ConnieLene – KnitDesigner

I am now on beret six – there is some minor madness when one keeps on playing with a piece. These have all been created using Vero yarn but in the different colours that I have here in the Netherlands.

I do miss my yarns that are still in New Zealand.

How can I miss yarn? I cannot even remember what was in my stash there – just that there were lots of yarns, in lots and lots of colours, from many different places in the world. But I do miss the variety in colour, yarn type, do not have sufficient variety here to create pieces as I was doing in New Zealand. I have purchased a lot of different yarns here in the Netherlands and some in Switzerland and in Denmark – I just do not have the quantity, colour range and yarn types here as I did have at home. It takes time to build up a new stash, doesn’t it?

What to do?

I don’t know.

So right now I am knitting berets.

Originally this was in response to a commission from a friend in Australia. But now I need to consider – do I continue with these? Do I complete the commission? Well yes that I must do, which means that beret 7 must be a funky, fuzzy, multicoloured piece. Then I must write up the pattern and then get back to that carbon footprint bag. Maybe I just put the two graphs out, one for the intarsia footprints and the other for carbon footprint using shadow knitting and leave you to decide – should it be on a bag, blanket, pram cover, cushion or on a sweater – should you happen to want a sweater with a foot print or two on it.

I guess that is what should be done.

The beret pattern – will include one in stocking stitch, and one felted from a stocking stitch knit. I won’t try to define the multicolour, multi fibre, intarsia one – that will be free form with little guidance.

I do try to keep up with what is new in the world of knitting, in yarns, designs, and knitters and designers and their books. I have been researching on the net – and found Nancy Marchants book “Knitting Brioche: The essential guide to Brioche Stitch”.

I didn’t know the stitch – brioche, and the light just went on. It is a form of fisherman’s rib. Now I do know fishermans rib.

Excerpt from Nancy Marchant website… history, I found that among English-speaking knitters, this stitch also had many different names; Prime Rib, shawl stitch, Oriental rib, shaker knitting, patent stitch, fisherman’s rib and brioche stitch were among them.

I do wonder which name came first.

I have only ever knitted one garment, using Fishermans Rib, a sweater for my husband in a soft grey yarn. It was gorgeous – but far too warm for a New Zealand winter. It would have been excellent here in this Dutch winter wonderland. I do remember that I had to purchase extra yarn to complete it as my Best beloved wasn’t so keen then in mixed colours and yarns. I am so glad that as we have matured together he is now more open to wearing my multi coloured creations.

Nancy Marchant, Queen of Brioche and her new book Knitting Brioche: The Essential Guide to the Brioche Stitch

I started looking and found the following links which may be of use if you are exploring Brioche or Fishermans Rib.

The Knitting Fiend … where Lucia blogs for instructions on how to knit Fluffy Brioche, Brioche Rib and Double Brioche

Brioche stitch explained by Pippa W of Cloudy Crochet

I am not an expert in this stitch, having only ever created the one garment using it, and from a pattern. I have just found the link to free Nancy Marchant beret patterns and as I am knitting berets right now, maybe I will have a go at one of these patterns. They do look great not just because they are berets, but because they use this stitch with more than one colour – and you know me, I like more than one colour in a piece.

So I am going to add Brioche or fishermans rib in 2 or more colours to my learning program for my time here in the Netherlands.

The berets I have been knitting do have more than one colour – but that is because the yarn (Naturally Vero), contains more than one colour.

Cheating! Maybe; but they look good.