Brioche Knitting Pictures

I’ve been making swatches to get ready for our Brioche Knit-A-Long and I have to say that I am completely addicted to this kind of knitting!!  It took a few swatches to get the hang of it, but I finally decided to try my hand at the hat and I love the results!!

Isn’t it great?!  That’s the hat we’ll be making in the knit-a-long.  So, stop by the shop for your copy of the brioche knitting book (and to see the hat and other samples of brioche knitting) and some yarn and join us the first week of February for some really addicting brioche-ing!

Brioche Knitting Pictures

I’ve been making swatches to get ready for our Brioche Knit-A-Long and I have to say that I am completely addicted to this kind of knitting!!  It took a few swatches to get the hang of it, but I finally decided to try my hand at the hat and I love the results!!

Isn’t it great?!  That’s the hat we’ll be making in the knit-a-long.  So, stop by the shop for your copy of the brioche knitting book and some yarn and join us the first week of February for some really addicting brioche-ing!

Technique Tuesday–Joining Yarn

Today’s technique is how to join a new ball of yarn of the same color.  When you finish with one ball of yarn, how do you start the next ball?  There are lots of different options, each with it’s pros and cons.

1. Drop the current yarn and start the new yarn.  In this case, you will leave a hole in the knitting that will need to be closed with the yarn ends when you weave in ends later.  Make sure that you leave long enough ends for the purpose.  I don’t use this technique often, mostly because there’s too much “clean-up” work to be done later.

2. Tie a knot. Some people tie a knot in the yarns and just move on.  This is definitely not my favorite.  You can’t always control whether or not the knot will show, and it can sometimes mess up the look of an otherwise lovely piece of knitting.

3. Knit together with both pieces of yarn for several stitches.  This is great for wool and is rarely visible.  You don’t need to worry much about weaving in ends in this case.  However, it is not as effective with more “slippery” yarns like cotton, acrylic, or other man-made fibers.  I have a sweater made of a cotton/Modal blend with an obvious join.  Yet, it’s practically invisible on wool.

4. Change only at the end of a row.  This is a variation of dropping the current yarn and starting the new yarn.  The stitches at the beginning of the row will be a little bit loose, but it’s not hard to tighten them as needed.  However, this is  only practical for items that are knit flat and are relatively small.

5. Twisting ends.  About five of six stitches before changing yarns, you start to twist the new yarn around the old yarn by weaving it over the working yarn for one stitch, then under the working yarn for one stitch, etc.  After you change yarns, you do the same thing but twisting the old yarn around the new yarn for five or six stitches.  This should make the join invisible and take care of ends.

Another time we’ll discuss how to join yarn of a different color.  In the meantime, happy knitting!!

Brioche Knit-A-Long

The Knitting Nest is starting our very first Knit-A-Long!!  And we’ll be learning brioche knitting together.

What is Brioche Knitting?

Brioche knitting is a type of knitting that forms a two layer, fluffy fabric. This kind of knitting can be used to make garments and accessories in single and multiple colors.

Do I need special materials to do brioche knitting?

No. All you need is knitting needles, yarn, stitch markers, and instructions.

Is brioche knitting hard?

You should know how to cast on, bind off, knit, purl, yarn over, increase, decrease, and knit in the round before you start learning to do brioche knitting. The techniques are not difficult, but they require patience and practice.

When will the Knit-A-Long start?

February 2, 2012

How much does the Knit-A-Long cost?

There is no charge for the Knit-A-Long, but we certainly appreciate it if you purchase any supplies that you need from The Knitting Nest.

What supplies do I need for the Knit-A-Long?

You will need the book Knitting Brioche by Nancy Marchant, some yarn to make swatches (can be some from your stash – doesn't need to be new), knitting needles for making swatches, and the materials to make the Krombroomssloot Snood on page 224 of the book (which we won't start right away). All materials can be purchased at The Knitting Nest.

How does the Knit-A-Long work?

