Welcome back to our brioche knitting tutorial series! In our first tutorial, we covered the basic brioche knit stitch (BRK) using a flat swatch. Today, we’re showing you how to knit brioche stitch in the round, how to work a brioche purl stitch (BRP), and the basics of two-color brioche knitting in the round.
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The key difference between knitting brioche flat and knitting brioche circularly is the purl stitch: Since you don’t turn your work, brioche stitch in the round requires you to alternate rounds of brioche knit stitch (BRK) with rounds of brioche purl stitch (BRP). Just remember: “brick” and “burp!”
Abbreviations
Yf = Yarn Forward: Bring the working yarn under the right needle to the front of the work.
Sl1 = Slip 1: Slip the next stitch purlwise (a.k.a. as if to purl).
YO = Yarn Over: Bring the yarn over the needle.
Yf-Sl1-YO = Yarn Forward, Slip 1, Yarn Over: Bring the working yarn under the right needle to the front of the work. Slip the next stitch purlwise, then bring the working yarn over the right needle to the back of the work. This slipped stitch with a YO on top of it is considered one, and will be worked as a BRK on the next row.
BRK = Brioche Knit: Knit the next stitch together with its corresponding YO from the previous round.
BRP = Brioche Purl: Purl the next stitch together with its corresponding YO from the previous round.
Knitting Brioche Stitch on Circular Needles
Take a look at our Brioche Knitting 101 article for a photo tutorial on setting up your brioche and working a BRK stitch. When knitting brioche in the round, your setup round will be a bit different:
Single-Color Brioche (worked in the round)
Even number of stitches
Setup Round:*Purl 1, Yf-Sl1-YO; repeat from * to end.
Round 1:*Yf-Sl1-YO, BRK; repeat from * to end.
Round 2:*BRP, Yf-Sl1-YO; repeat from * to end.
Repeat Rounds 1 & 2 for pattern.
Here’s a closer look at Round 2. This sample is knit with two colors; we’ll get to 2-color brioche knitting in a moment. In the photos below, you can see your working yarn is at the front of your work.
Your first stitch is a BRP stitch: Purl the stitch on the left needle together with the corresponding YO that’s on top of it.
BRP: brioche purl stitch
Yf-Sl1-YO, BRP
Two-Color Brioche Stitch on Circular Needles
2-color brioche stitch is worked just like single-color brioche, except you’ll alternate colors each round. Only one color is used in each round, yet the colors create vertical stripes. This is because in each round of brioche stitch, you’re working half the stitches and slipping the other half. The photos above show Loft yarn in Old World (dark blue) and Homemade Jam (deep magenta).
Two-Color Brioche (worked in the round)
Worked with one color per round
Even number of stitches
Color A: Homemade Jam
Color B: Old World
Setup Round: [shown in photos in Color B] *purl 1, Yf-Sl1-YOF; repeat from * to end.
Round 1: With Color A *Yf-Sl1-YO, BRK; repeat from * to end.
Round 2: With Color B*BRP, Yf-Sl1-YOF; repeat from * to end.
Repeat Rounds 1 & 2 for pattern.
Thanks for learning brioche knitting with us! See Brioche 201 for a deep dive into brioche decreases.
If you're looking for even more brioche knitting practice, check out our Skipp hat which is worked in two-color brioche stitch on circular needles. Skipp is an ideal pattern for practicing your brioche knitting, as well as for experimenting with stripes and two-color brioche patterns.