Brioche Faroese Style Shawl

This is not so much a pattern, but a recipe so you will need:

• yarn. Any thickness you like, any colour(s) you like. Varigated, striped, more than
one colour. All up to you.
The one coloured shawl was knitted with nearly 500 grams of Araucania puelo llama
on 4 mm needles (a DK weight of 230 yards/210 meters per 100 grams);
the two coloured shawl was knitted with about 600 grams of Istex Einband, 6 balls
of blue, 6 of yellow (I think) (a lace weight with 273 yards/250 meters per 50 grams).

• knitting needle(s). Size appropriate to your yarn and your knitting tension. I suggest
if you want a larger shawl, a very long circular (150 cm) might be helpful. But feel
free to use whatever method you like. If you want to use two-coloured Brioche, then
you need something double ended.

• a measuring tape.

• a gauge swatch.

• maybe four stitch markers, maybe even in two different colours, but they are op-
tional.

• if you do not want to play yarn chicken, either lots of yarn or fine scales.

• usual stuff for finishing off: darning needle, scissors, something to block.

Skills for this pattern:

• knitting Brioche knit and purl stitches;

• purling Brioche knit and purl stitches if you go two coloured;

• Brioche increase aka (Brioche knit, YO, Brioche knit) all in the same stitch (increase
one stitch into three); on the next row, just keeping in pattern;

• cast on, suggested cast on is the Italian cast on, but you can use others;

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 • cast off — there is a cast off included at the end of the pattern, but feel free to
use any stretchy one which works for you and Brioche. You can do a sewn cast off
which works with the Italian cast on, but as there can be quite a lot of stitches, I
would not attempt it for myself.

• optional: afterthought I-cord to give the neck a bit more stability.

Cast on calculations:
Start by making a nice sized swatch and wash it. Keep doing this until you are happy
with the fabric. As I find that Brioche tends to stretch, you might want to start with a
smaller needle than what you normally would use for your yarn for a shawl.
Measure your swatch to 10 cm width. Call the number of stitches you need for 10 cm x.
Measure how wide you want the back neck shaping (N) and the shoulder shaping (S) for
yourself again in cm. We use the same width for both left and right shoulder shaping.
Now you need to work out the number of stitches to cast on:

your calculation
10 cm ←→ x stitches
1 cm ←→ x/10 stitches
N cm ←→ N -stitches = N × x/10 stitches
S cm ←→ S-stitches = S × x/10 stitches

For the number of stitches for the neck, N -stitches, you want an odd number (one ending
in the digits 1, 3, 5, 7 or 9). So round up or down and add or subtract 1 stitch as needed.
For the number of stitches for the shoulder, S-stitches, you want an even number (one
ending in the digits 0, 2, 4, 6 or 8). So round up or down and add or subtract 1 stitch as
needed.
Now cast on N -stitches + 2×S-stitches (note: this is an odd number of stitches). I suggest
the Italian cast on, but any stretchy cast on will do. Or you can cast on provisionally
and leave a long tail and then replace the provisional cast on with casting off. (I found
the Italian cast on a bit of a wriggly worm, the cast on is no problem, but the first two
rows can be. Maybe using a smaller needle helps?) If you use an Italian cast on or any
which alternates between knit and purl stitches, start your cast on with a knit stitch and
end with a knit stitch.
For example, I want my neck to be 18 cm wide, the sides 15 cm. My gauge swatch gave
me 21 stitches for 10 cm width.

your calculation
10 cm ←→ 21 stitches
1 cm ←→ 21/10 stitches
N cm ←→ N -stitches = 18 × 21/10 stitches = 37.8 stiches
S cm ←→ S-stitches = 15 × 21/10 stitches = 31.5 stiches

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So for the neck, I need to cast on either 37 or 39 stitches as this in odd and approximately
37.8. I guess I would go for N = 37.
For the shoulder, I need to cast on for each side an even number, so S = 32 would be an
obvious choice.
That means my total cast on would be 37 (neck) + 32 (left shoulder)+ 32 (right shoulder)
= 101 stitches.
Start of the shawl:
The markers can be placed to remind you on which stitch to increase. Colour A are
placed before you increase into the next Brioche knit stitch; colour B is placed after
the Brioche knit stitch in which you just increased. This means you never have to move
markers. I suggest to place the markers after the first few rows.

