2022 YEAR LONG KNIT-A-LONG:

MASTERING BRIOCHE!

This year we are doing a deep-dive into one of our most-requested class topics: BRIOCHE! More than just a delicious variety of bread, brioche stitches create a luxurious, squishy fabric with lots of opportunity for design and colorplay. We will begin our journey learning the basics by making swatches, then work our way through two patterns:

Vintage Prim by Andrea Mowry is a reversible, slouchy hat which utilizes increases and decreases in the brioche fabric to form what looks like classic staghorn cables. The hat is knit in two colors of fingering weight yarn.

Broadleaf by Wool & Pine is a cozy, easy-to-wear sweater with lots of positive ease, a boatneck, and dropped sleeves. Using two colors of fingering weight yarn (one of which is paired with a mohair/silk or suri alpaca/silk lace weight), the sweater is knit flat in two pieces which are seamed together at the sides and shoulders, with sleeves picked up and knitted in the round. There are some customization options in the pattern as well!

Skills you will learn:

• Brioche stitch: one color flat, two color flat, two color in the round, increases & decreases, fixing mistakes, inserting lifelines

• Chart reading

• Sweater sizing & calculating positive ease

• Swatching & calculating gauge

• Blocking

• Seaming (vertically & horizontally)

Skills you need to have already

• Cast on & bind off

• Knit & purl

• Yarn overs

• Reading a pattern

• Knitting in the round

• Basic ability to “read” stitches (ie, tell the difference between stockinette and garter stitch)

• Desire to learn & add new skills to your “knitter’s toolbox”

NEW FORMAT FOR 2022!

Our 2022 Yearlong KAL consists of a series of support sessions, designed to walk you through the patterns in manageable chunks over the year, without completely monopolizing your crafting time! This year our support sessions will be recorded and hosted on Teachable. You will be able to watch these videos as many times as you like, at your own pace! A week after each support session video becomes available to watch we will host a live Q&A where Erin will answer any questions you may still have. (Q&A sessions can be attended in-person at the shop or virtually via Zoom.) Participants will receive exclusive email newsletters at least once a month with KAL information & reminders, additional tips & links to helpful videos, and fun extras!

Participants will also need to purchase the two patterns separately via Ravelry.

Other supplies needed:

• US 4 needles

• For hat - 16” circular + preferred smaller diameter method (DPNs, magic loop, etc)

• For sweater - 24” or 32” circular

• US 5 needles

• Smaller diameter preference for knitting sleeves (DPNs, magic loop, 12” circular, etc)

• Stitch markers

• Darning needle

• Thin, smooth yarn for lifelines

• Worsted weight yarn in two high contrast colors for making swatches (leftovers are great)

• US 7 or 8 needles for swatches (DPNs or 16"-24" circulars)
  

TIMELINE

January 

Jan 4-29 -- Sign ups open

Jan 4-15 -- Kits available for preorder

February

Feb 25 -- Email Newsletter Issue 1/videos (basic swatches: one color and two color flat, fixing mistakes)

March

Mar 6 -- Live Q&A Session

Mar 11 -- Email Newsletter Issue 2/videos (cast on hat, work brim, inserting lifelines)

Mar 20 -- Live Q&A Session

April

Apr 1 -- Email Newsletter Issue 3/videos (begin chart/chart reading, increases & decreases)

Apr 9 -- Live Q&A Session

Apr 22 -- Email Newsletter Issue 4/videos (finish hat, blocking)

May

May 1 -- Live Q&A Session

May 27 -- Email Newsletter Issue 5/videos (sweater sizing & swatching)

June

Jun 5 -- Live Q&A Session

Jun 10 -- Email Newsletter Issue 6/videos (cast on sweater front, brioche patterning, managing mohair)

Jun 19 -- Live Q&A Session

July

Jul 8 -- Check in email newsletter (continue knitting sweater front)

August

Aug 19 -- Email Newsletter Issue 7/videos (finish & bind off sweater front, blocking front, cast on sweater back, alternate back option)

Aug 28 -- Live Q&A Session

September

Sep 16 -- Check in email newsletter (continue knitting sweater back)

Sep 18 -- Social KAL gathering/sit & stitch via Zoom

October

Oct 7 -- Email Newsletter Issue 8/videos (seaming)

Oct 16 -- Live Q&A Session

Oct 21 -- Email Newsletter Issue 9/videos (picking up sleeve stitches, sleeve knitting tips)

Oct 30 -- Live Q&A Session

November

Nov 18 -- Check in email newsletter (continue knitting sleeves)

Nov 20 -- Social KAL gathering/sit & stitch via Zoom

December

Dec 2 - Email Newsletter Issue 10/videos (blocking sleeves, finishing sweater)

Dec 11 -- Live Q&A Session

We will have a celebration fashion show in January 2023!