You need to pick up a copy of the book before February 1. Every week, check Facebook, the blog, or the shop for that week's “assignment”. We are going to make swatches for the first few weeks to learn the concept of brioche knitting. Then we'll start the project, which is the snood. Each week, we'll get together on Stitch Night – Thursday night at 7pm – and share our progress and learn from each other. If you can't make it on Thursday night, then stop by the shop during the week, or share your progress on Facebook or the blog. Whatever works for you is fine!!

Recent Projects–December 20, 2011

Obviously, I can’t tell you about a couple of my knitting projects since the recipients might read this blog (although I’ve skimped this year on some family members since I’ve been knitting so much for the shop – I hope they understand).  However, I have made a few items that have turned out very nicely that I’d like to show off!

This is a purse made from Poems yarn using a Ravelry free pattern that I then felted.  I added an extra set of short rows since I knew it would shrink with felting.  When it shrunk, it became rather shallow, so I added a button and made a tab with I-cord so the contents wouldn’t fall out easily.

I recently acquired a Kindle, which I love, especially for keeping my knitting patterns without having to juggle paper all over the place!  To protect the screen, I made a Kindle cover, again using a free Ravelry pattern.

A friend is teaching my son to hunt deer with a bow.  As a thank-you, I made her a sweater for her dog, who apparently does not have as much hair as a dog living in Wisconsin really needs.  I used a free pattern that I found on Ravelry, but did a fair amount of modification based on the measurements of the dog.  I don’t have pictures of the dog in the sweater yet, but I’ll get those as soon as I can!

My other did other current project is a hat and mitten set done in crochet.  Was learning to knit really as tedious as this crochet project is?  Well, I’ll get there eventually, I guess.

What are your current projects?  Anything exciting?  I’ll have some pictures after Christmas – I hope!

A Few Of My Favorite Things–The Ablet

The Ablet, AKA knitting abacus, is a bracelet and knitting counter all in one.  How cool is that?  You get to wear a beautiful piece of jewelry that helps you keep track of your knitting rows!  This is one of my new favorite knitting notions.  It’s pretty.  It’s useful.  How can you go wrong?!

The Ablet is made with 18 beads strung on two sets of ribbons side by side to make an abacus.  It works just like an abacus.  You slide the beads of the “ones column” after each row until you have done all nine beads.  Then, you move the “ones” beads back and slide the first “tens” bead down and repeat the process.

My Ablet is made with blue beads so it matches just about everything that I wear.  There are designs, though, with wooden beads, multicolor beads, and sparkly beads.  The beads are very easy to move and don’t require you to drop your needles.

One of these would make a great gift for a knitter.  Prices range from $18 – $35.  Stop by the Knitting Nest to check them out!

And Then The Magic Happens . . .

By Patrick Martin

A few weeks ago, I made the models for our sock knitting class.  As I was working on the heels of  the sock and watching the tube I was knitting take a 90 degree turn, I had a very clear picture in my head.  It was a picture of Linda, one of our teachers, telling some clients, “… and that’s when the magic happens!”  I don’t remember exactly what she was referring to when I heard her say it, but for me, turning a heel is like magic.  I just blindly follow the instructions and the whole tube makes a right angle turn: MAGIC!!  But then I started thinking about how my wife wrote the pattern for these socks.  The heel turning thing is not so magic to her anymore.  She completely understands it and can even write it down stitch by stitch.  But I remember the first time she turned a heel.  She was giddy!  It was magic!  That’s why she wants to learn to knit Brioche now.  Not so much because she wants a challenge, but because she wants to experience the magic again.

So, what is it that makes the magic happen for you?  When we first start knitting, finishing two rows with the same number of stitches we started with could be magical.  Or maybe you’ve just learned that “knit one purl two” is more than a silly saying and you are watching ribbing appear!  That’s the fun of learning a new skill.  When  your hard work starts to pay off and you see the fruits of your labor, it’s like magic.  And, after a while, when that skill becomes a little easy and you start to understand why it works, you need to look for the magic again.  So, go find yourself something new to learn.  Make some magic happen.  And if you think you don’t have time, ask yourself if any of the things that you are spending your time on now are making magic.  If not, maybe you could change your priorities a little and learn something new!

Patrick Martin