There is something really comforting about a slightly over-sized and marvellously warm sweater. It needs to be warm and squishy for the ultimate in winter self-care, and really, there is only one choice. For me, brioche knitting hits all of the above and repays the investment of time needed to work it in full. It truly is hyggelig – meaning cozy, comfortable, snug. I love the look of brioche cables, and I have much, much, respect for those crafters who have the patience to work them, but … well let’s just say I quickly discovered that the technique was not for me. The good news is that there is always more than one way to approach knitting, and a similar effect can be made with careful use of increasing and decreasing.

This jumper is a celebration of all things brioche, featuring two color brioche, syncopated brioche, brioche mock cables and brioche honeycomb stitch. This sweater uses an 8-row pattern to capture the essence of intricate celtic knots. The knotwork pattern really pops as the main part of the jumper is worked with the dark color prominent – that’s the syncopated part. The mock cables are created with brioche star stitches, a stitch that combines an increase with either a left or right decrease, giving the impression of crossing cables. The left version of the star stitch is easier to work than the right, so you could simplify the pattern by only using the left star stitch. The end result would be very similar.

The sweater pattern grew from the idea of having an unbroken celtic knot winding its way from cuff to cuff, across the yoke at the back of the sweater. In order to achieve this, the sweater is knit from cuff to cuff. The first sleeve is worked in the round to the shoulder, before splitting and working flat for the body. The neck is shaped by binding off and then casting on stitches before the work is rejoined in the round for the second sleeve. Stitches for the body are picked up and the body is also worked in the round, with a brioche honeycomb panel down the front. Finally, the collar is worked flat and seamed onto the sweater. This construction means that the brioche is worked both in the round and flat. Each brioche row is worked with two passes, once in the light color, then a second pass in the dark color. To work this flat, you will need to work with a circular or double pointed needles.

The sample shown uses a DK-weight 2-ply acrylic yarn. The yarn is spun to have a heathered color and rustic feel.