
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!