Note: I tend to slip the fist stitch and knit the last, but that is up to you. But with
two-coloured Brioche, I can knit the last stitch with both colours and have a nice edge
and this also anchors the YO.
For one coloured Brioche:
Set up row (RS):
You will have one selvedge stitch at each beginning and end of the row.
Knit the first stitch (selvedge). Then (knit 1 stitch normally, 1 purl Brioche stitch (i.e.,
YO and slip)) to the last two stitches. Knit 1, knit the selvedge stitch.
You have finished the set up row and now it is just Brioche with knit the Brioche knit
stitch with its YO and (YO, slip the Brioche purl stitch), turning your work after every
row, so it is RS, WS, RS, WS etc.
Work WS row
On the next RS row place markers as follows:
You have the selvedge stitch and then a Brioche knit stitch. Place one marker (colour
A) before the third Brioche knit stitch (so you dealt with 5 stitches), Brioche until you
have dealt with the S shoulder stitches. (So in my example, I have the selvedge stitch,
then 5 Brioche stitches before the marker and 32- 1 -5 = 26 stitches before placing the
next marker.) Place marker (colour B) which is after the last Brioche knit stitch.
Brioche N -stitches, starting with a Brioche purl and ending with a Brioche purl. (In my
example, that would be 37 Brioche stitches.) Place marker (colour A) after the last purl
stitch of the neck stitches.
Brioche to the last four stitches + 1 selvedge stitch. Place marker (colour B) after the
Brioche knit stitch. (In my example, that is 32 - 4- 1 = 27 stitches.) Finish the row.
Work one more WS and then start with the increases.
You will Brioche increase (Brioche knit, YO, Brioche knit) every fourth row at the knit
stitches by the markers while keeping Brioche-ing all the other stitches.
This means: increase row, Brioche, Brioche, Brioche, then increase row, Brioche, Brioche,

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Brioche, then increase row, Brioche, Brioche, Brioche, etc.

This means that every four rows, you have 8 more stitches. This gives the shawl its very
long wings, ideal to tie around you.
If you prefer shorter wings, you could increase every sixth row or even every 8th row for
the more traditional triangular shape.

Keep going until you are either have the size you like, run out of yarn or are bored to
death with it. Then you will have the joy of casting/binding off. See further down for
this part.
For two-coloured Brioche:
Set up row (RS):
I tend to slip the fist stitch and knit the last, but that is up to you. But with two-coloured
Brioche, I can knit the last stitch with both colours and have a nice edge and this also
anchors the YO.
You will have one selvedge stitch at each beginning and end of the row.
Knit the first stitch (selvedge) with both colours held together.
Use colour A (drop the yarn of colour B), (knit 1 stitch normally, 1 purl Brioche stitch
(i.e., YO and slip)) to the last two stitches. Knit 1, slip the selvedge stitch.
Now push all your stitches back to the other end, so colour A is at the non-working end
and colour B is ready to use. Slip the selvedge stitch and start a purl Brioche row (that
is the Brioche knit stich will get a YO and be slipped, the Brioche purl stitches will be
purled together with its YO) to the last two stitches. Your second to last stitch will be a
Brioche knit stitch which you slip with the YO. Then pick up both colour A and B and
knit the selvedge stitch with both colours.
Turn work and purl Brioche the next row with colour A. Push all the stitches back and
knit Brioche the row again with colour B.
You are now back to the RS with colour A and place the markers: Placing markers:
You have the selvedge stitch and then start with a Brioche knit stitch. Place one marker
(colour A) before the third Brioche knit stitch (so you dealt with 5 stitches). Brioche
until you have dealt with the S shoulder stitches. (So in my example, I have the selvedge
stitch, then 5 Brioche stitches before the marker and 32- 1 -5 = 26 stitches before placing
the next marker.) Place marker (colour B) which is after the last Brioche knit stitch.
Brioche N -stitches, starting with a Brioche purl and ending with a Brioche purl. (In my
example, that would be 37 Brioche stitches.) Place marker (colour A) after the last purl
stitch of the neck stitches.
Brioche to the last four stitches + 1 selvedge stitch. Place marker (colour B) after the
Brioche knit stitch. (In my example, that is 32 - 4- 1 = 27 stitches.)
Push the stitches back and Purl Brioche with Colour B. Turn work and purl Brioche with
colour A, push all the stitches back and knit Brioche with colour B, turn work.

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Your pattern is now always knit Brioche with colour A and increase — push back stitches,
purl Brioche with colour B — turn work, purl Brioche with colour A — push back stitches,
knit Brioche with colour B — turn work. Repeat these four instructions.
You will Brioche increase (Brioche knit, YO, Brioche knit) every fourth row at the knit
stitches by the markers.
This means that every four rows, you have 8 more stitches. This gives the shawl its very
long wings, ideal to tie around you.
If you prefer shorter wings, you could increase every sixth row or even every 8th row for
the more traditional triangular shape.

Keep going until you are either have the size you like, run out of yarn or are bored to
death with it. Then you will have the joy of casting/binding off.
Additions:
You can include any type of Brioche pattern to make the knit a bit more interesting.
For my two-coloured Brioche shawl, I used used the stitch pattern from the Brioche Fan
Coral Shawl (https://www.abc-knitting-patterns.com/1505.html) and adapted it to my
needs.
Locate the middle stitch of the centre panel. As this is an odd number, the middle stitch
will be a Brioche knit stitch. Place a marker one Brioche knit stitch before this stitch.
On the RS with colour A, Brioche increase the centre stitch with a 1 into 5 increase, that
is (knit Brioche knit stitch, YO, knit Brioche knit stitch, YO, knit Brioche knit stitch)
into the same stitch. Brioche with colour B, keeping the patten of Brioche knits and
purls. Work the WS with colour A and colour B, then again the RS with both colour and
again the WS with both colours.
Now start the pattern which is a 4 row Brioche, that is 8 times each row knitted repeat.
So you do the row where something happens on the RS with colour A, then as usual RS
colour B, WS colour A, WS colour B, RS colour A, RS colour B, WS colour A, WS colour
B; then back to the the row where something happens.

For the row where something happens, you work as usual but you knit Brioche until the
the marker with colour A. Brioche decrease 3 into 1 with a left leaning decrease, deal with
the next Brioche purl stitch and then do a 1 into 5 Brioche increase into the middle stitch.
Deal with the Brioche purl stitch, then do a 3 into 1 Brioche right leaning decrease.
The left leaning decrease can be done as slip the next 2 stitches (the Brioche knit stitch
with its yarn over and the next Brioche purl stitch) knitwise, one at a times, onto the
right needle. Brioche knit the next Brioche knit stitch and then pass the 2 slipped stitches
over.
The right leaning decrease can be done as slip the next two 2 stitches knitwise (the Brioche
knit st with its yarn over and Brioche purl stitch), slip those back to the left needle and

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 then knit Brioche knit them together. Return this stitch to the left needle and pass the
next Brioche knit stitch (with its yarn over) over. Move this stitch to the right needle.

Bind off
In theory, any stretchy cast off will do. You can do a sewn bind off if you are not worried
about pulling yarn through I have no idea how many stitches. Or you can do the cast off
I used which gives a nice two coloured edge. Only that takes a lot of yarn and I suggest
that you weigh your yarn, cast off 30 stitches or so and see if you have enough yarn.
Set up row for cast off: With the right side facing and being on a Brioche knit row,
increase every Brioche knit stitch with the usual (Brioche knit, YO, Brioche knit) in-
crease.
Brioche the next row.

For the one coloured Brioche:

You alternate between casting off two Brioche knit and two Brioche purl stitches.
For the first two stitches to be bind off:Knit the selvedge stitch. Brioche knit the next
stitch, pass the two stitches on the right needle back to the left and normal knit these
two together through the back loop.
Now change the order of the stitches. Your next stitch on the left needle is a Brioche purl
stitch, so you swap its place with the next Brioche knit stitch on the left needle. Purl
both normally, pass back to the left needle and knit both together through the back loop.

From now on, you only need to change the order of the stitches on the right needle:

Step 1. Change the order of the stitches on the right needle, so the Brioche knit stitch you
bound off is at the tip and the purl stitch comes after it. Brioche knit the next
Brioche knit stitch on the left needle, pass it and the Brioche knit stitch on the
right needle back to the left needle and knit those two together through the back
loop.

Step 2. Swap the order of the stitches on the right needle so the purl stitch is at the needle
tip. Purl the normal purl the Brioche purl stitch on the left needle, pass the two
stitches from the right needle to the left and normal knit both together through the
back loop.

Repeat these two steps until all the stitches are casted off.
For the two coloured Brioche:
You will now cast off all the Brioche purl stitches first (the ones which are the knits on
the RS), then go back and cast off all the Brioche knit (purls on the RS) stitches.
With both colours, knit the selvedge stitch, then using colour A, Brioche purl the first
Brioche purl stitch. Pass the just purled Brioche purl stitch and the selvedge stitch back

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on the left needle and normal knit those together through the back loop.
(∗) Change the order of the this stitch with the next Brioche knit stitch so that the
Brioche knit stitch is on the right of the just knitted through the back loop stitch on the
right needle.
So the next stitch on the left needle is a Brioche purl stitch.
Brioche purl this stitch, pass this stitch and the stitch you got from knitting through
the two stitches together through the back loop back to the left needle and knit two two
through the back loop.
Repeat (∗) until all the Brioche purl stitches are casted off.
I found that to cast of the Brioche knit stitches, there is already enough slack in the
edge to just slip one over the other, so no actual knitted cast off is involved. If yours
is too tight, just bind off loosely in your preferred way so it does not flare or pull tight.
Whatever you do, this is done in colour B.
If you have put in some pattern, you might want to check on which row it looks best to
be casted off. With the pattern I used above, the cast off set-up row was done instead of
the row where something happens.

If you want to, you can put an Icord at the cast on edge.
Weave in ends, block and wear with joy. And get yourself a cuppa and a cake for being
able to read this pattern!