche.
Garter Stitch Brim
The garter stitch brim creates a firm edge to the hat. This will give you are more fitted edge, without the large amount of stretch that you get for the Italian cast-on. For this reason, you’ll want to stick to the suggested sizing in the pattern to make sure it will fit your head.
If you’re new to brioche, this cast on will give you the best possible start. You’ll join your knitting in the round with a nice firm base and they all you have to focus on is learning the basics of brioche!
Sound good? Let’s take a look at the crown of the hat next:
Crown
With brioche, one of the fun techniques is working decreases. This hat is no exception! The spiral decreases, create a wonderful pattern on the top of the hat. You’ll find all the tutorials you need for this inside your Seasons Club Workshop page in Teachable!
Tealach Hat Pattern Details
SIZES
Garter Brim Version: S (M, L)
To Fit Head Size up to: 20 (22, 24)” / 51 (56, 61) cm
Brioche Brim Version: S-M (M-L, L-XL)
To Fit Head Size up to: 22 (24, 26)” / 56 (61, 66) cm
FINISHED MEASUREMENTS
Garter Brim Circumference: 16 (17.75, 19.5)” / 40.5 (45, 49.5) cm
Brioche Brim Circumference: 18 (20, 22)” / 45.5 (51, 56) cm
Length: 9.75 (10.25, 10.5)” / 25 (26, 26.5) cm unfolded
YARN
Kremke Soul Wool ‘Babyalpaka’ (100% Baby Alpaca; 109 yds / 100 m per 1.76 oz / 50 g); colours: LC 1 (2, 2) skeins; DC 1 (1, 1) skeins
Subtle: LC: 10127 (Salmon Melange) DC: 10121 (Light Grey)
Seasonal: LC: 0178 (Burnt Orange) DC: 4718 (Burgundy)
Brights: LC: 8120 (Turquoise) DC: 10116 (Jeans)
Approximate Yardage: LC; 97 (113, 128) yds / 89 (104, 117) m, DC; 78 (95, 107) yds / 72 (87, 98) m
NEEDLES & NOTIONS
US size 4 / 3.5 mm needle, circ 16” / 40 cm long and/or 40” / 100 cm long for Magic Loop or dpns
For Garter Brim Version: US size 7 / 4.5 mm needle, circ 16” / 40 cm long and/or 40” / 100 cm long for Magic Loop or dpns
Always use a needle size that gives you the gauge listed, as every knitter’s gauge is unique.
Tapestry needle, 4 lockable stitch markers, biodegradable balloon for blocking.
GAUGE
16 sts & 23 rnds = 4″ / 10 cm in Brioche Stitch blocked (see pattern notes), unstretched with smaller needles
18 sts & 40 rnds = 4″ / 10 cm in Garter Stitch blocked, lightly stretched with larger needles
Are you ready for a challenge?
Tealach Cowl
This cowl will put you through your brioche paces.
You’ll start with one colour brioche worked flat with increases. Then you’ll move onto one colour worked in the round and then you’ll introduce a second colour. Finally, we’ll introduce a beautiful brioche stitch pattern that includes increases and decreases.
The stepped approach in the pattern allows you to master each different brioche technique type before moving onto the next one. By the time you finish, you’ll be ready to tackle almost any brioche project PLUS you’ll have a super squishy gorgeous cowl to wear!
Tealach Cowl Pattern Details
SIZES
One Size
FINISHED MEASUREMENTS
Circumference: 22” / 56 cm
Depth: 8.25″ / 21 cm
YARN
Kremke Soul Wool ‘BabyAlpaka’ (100% Baby Alpaca; 109 yds / 100 m per 1.76 oz / 50 g); colours: LC 1 skeins; DC 2 skeins
Subtle: LC: 10127 (Salmon Melange), DC: 10121 (Light Grey)
Seasonal: LC: 0178 (Burnt Orange), DC 4718 (Burgundy)
Brights: LC: 8120 (Turquoise), DC: 10116 (Jeans)
Approximate Yardage: DC; 144 yds / 132 m, LC; 84 yds / 77 m
NEEDLES & NOTIONS
US size 4 / 3.5 mm needle, circ 16” / 40 cm long, 40” / 100 cm long for Magic Loop
Always use a needle size that gives you the gauge listed, as every knitter’s gauge is unique.
Tapestry needle, 9 stitch markers, 1 lockable marker.
GAUGE
16 sts & 23 rnds = 4″ / 10 cm in Brioche Stitch blocked
20 sts & 44 rnds = 4″ / 10 cm in Garter Stitch blocked
Brioche Stitch Panel measures 3.5” / 9 cm
Join the Club
If these patterns have inspired you to come and join us, you can pop over here and find the digital version of our Seasons Knitting Club as a one off purchase.
You’ll get access to all the patterns, workshops and zoom lives from the Autumn Seasons Club 2023. This includes:
- Two brioche patterns, Tealach Hat and Cowl
- Step-by-Step Tutorial Videos
- Dedicated Comments/ Help Section
- Digital Recipe
- Zoom Launch Party (recorded)
- Exclusive Knithub forum access
Sound good? Just click here: