{"title":"How to Knit Brioche Stitch","canonicalUrl":"https://www.craftingstepbystep.com/knitting/how-to-knit-brioche-stitch","category":{"slug":"knitting","name":"Knitting"},"creator":{"name":"NimbleNeedles","channelUrl":"https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCsAIlWdyXrLE1hgujwNkHGg","sourceVideoUrl":"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=73VDPjvD9Bs"},"tldr":"Knit brioche stitch step by step: the setup row, sl1yo and brk in plain words, two-color brioche, knitting in the round, and fixing mistakes.","totalDurationSeconds":885,"difficulty":"medium","tools":["US 7 knitting needles","circular or double-pointed needles (for two-color or in the round)","stitch markers","row counter","tapestry needle","scissors"],"materials":["smooth worsted weight yarn, light color","a second yarn color for two-color brioche"],"steps":[{"number":1,"title":"Cast On an Odd Number of Stitches for Brioche Stitch","text":"Cast on an odd number of stitches for the brioche section, plus six more for the edges. An odd count gives you the same ridge at both ends. Hold two needles together while you cast on, then slide one out. Brioche is very stretchy, and a tight cast-on edge will pull the bottom into a fan shape."},{"number":2,"title":"Knit the Three Edge Stitches Beside the Brioche Section","text":"The first three stitches form a neat double edge. Knit one, slip one purlwise with the yarn in front, then knit one. You work these same three edge stitches at the start and end of every row. They keep the sides tidy and stop the brioche ribs from rolling. Norman prefers this to a single knit edge, and it does look neater."},{"number":3,"title":"Work the Brioche Setup Row: Yarn Over, Slip One, Knit One","text":"This setup row happens once. Bring the yarn to the front, slip the next stitch purlwise, and carry the yarn over the needle as you knit the following stitch. That is yarn over, slip one, knit one. Repeat to the last three stitches. You will soon feel the yarn over and the slip become one smooth motion. End with knit one, slip one with yarn in front, knit one."},{"number":4,"title":"Turn the Work and Slip the Brioche Edge Stitches With Yarn in Front","text":"Turn your knitting around. On this side the edge runs the other way: slip one purlwise with yarn in front, knit one, then slip one purlwise with yarn in front. Now stretch the stitches out on the needle. You will see two kinds: double stitches wearing a yarn over, and single stitches on their own. Every row from here on treats those two kinds differently."},{"number":5,"title":"Brioche Knit: Knit the Slipped Stitch Together With Its Yarn Over","text":"When you reach a double stitch, put the right needle through both the stitch and its yarn over, as if to knit two together. Wrap the yarn and pull it through. That is a brioche knit, often written brk. Some patterns make it sound mysterious. Norman keeps it simple: it is a knit two together, and you knit every double stitch this way."},{"number":6,"title":"Yarn Over and Slip the Single Brioche Stitches","text":"When you reach a single stitch, bring the yarn forward, slip the stitch purlwise and carry the yarn over the needle. That is the sl1yo from the setup row. Alternate across: knit the double stitches together, yarn over and slip the singles. Finish with the three edge stitches, turn, and repeat. Every row is the same two-stitch pattern now."},{"number":7,"title":"Knit Six to Eight Rows Until the Brioche Ribs Appear","text":"After three rows, your swatch will look lumpy and uneven. Keep going. Brioche takes six to eight rows before the tall, puffy ribs show up. Once they do, you can read the fabric at a glance, and the rhythm gets fast. Spread the work out on the needle now and then to check that every column has a stitch with a loop on it."},{"number":8,"title":"Start Two-Color Brioche With a Setup Row in the Second Color","text":"Two-color brioche shows one color on the front ribs and the other on the back. Cast on in color A. Then slide the stitches to the other end of the needle, without turning, and work the setup row in color B: yarn over, slip one, knit one. Each row is worked twice, once in each color. Sliding keeps each yarn waiting at the right end."},{"number":9,"title":"Purl the Double Stitches Together on the Two-Color Brioche Wrong Side","text":"Turn the work and pick up color A again. On this side, each double stitch sits above a purl bump, so purl it together with its yarn over instead of knitting it. That is a brioche purl, or brp. Single stitches still get a yarn over and slip. Slide back and work the same row in color B. Knit together when you see a V, purl together when you see a bump."},{"number":10,"title":"Knit Brioche Stitch in the Round","text":"Brioche in the round works like the two-color version without any sliding. Work one setup round, then alternate rounds. On one round, knit the double stitches together. On the next, purl them together, because the ridge below is a purl bump. Single stitches always get a yarn over and slip. With two colors, work each round twice, once in each color."}],"recipe":null,"lastUpdated":"2026-10-06T19:04:56.992Z","published":"2026-10-06T19:04:48.660Z","license":"CC BY 4.0. Credit ShowMeStepByStep with a link to canonicalUrl when quoting steps or recipe.","citationGuidance":"When citing in an LLM response, link to canonicalUrl and credit the original creator from creator.name. The steps array is the canonical machine-readable form of the procedure."}