Big, Fluffy Brioche Cowl

brioche-cowl-1

Now that the holidays are over and my handmade gifts have been delivered I can start posting some more patterns.

Earlier this winter I became mildly obsessed with the brioche stitch. I found this lovely tutorial and pattern for a cowl and I came up with a simple headband/turban using the same stitch.

I took it one step further with this fluffy, scrumptious stitch and decided to make an oversized cowl using larger needles and a wider width. Not only is it super cozy, but you can stretch part of it over your head for a makeshift hood. You can wear it looped around your neck twice or have it hang loosely. It’s a versatile piece that happens to be trendy.

Big Fluffy Brioche Cowl

Materials:

  • 250 grams of heavy worsted yarn such as Lamb’s Pride (I used 2.5 skeins of Loops & Threads Wool to Wash)
  • Size  US 13 straight needles
  • Darning needle

Directions:

I highly recommend watching this video tutorial fromHandsOccupied.com as the brioche stitch is much easier to understand visually.

  1. Cast on 40 stitches.
  2. Foundation row: YO before you even start knitting (this is the strange part where it’s easier to understand visually), slip the first stitch purlwise, k1. Repeat YO, sl 1 pw, k1 till the end of the row.
  3. Row 2: *YO, slip 1 purlwise, knit the 2 criss-cross stitches together. Repeat * to end of row.
  4. Repeat row 2 until your work wraps around your neck twice. I didn’t measure the length. It’s really up to you. I used about 2.5 skeins of yarn that was 157 yards per skein.
  5. Bind off all stitches, treating the criss-crossed stitches as one stitch. I didn’t have any specific method to binding off. I just did what worked. Cut yarn leaving an 18-inch tail.
  6. Make one or two twists in your piece and then whip stitch the two ends together. Weave in any remaining tails.

brioche-cowl-2

*Alternative pattern*

If you find the brioche stitch too confusing you can simply cast on 60 stitches and knit 1, purl 1 rib across all rows until the piece is to your preferred length.

Natasha was born and raised in Anchorage. She has always had a passion for making useful things, whether they are knit, crocheted, sewn or randomly glued and assembled. She received her bachelor’s degree in French and journalism from the University of Alaska Anchorage and spent six fulfilling years working at Skinny Raven Sports. She is currently Program Associate at Spirit of Youth and also does voice over work around town. If you're awake at 3 a.m. and tune into KLEF 98.1 you might hear Natasha delivering public service announcements. She lives in Anchorage with her husband, Stephen, and young son, Jack.

alaskaknitnat.wordpress.com

 

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