A workshop to help you learn how to work & gain confidence in using the beautiful Brioche knitting technique
Brioche is a knitting technique quite unlike any other!
It uses its own special set of stitches to create a to-die-for texture. It creates a lovely warm, squishy, reversible rib like fabric, which looks fantastic on both sides.
Knit designers are catching on to brioche's popularity, and now more than ever there are lots of brioche patterns to choose from. Two popular designers are Nancy Marchant – known as the ‘queen’ of brioche, and Stephen West who uses the technique often mixed with others in his ‘one of a kind’ shawl designs.
Knitters are always looking for a new challenge & brioche follows its own rules, so it's unlike anything you've tried before. It has its own set of stitches and even has its own unique charts. If you're ready to try something new, brioche is a great choice, so come on in and join in the fun!
On completion of the Part 1 Fundamentals workshop, you will be able to:
Work Brioche patterns in rows
Understand Brioche terminology
'Read' your knitting & know where you have got to in your work
Understand the 'two rows per colour' process
Try three gorgeous patterns using increases & decreases
Spot & fix mistakes
Cast on and off neatly
THESE WORKSHOPS CAN BE TAKEN AT ANY TIME
and
YOU CAN WORK AT YOUR OWN PACE
On completion of the Part 2 Advanced workshop, you will be able to:
Work Brioche patterns in rounds
Read Brioche charts
Work advanced stitch patterns
Combine Brioche pattern with other stitch patterns such as garter stitch
Try six advanced patterns
Spot & fix mistakes including dropping and picking up stitches
Cast on and off neatly using the 'Italian' method
I Can Help You
Understand the difference between a tech editor and a pattern tester
Teach you the process and formulae required to understand patterns and look for errors
Apply those processes and formulae to a real tech edit in real time
Make a difference to a designer AND get paid for your work.
Brioche Knitting Techniques The 'Cool Wool' Way
Teaching you how to create a beautiful knitted reversible fabric with ease.
Introducing…
Imagine walking away feeling confident with all the tips and tricks you may need to create anything in Brioche without being intimidated!
Unlocking a proven way to master Brioche even if you have failed before
Discovering that it's 'bark' is not as bad as it's 'burp'. Pun intended !
Learning how to fix any issues you may come across
Being brave enough to pick up and make any Brioche pattern
Seeing how confident you are after just the Part 1 Fundamentals workshop
Feeling fearless and ready to walk into the Part 2 Advanced workshop
What’s inside...
What Is Brioche?
In the Fundamentals workshop, we learn what Brioche is and why it produces such unique and popular patterns.
It is a stunning knitting technique quite unlike any other, but like any other technique, it's not difficult with the right teacher.
There may be rules to follow for Brioche but learning the Cool Wool way won't seem complicated.
The Basics
Continuing on in Fundamentals we cover how to create various patterns worked in rows.
Although we have called this 'the basics' it will enable you to practice the intricacies of Brioche and create stunning work.
Here are some sample practice pieces created by previous students. None of these students had any experience of Brioche before starting the workshop.
Taking It Up A Stitch
In the Advanced workshop we move to the next level, building on your existing knowledge and skills gained in the Fundamentals workshop.
Now you know how to 'colour by numbers' with Brioche we will now teach you how to 'keep it inside the lines' to make your creations even more elegant.
We all make mistakes but don't worry, I can teach you how to fix those mistakes with no 'rubbing out' involved !
Walking Away Confident
Once you have mastered how to correct mistakes, it is time to move on.
Learning a variety of advanced stitch patterns, you can combine them in a multitude of ways for a different look.
By the end of the Advanced workshop you will have the confidence to take on any Brioche pattern that takes your fancy!
So, let me ask you a question
Do you like learning new knitting techniques? Maybe you have heard of Brioche but been put off by the fact that is seems so complicated?
Well, I can offer you a comprehensive learning platform and the time to learn at your own pace.
Why not see what previous students have said about the Brioche workshops below?
Student Reviews
Don't Take Our Word For It
Great Learning Experience
I really enjoy this course. I felt that the lessons were excellently explained and easy to follow.
The timing of lessons was great, giving plenty of time to get to grips with the stitches and practice each step before the next was introduced.
I am delighted that I was able to achieve these first stages in Brioche Knitting and feel that was all down to Carol’s excellent teaching. All in all this was indeed a great learning experience for me.
Laureen Ralston
Brioche from zero to I get it
What a brilliant course! The videos to follow were so well done and at a speed that you can knit along to and extensive notes to look back on. Fantastic as always.
Teri wareham
★★★★★
★★★★★
A brilliant introduction into Tech Editing
Carol is incredibly knowledgeable and a great teacher, I learnt so much over a few days and have now decided to continue my studies to become a Tech Editor. Thank you for such a great course.
★★★★★
Very helpful
This was just what I needed to get started. Brioche's instructions definitely daunted me, and they made no sense to me, but this course was a pain-free way to demystify them. Thank you so much for offering this resource!
Valina Cutler
Brilliant course
Thank you, Carol, for this course; the videos and notes are very helpful, well explained, and easy for me to learn Brioche. Looking forward to part 2!
Carine Art
★★★★★
Very useful
I thoroughly enjoyed doing this course. I found it very informative and it has given me the skills to make things in brioche knitting.
