What is Brioche Crochet? A Guide for Beginners
Brioche crochet is a fun and beautiful technique that can add texture and depth to your projects. Inspired by the knitting technique of the same name, brioche crochet uses a unique combination of stitches to create a fabric that resembles the plush and intricate patterns found in traditional brioche bread.
At first glance, the brioche technique may appear intimidating, but the steps are actually quite simple. With a little practice, you’ll be able to create stunning pieces that showcase its signature style. This article will guide you through understanding and mastering this beautiful technique.
Key Takeaways
- Brioche crochet is a technique that adds texture and depth to your projects
- It’s great fun and is simpler than it looks!
- It can create stunning, eye-catching projects
An Introduction
Brioche crochet is an innovative technique that creates a textured and elastic fabric using a special combination of particular stitches. It has become increasingly popular among crochet enthusiasts for its unique look and the versatility it offers in creating various projects, such as scarves, blankets, and garments.
The key to mastering brioche crochet lies in understanding its basic elements, which include front post stitches and either back loop stitches or chains. These stitches work together to produce a distinctly layered effect, giving the fabric its characteristic depth and texture.
Front post stitches are created by working a crochet stitch around the post of the designated stitch, instead of through the top loops like in traditional crochet. This technique pulls the stitch forward, giving the fabric its gorgeous texture.
Another important aspect of brioche crochet is that alternating rows can be worked with alternating yarn colors. Front post double crochet stitches are worked into the corresponding stitches from two rounds before. These are alternated with either back loop single crochet stitches or a simple chain stitch. In the next round, front post double crochet stitches are worked in front of the back loop single crochet or chain stitches from the previous round.
Although this may sound complicated, it’s actually very simple once you’ve seen it in practice. See below for a video tutorial showing exactly how it is done.
Brioche Crochet Tutorial
Have a watch of this video tutorial to see how brioche crochet is done:
Brioche Crochet Patterns and Techniques
Simple Patterns
As described and demonstrated in the tutorial above, the simplest way to use brioche crochet is to create simple stripes.
Increases and decreases can be worked in the usual way for any crochet pattern. To increase, simply work two or more of the appropriate stitch into a stitch from the previous row or round. To decrease, either simply skip the stated number of stitches, or crochet two (or more) stitches together, as specified in the pattern you are following.
This method can be used to great effect in patterns such as this brioche style two colour pumpkin pattern.
Another pattern that is a great introduction to brioche crochet is the Down the Line Beanie pattern.
More Advanced Patterns
Once you’ve mastered the basic principles, you can move on to more challenging patterns which create even more intricate and beautiful designs. For example, by using longer front post stitches (such as front post treble or even front post double treble), the patterns created with these stitches can twist and turn across your work.
Tatsiana Kupryianchyk of Lilla Bjorn is a wizard with this technique and has many beautiful brioche patterns to choose from including the amazing Graphite Mandala shown below.
Conclusion
Brioche crochet is an intricate and captivating technique that allows for the creation of unique and eye-catching patterns. This technique utilizes a combination of stitches and color changes to produce a fascinating texture, making it a popular choice among crochet enthusiasts.
This type of crochet can be used for a wide variety of projects, from scarves and shawls to blankets and garments. Brioche crochet offers the opportunity to be as creative as one desires, experimenting with different stitch combinations and color palettes to produce a truly unique and appealing finished product.
Though it may be challenging for beginners, with practice and persistence, brioche crochet is well worth mastering for the amazing results it can produce.
Frequently Asked Questions
How does brioche crochet differ from mosaic crochet?
Brioche crochet creates a thick, squishy fabric with a textured appearance by working with two yarn colors and alternating them in a unique way. On the other hand, mosaic crochet uses two or more yarn colors and basic stitches to create geometric patterns or images in the fabric. Brioche crochet generally creates a more voluminous and textured fabric, while mosaic crochet is flatter.
What types of projects can be made with brioche crochet?
Brioche crochet can be used for a variety of projects such as:
- Scarves
- Hats
- Shawls
- Blankets
- Sweaters
- Cowls
- Mandalas
The thick, textured fabric it created by this technique is perfect for cozy, warm items, making it great for winter accessories and garments.
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Thanks for a helpful video! The beanie was crocheted in the round. Can you also do brioche crochet that’s not done in the round?
Hi Alison, Thanks for your comment and apologies for the (long!) delay replying. That’s a good question. Yes, although I’ve never tried it, I think you could do brioche crochet in rows. However, it would be a bit trickier as you’d have to keep alternating which side of the work you were crocheting from. I think it should be possible though. Hope that helps!