Midnight Brioche Cowl Knitting Pattern

Midnight Brioche Cowl in Lion Brand Hometown USA

What Is Being Made

The Midnight Brioche Cowl is a circular cowl neck accessory knitted in the round using the brioche stitch technique. This finished piece measures approximately 54–60 inches in circumference and 6½ inches in height, making it a versatile layering piece suitable for various neckline styles. The cowl is constructed using two contrasting yarn colors from the Lion Brand Hometown USA collection to create a distinctive two-color brioche pattern.

Techniques Used

This pattern employs the brioche stitch, a textured knitting technique that creates a reversible, elastic fabric with a distinctive ribbed appearance. The brioche stitch is worked in the round using circular needles, and the pattern incorporates color changes on every round to build the two-color brioche design. The technique involves three primary brioche-specific stitches that work together to create the characteristic texture and drape of brioche knitting.

The pattern includes photo tutorials to guide knitters through the brioche stitch techniques, making it accessible for those learning this method for the first time. The design does not require precise gauge matching, which simplifies the construction process.

Stitches Used

The Midnight Brioche Cowl is built on three essential brioche stitches:

• S1yo (Slip 1, Yarn Over): This stitch creates a pair of loops on the right needle by combining a yarn over with a slip stitch. The working yarn is brought to the front between needles, a yarn over is made to move the yarn to the back, and the next stitch is slipped as if to purl while keeping the working yarn in back.
• BRK1 (Brioche Knit Stitch): This stitch works the paired loops created by the S1yo in the previous round by knitting them together, resulting in a single loop on the right needle.
• BRP1 (Brioche Purl Stitch): Similar to the brioche knit stitch, this stitch purls the paired loops together from the previous round, creating a single loop on the right needle.

These three stitches are alternated in rounds to create the brioche texture, with yarn color changes occurring every round to establish the two-color pattern.

Materials and Tools

The Midnight Brioche Cowl is worked in Lion Brand Hometown USA yarn, a worsted-weight option available in multiple colorways. This pattern uses two specific colors: #302 Aspen Tweed (2 balls) and #153 South Dakota Black (1 ball), which combine to create the midnight-inspired colorway.

The project requires a Lion Brand circular needle in size 13 (9 mm), 29 inches long, which accommodates the finished circumference of the cowl while allowing for comfortable knitting in the round. Additional tools include Lion Brand stitch markers to track round progression and a Lion Brand large-eyed blunt needle for weaving in yarn ends.

The pattern specifies a gauge of 7 brioche stitches over approximately 4 inches in brioche stitch, though precise gauge matching is not essential for successful completion of this project.

Skill Level

While this pattern is marked as intermediate skill level, it is well-suited for knitters with some experience in circular knitting and those willing to learn brioche stitch techniques. The inclusion of photo tutorials and clear stitch explanations makes it an excellent project for expanding knitting skills.