Knitting -- Brioche: where am I?

The video I gave you last week gives you part of the answer to this question. If your next stitch is a singleton, you use it to do a YO. When the next stitches are a YO and a singleton, you do a TOG.

But do you K or P TOG?

I made so many mistakes – losing my concentration and starting to P instead of K and vice versa – but now I’ve figured it out.

If that singleton is a K, you are on a P round. The next YO is for a P2TOG.

If that singleton looks like a purl, you are on a K round. The next YO is for a K2TOG.

Now. Increases.

There’s only one video that I found that shows you what to do on the next round after an increase, but it’s not for knitting in the round where you do a row with P2TOGs after the round with K2TOGS..

I can explain it to you two ways but let’s think it through because it will help you when you do decreases. Also this is for single increases and some videos show you how to do double increases. Think it through. Pretend you've done your increase in the K round and worked to the end so you're ready to start a P round.

The first stitch in a purl round is supposed to be a YO. So it’s natural to YO that first stitch where you increased. Now you have two stitches left, and if you P2TOG, you won’t have an increase any more. What’s more, if you do, you’ll have two P2TOGs in a row. That's not how brioche works.

So YO with the first stitch. Then PURL the next stitch ALL BY ITSELF. YO again with the last stitch, and then finish that round normally, doing the same thing at the other end if you’re doing symmetrical increases. When you get to the next round, it will look normal.

So now use that video you found that shows decreases for working in the flat, and do the decrease as shown. Then in your next round, think through how brioche works and you’ll be able to figure out how to work across that decrease in the purl round.

Here is a pair of brioche kneesocks worked from the toe up, with symmetrical increases. I worked the increases starting in the middle between the sides of the toe. Each sock took 1 skein or almost 190 yards of Lamb's Pride worsted wool and about 15 hours of working, including fixing mistakes. I have an ulterior motive for making these kneesocks and I'll let you know if it works out. For now, imagine that I have glued them onto a pair of flip-flops after taking the thong out, and put in a pair of Dr. Scholl's insoles with arch supports. Voila! House shoes!

Next brioche post: now let's think about how this stitch works and what it means for pullovers.