Brioche Shawl in Noro Miyabi - NMBS09 - Downloadable PDF

Brioche Shawl in Noro Miyabi – NMBS09 Pattern Summary

This free downloadable PDF knitting pattern from Noro guides knitters through the construction of a stunning brioche shawl, a generously sized rectangular wrap measuring approximately 24 x 60 inches (61 x 152.5 cm). Rated as intermediate difficulty, this project is ideal for knitters who are comfortable with basic techniques and ready to explore the satisfying texture and visual depth that brioche knitting delivers. The finished shawl is a versatile accessory, equally suited to casual wear and more polished occasions.

What Is Being Made

The pattern produces a large, rectangular shawl or wrap in the shawls and wraps category. At 24 inches wide and 60 inches long, it offers excellent coverage and drape, making it a practical and beautiful knitted accessory. The brioche stitch construction gives the fabric a plush, ribbed, double-layered quality that is both warm and visually striking.

Techniques and Stitches Used

The defining technique of this pattern is brioche knitting, a method that creates a deeply textured, reversible fabric through a combination of yarn overs and slip stitches worked together on subsequent rows. Brioche fabric is beloved for its squishy, elastic quality and its elegant ribbed appearance on both sides, making it particularly well suited to shawls and wraps where both faces of the fabric may be visible.

Key Stitches and Techniques Include:

• Brioche stitch – the primary stitch pattern, worked by pairing yarn overs with slipped stitches and then knitting or purling them together on the following row to create the characteristic puffed, ribbed texture
• Yarn over (YO) – used extensively within the brioche structure to create new loops that are later worked together with slipped stitches; yarn overs are also a fundamental tool in shaping and lace knitting more broadly
• Slip stitch (sl st) – stitches are slipped purlwise from the left-hand needle to the right-hand needle without being worked, a technique central to building the brioche fabric structure
• Slip, slip, knit / slip, slip, purl (ssk / ssp) – decrease techniques where two stitches are slipped knitwise or purlwise one at a time and then worked together through the front loops, creating a neat left-leaning decrease
• Selvage stitch – an edge stitch worked at the beginning and/or end of rows to create a tidy, stable border that aids in finishing and gives the shawl clean, professional edges
• Cable needle techniques – a cable needle is listed among the required materials, indicating that cable crossings or a related technique are incorporated into the design, adding further textural interest alongside the brioche fabric
• Working even – sections of the pattern are worked without increasing or decreasing, maintaining the established stitch count and pattern repeat across straight portions of the shawl
• Stitch markers – used to delineate pattern sections and help the knitter track repeats accurately across the row

Materials Required

Yarn

• 5 x 100g hanks of Noro Miyabi in colourway #18 – Noro Miyabi is a 4-ply weight yarn, placing it in the fine yarn category. Noro yarns are renowned for their hand-dyed, self-striping colour progressions, and Miyabi is no exception, producing organic, painterly colour transitions that add visual complexity to the finished shawl without the need for multiple yarn colours or complex colourwork techniques. The natural fibre content typical of Noro yarns contributes to the beautiful drape and stitch definition that brioche knitting rewards.

Needles and Notions

• One US size 10 / 6mm circular needle, at least 32 inches (80cm) long, or the size needed to achieve the correct gauge – note that a circular needle is used here to accommodate the large number of stitches across the width of the shawl, though the piece is worked flat rather than in the round
• Cable needle – required for working cable or crossed-stitch elements within the pattern
• Stitch markers