Clare Jeffs
★★★★★
Wonderful introduction to Brioche
I really enjoyed the pace of this course, each part had enough to be a do-able challenge, and each module led on nicely from the previous one. Thank you Carol!
Mairin Ni Dhonncha
★★★★★
Brioche part one
Superb course, lovely clear instructions both written and video. Looking forward to part two. In meantime doing jumper in single colour with increases and decreases.
Teresa Cresswell
★★★★★
Excellent
Seeing and hearing the instructions made it more comprehensible than reading them, thank you. I am feeling more confident now.
Sara Whitley-Kinzett
★★★★★
What's not to love!
I have really enjoyed the Brioche learn-a-long. I have found both the notes and video's to be of a high quality, in fact the notes were so good I didn't really need to watch all the video.
It has been wonderful to learn something new and challenging, I did mess up a few times so need to practice, despite this I feel confident enough in my new skills to move on and try out one of the recommended patterns. Just need to decide which one.
Thank you Carol for yet another wonderful course that has inspired me to progress my skills further.
Sally Coomber
★★★★★
As described...
Really helped a lady in her 70’s who has always wanted to do brioche. Fantastic
Rosalind Daniels
★★★★★
What you’re getting in detail...
✔️ Two Colour Italian Cast On Method: Why Use this; How to Cast On; How to Work the Set Up Rows
✔️ How to Read Brioche Charts, Working the Herringbone Pattern from a Chart or Written Instructions
✔️ Four Stitch Decreases; Four Stitch Increases; Working the Stag Pattern from a Chart or Written Instructions; Observations on This Pattern (to see how Brioche 'sways')
✔️ Combining Brioche with other Stitch Patterns across a Row: Brioche with Garter Stitch; Brioche with Double Knitting
✔️ Two Stitch Purl Increases, Two Stitch Left Sloping Decreases over Purl Stitches; Two Stitch Right Sloping Decreases over Purl Stitches
✔️ Brioche in the Round: Getting Set Up to work in the Round; Working Standard Brioche in the Round; Casting (Binding) Off in the Round
✔️ Fixing Mistakes Revisited: Unpicking Individual Stitches, Ripping Back Rows, Unravelling One Column of Stitches and Reworking Dropped Stitches
✔️ Italian Cast (Bind) Off Method for a Neat, Stretchy Edge
✔️ Six Advanced Patterns you can now Tackle
✔️ The Basics: How Brioche works; Needle and Yarn considerations, The 'Bark' Stitch; Counting Rows and Stitches; Brioche terminology; One Colour Brioche
✔️ The 'Burp' stitch; Syncopated One Colour Brioche, English versus Continental Hold
✔️ Two Colour Brioche Considerations; Working each Row twice on a Circular Needle; The Importance of Using Lifelines
✔️ Two Colour Brioche with Syncopation
✔️ Two Stitch Increases; Two Stitch Left Sloping Decreases; Two Stitch Right Sloping Decreases
✔️ Sample Stitch Patterns: Do the Twist, Raindrops, Branches
✔️ Fixing Mistakes: Unpicking Individual Stitches, Ripping Back Rows
✔️ Casting Off & Six Free Patterns
Want to grab this challenge with both hands?
Buy Brioche Part 1 Fundamentals and Part 2 Advanced together and save £10
Take a look at what we learn in Part 2 below ⬇️
Why Learn from Me?
I have been involved in teaching for much of my working life, first of all in the world of computing and now in the wonderful world of knitting and crochet.
As we know teaching real world knitting workshops in yarn shops took a nose dive when Covid hit, so I started to investigate how to get my workshops up and running online.
I invested in a course for myself to ensure that I could give my students the best possible experience of learning online. I didn't want to just throw some resources online and hope people would be able to learn from them!
Well, that course stood me in good stead and I now have comprehensive techniques workshops as well as tech editing introductory workshops running online, which are taken by a whole host of people.
I am passionate about teaching and love the responses I get from satisfied students - there is nothing better than getting feedback from folk who have learned from my workshops and now have a new skill under their belt.
I would love for you to be one of those people and enjoy the incredible world of Brioche knitting.
I am Carol and I help those who love knitting or crochet to be able to learn new skills and share their passion for these wonderful crafts
Frequently asked questions
Where Will These Workshops Happen?
The self-study workshop videos are all pre-recorded; once you have completed checkout, you will have immediate access.
You can also download and print the notes accompanying each video.
How Long Is Each Session
The pre-recorded modules are broken into chunks, each one covering a specific topic. There are exercises at the end of each main topic for you to work on.
You can follow along with the videos as you work on the exercises or watch the videos first and then do the exercises from the written notes. It's completely up to you.
Will I Be Able To Ask Carol Questions?
As these are self-study workshops, this is not available. However if you join us in the Cool Wool Community you can ask Carol questions and meet others. The Community can be accessed here: https://courses.coolwoolschool.com/products/communities/cool-wool-community
Will I Be Confident to take on any Brioche Pattern After This Workshop?
After the Part 1 Fundamentals workshop you will be confident working most row based Brioche patterns and be able to fix most issues you may come across.
After the Part 2 Advanced workshop you will be able to work Brioche in the round, take on more advanced stitch patterns, read Brioche charts, produce beautiful finished edges and fix any issues.