Faux Brioche Bias Shawl

Faux Brioche Bias Shawl by Stefanie Bold

What is Being Made

The Faux Brioche Bias Shawl is a triangular shawl designed for knitters who appreciate the visual appeal of brioche knitting but prefer to avoid the complexity of traditional brioche techniques. This shawl combines accessible knit and purl stitches to create an authentic-looking brioche pattern without requiring specialized brioche knitting skills. The finished shawl features a generous wingspan of 160 cm (63 inches) and a depth of 70 cm (27.5 inches), making it a substantial accessory suitable for layering or draping.

Techniques Used

This intermediate-level shawl employs several key knitting techniques to achieve its distinctive appearance and construction:

• Bias knitting: The shawl is worked on the bias, meaning stitches are increased and decreased in a diagonal direction rather than the traditional top-down or bottom-up approach. This creates an elegant slant to the fabric and contributes to the shawl's dynamic drape.
• Faux brioche patterning: Rather than using traditional brioche knit and brioche purl stitches that require slipping and lifting stitches in a specific manner, the pattern achieves a brioche aesthetic through strategic combinations of standard knits and purls. This approach produces the characteristic brioche texture and visual effect while remaining more approachable for intermediate knitters.
• Cable motif: One side of the shawl features a cabled element that adds textural interest and visual complexity to the design.

Stitches Used

The pattern relies on fundamental knitting stitches executed in a way that mimics brioche knitting:

• Knit stitches
• Purl stitches
• Cable stitches (featured on one side of the shawl)
• Increases and decreases (essential for the bias construction)

Materials

The Faux Brioche Bias Shawl accommodates a range of yarn weights and fiber types, offering flexibility for different preferences and stash utilization:

• Yarn weight: Lace-weight to fingering-weight yarn is recommended. The sample shown was created using 4-ply stranded cotton yarn.
• Yarn quantity: A minimum of 800 meters (880 yards) of yarn is required to complete the shawl.
• Fiber content: Wool or cotton yarn works well for this pattern. The designer recommends choosing solid-colored yarn or yarn with a subtle gradient, as these options best showcase the faux brioche pattern and cable detail without visual distraction.
• Needles: The sample was knitted using 3.5mm needles (US size 4).
• Gauge: The pattern achieves a gauge of 24 stitches and 38 rows over 10 cm (4 inches) when worked in the faux brioche pattern with the recommended yarn and needle size.

Design Details

This pattern was designed by Stefanie Bold and last revised on August 25, 2019. The downloadable PDF format makes it easy to access and reference while knitting. The intermediate difficulty level makes this shawl an excellent project for knitters who have mastered basic techniques and are ready to explore bias construction and textured stitch patterns without the intimidation factor of traditional brioche knitting.