Do you ever have small projects that turn into much-bigger-than-they-should-be projects?
I love knitting these charity blocks because they’re a nice short break between (or in the middle of) big projects.
But this one took longer than usual, and it’s mostly because I wasn’t paying attention. The first time I tried it, I got a few inches in and made a mistake. The pattern wasn’t lining up the way it was supposed to. (The pearl brioche stitch pattern is really easy, but you have to pay some attention while you do it. My boys were distracting me a little too much.) I couldn’t figure out where I’d messed up the stitch pattern, so I took it out an inch or so back to where I knew I was right.
I kept knitting, and I was almost done with the whole block when I decided to check the width of the block. (I had thought it looked a little too wide for a while; I don’t know why I waited so long to check it.) It was an inch too wide. Pearl brioche is stretchier sideways than a lot of other stitch patterns. So I had to frog the whole thing and start over.
All that aside, I love the finished product. Pearl brioche stitch is really stretchy and squishy and soft, and I can just imagine snuggling up in a thick sweater made with this stitch in the middle of winter. (And for those of you who knit comfort shawls for charity, this would be a fun stitch pattern to try if you’re looking for something new.)
Here’s the revised version. (I switched yarns, too—I found this one hidden in a different part of my stash and couldn’t help using it instead.)
You’ll need:
- Size 8 needles
- Worsted weight acrylic yarn
Gauge: 4-4.25 stitches per inch
Cast on 26 stitches.
Continue until the block measures 9 inches from cast-on edge. Bind off.
I made a video (during my first attempt) to show how to knit the stitch pattern in case the written pattern is too confusing. It takes a couple of rows to get into the rhythm, but it’s totally worth a try!
What do you think of it? What would you make with the pearl brioche stitch?
