brioche stitch in the round (two-colored)
So, there's been a lot of brioche stitch impinging on my awareness in the last couple weeks, and I'm in need of a quick knit, so I started one of those convertible hat/neck warmer thingies. In my own design, but that's mostly because I'm lazy.
I've got 2 videos and a bunch of pictures of working 2-color brioche stitch in the round, which means alternating one row of k2tog with a row of p2tog, along with all the yo and sl1. Actually, working 2-color brioche in the round is almost exactly the same as working single color brioche in the round. Only you get these neat vertical stripes instead of plain ribbing.
I set this up by provisionally casting on 64st in blue. Then I joined in the round and worked the first row (k1, yo, sl1) to the end. The next row, I joined the grey and worked the first row of pattern
r1: (yo, sl1, p2tog) to end (grey)
r2: (k2tog, yo, sl1) to end (blue)
repeat ad infinitum
Now, I knit Combined (ie, I wrap my purls in the opposite direction as folks who knit Continental or English). This doesn't matter at all because all the slipped stitches are slipped purlwise which adjusts the orienation to match. Working brioche in the round is as simple as working it flat.
To work in one color instead, simply omit the changing of yarn.
The ONE BIG DIFFERENCE when working 2 colors in the round (as opposed to a single color) is that when you get to the join, you need to make sure that the color just worked is not twisted with the next color to be worked. Clearly, this isn't an issue when working in a single color.
Basically, if you just finished a round in grey and you work the last stitch of the row, the two yarns will be crossed. Uncross them so the color just worked is above the old color, and hold it out of the way. Pick up the old color and start working the next row. Think of it this way, it's two parallel spirals of rows. If the yarn crosses, then the spirals are crossed at the join. It muddies up the join, causing irregularities and bits that stick out in funny ways. Don't do it. If the last stitches worked are a yo, sl1 pair, then just let the yarn hang out in front of the work. Just don't forget to work it together with the slipped stitch on the next row.
I've only tried one method of working 2-color brioche stitch flat, but it was essentially the same as this (other than the basic circular vs flat differences), only since you alternate sides of the work, you first work a row of blue (k), don't turn, work a row of grey (p). Turn and work a row of blue (p), don't turn, work a row of grey (k). Repeat. This means all the stitches in the row get worked before you turn the piece, not just those of one color.
Pictoral documentation:
Video 1 (Combined) Video 1 (English)- Working the end of the row and then transitioning to the beginning of a new row. In this case, going from a k2tog row to a p2tog row.
Video 2 (Combined) Video 2 (English)- Again, the transition at the end of the row. This time, going from a p2tog row to a k2tog row.
Transitioning. In this case, the last stitch of the row was a p2tog of the grey stitch with the blue yarn over. The yo isn't anchored on both ends because it was the last stitch on the previous row. Once the stitch is worked, the grey and the blue are crossed over one another. They need to be untwisted for the transition to be smooth and neat. Once they have been uncrossed, the grey gets held out of the way, the marker is slipped, and the next stitch to be worked is done in blue.
Since my knitwise rows are blue, and because I started it with a k2tog in blue, the first stitch after the marker on a blue row is a k2tog. The grey yo ends up dropping behind the stitch which is what permits the illusion that the stripes are vertical rather than horizontal.
A yarn over and slipping the next stitch. Because I wrap Combined, slipping purlwise reorients the stitch handily for the next row when it will be worked. Unless otherwise specified in a pattern, slipped stitches are always default to purlwise.
Then, on a grey row, p2tog (Combined). Again, the yo ends up moving to the back of the stitch.
And then the yo and sl1 of the blue stitch. Again, it's slipped purlwise, in this case to preserve rather than replace the orientation.
I've got 2 videos and a bunch of pictures of working 2-color brioche stitch in the round, which means alternating one row of k2tog with a row of p2tog, along with all the yo and sl1. Actually, working 2-color brioche in the round is almost exactly the same as working single color brioche in the round. Only you get these neat vertical stripes instead of plain ribbing.
I set this up by provisionally casting on 64st in blue. Then I joined in the round and worked the first row (k1, yo, sl1) to the end. The next row, I joined the grey and worked the first row of pattern
r1: (yo, sl1, p2tog) to end (grey)
r2: (k2tog, yo, sl1) to end (blue)
repeat ad infinitum
Now, I knit Combined (ie, I wrap my purls in the opposite direction as folks who knit Continental or English). This doesn't matter at all because all the slipped stitches are slipped purlwise which adjusts the orienation to match. Working brioche in the round is as simple as working it flat.
To work in one color instead, simply omit the changing of yarn.
The ONE BIG DIFFERENCE when working 2 colors in the round (as opposed to a single color) is that when you get to the join, you need to make sure that the color just worked is not twisted with the next color to be worked. Clearly, this isn't an issue when working in a single color.
Basically, if you just finished a round in grey and you work the last stitch of the row, the two yarns will be crossed. Uncross them so the color just worked is above the old color, and hold it out of the way. Pick up the old color and start working the next row. Think of it this way, it's two parallel spirals of rows. If the yarn crosses, then the spirals are crossed at the join. It muddies up the join, causing irregularities and bits that stick out in funny ways. Don't do it. If the last stitches worked are a yo, sl1 pair, then just let the yarn hang out in front of the work. Just don't forget to work it together with the slipped stitch on the next row.
I've only tried one method of working 2-color brioche stitch flat, but it was essentially the same as this (other than the basic circular vs flat differences), only since you alternate sides of the work, you first work a row of blue (k), don't turn, work a row of grey (p). Turn and work a row of blue (p), don't turn, work a row of grey (k). Repeat. This means all the stitches in the row get worked before you turn the piece, not just those of one color.
Pictoral documentation:
Video 1 (Combined) Video 1 (English)- Working the end of the row and then transitioning to the beginning of a new row. In this case, going from a k2tog row to a p2tog row.
Video 2 (Combined) Video 2 (English)- Again, the transition at the end of the row. This time, going from a p2tog row to a k2tog row.
Transitioning. In this case, the last stitch of the row was a p2tog of the grey stitch with the blue yarn over. The yo isn't anchored on both ends because it was the last stitch on the previous row. Once the stitch is worked, the grey and the blue are crossed over one another. They need to be untwisted for the transition to be smooth and neat. Once they have been uncrossed, the grey gets held out of the way, the marker is slipped, and the next stitch to be worked is done in blue.
Since my knitwise rows are blue, and because I started it with a k2tog in blue, the first stitch after the marker on a blue row is a k2tog. The grey yo ends up dropping behind the stitch which is what permits the illusion that the stripes are vertical rather than horizontal.
A yarn over and slipping the next stitch. Because I wrap Combined, slipping purlwise reorients the stitch handily for the next row when it will be worked. Unless otherwise specified in a pattern, slipped stitches are always default to purlwise.
Then, on a grey row, p2tog (Combined). Again, the yo ends up moving to the back of the stitch.
And then the yo and sl1 of the blue stitch. Again, it's slipped purlwise, in this case to preserve rather than replace the orientation.