I’m happily knitting away on my Simply Stellar (brioche plus assigned pooling shawlette) sample, and test knitters are beginning theirs, too. I love this yarn combo; it’s Wildflowers (pooling) and Sassy (pink) Deluxe Sock from A Chick that Knitz. There is just a tiny overlap of that fuchsia in the pooling yarn, but not enough to be confusing to the eye. Perfect!
I misread my intentions and started with a US3 needle instead of a US4. Not a big difference, but I decided to change mid-project. I wouldn’t do that on a sweater, but on a bias brioche shawlette? It’s not really going to show. It might give it a tiny bit more drape, and it might make me finish a tiny bit sooner. I was 126 rows in when I decided to swap needles. And then I swapped needles again today after another 6 inches, because my yarn was catching on a rough spot where the needle goes into the metal join, grrr. So away with the Knitters Pride Ginger (I usually really like these), and onto a KnitPicks wooden interchangeable that was in my stash. Things are going more smoothly now.
Sometimes the pooling color pops up where you don’t want it. One way to deal with it is to knit a pooling motif in the background color of the pooling yarn. This will reset where the color pool happens.
Another way is to cut your yarn and move the pooling color along. But that means you’ll have more ends to sew in. I don’t cut until I’m done with the project, because sometimes I frog entire projects! So I just pull up a big loop of the background color of the pooling yarn.
I’m enjoying this knit. I’ll have time to work on it this weekend. Airplane knitting! My sisters and I are going to our cousin’s wedding celebration. Yay, family time!
Yes, two of them! Both are for accessories knit with brioche + pooling.
Scattered Petals is a bandana-style cowl that features brioche plus assigned pooling. It’s knit in the round with 2 skeins of fingering weight yarn, one of which should be dyed for assigned pooling. The pattern is written for two sizes, and you can customize further if you wish. Yarn shown is from Yarn Snob/Knits All Done from Keith Leonard. Colors are Black Orchid and Wicked Green on A Good Fingering base.
Simply Stellar is a shawlette featuring brioche and assigned pooling stars. It’s knit flat using 2 skeins of fingering weight yarn, one of which should be dyed for assigned pooling. This design is the result of a conversation I had at Nash Yarn Fest. Yarn dyer Tammy Pelfrey (A Chick That Knitz) mentioned that she loves my Starstruck Shawlette, but brioche + syncopated brioche + assigned pooling can be intimidating to newer brioche knitters. I decided to design a simpler shawlette with no syncopated border. There is minimal shaping as a backdrop to the assigned pooling stars. Yarn is A Chick that Knitz Singles Fingering in Tropical Flowers and Caribbean.
These two test knits are both mashups of brioche + assigned pooling. You should already know how to knit brioche to test knit. Previous experience with assigned pooling isn’t necessary; there’s a video tutorial for each assigned pooling motif.
Both of these patterns have been professionally tech edited. Why test knit? It helps me to fine tune the instructions. Tech editing gets me halfway there, but real life knitters really help. Test knitters get early access to the pattern and tutorials, and help future knitters. The test knits will run for 4 weeks. You provide your own yarn, and keep the sample you knit. Leave a note in the comments if you’re interested in test knitting; let me know which project.
I was merrily knitting along on my Simply Stellar, but then I decided I wanted to see what it looked like with more tonal contrast. I’m in love…guess I’m starting over because I’m obsessed. This is from A Chick that Knitz, Deluxe Sock in Wildflowers and Sassy.
Reader, the gauge in the second version of the cowl was much better, but the cowl was still too big/tall/wide after blocking. I want that vertical center line to be straight, not wobbling back and forth because the piece is too big, at least for me. I had a taller friend try it on, and it was better on her, but it still needs adjusting. I had about a half skein of each color left, so I promptly recalculated and cast on for the THIRD time. For ME.
Post-midnight bind off
This is more what I envisioned. It’s still going to grow with blocking, but I think it will be the right proportions. Yes, I could just steam block it, and not let it grow much, but I think something that is worn around your neck should be able to be washed, eventually! So I’ll definitely wet block it.
Soooo close. I need to block and photograph, and then it will be ready for a test knit call. Current name? Scattered Petals, or Cascading Petals. What do you think?
Design by trial and error. I do all this refiguring/reknitting so you don’t have to!
I loved designing and knitting Fired Up. I knew exactly what the yarn wanted to be, as soon as it was placed in my hand. I’d been thinking about this assigned pooling motif for months. In fact, I had already been planning a brioche/assigned pooling piece with it!
I started working with this color combo back in December while in Hawaii. When I ordered it, I thought the pooling yarn was black, with a pink and yellow color pop. Gray would be great with black.
But it turns out that Black Orchid is really a very dark purple. I didn’t like it with the gray; it gave me a cold jangly feeling. I tried it with white too, just because I had some, but the white wanted to be the star of the show. Light colors pop, right? And the Black Orchid should be the real star of the show here.
This orchid color was gorgeous, and I hoped it would work.
I loved it. (It was brighter in person.) This was the edging, with the purple orchid as the featured color, and syncopated flowers from the Black Orchid. The rest of the piece would feature Black Orchid with the leaf motif. But it was confusing to knit, because the colors were so similar. If it was confusing for me as the designer to knit, it would only be worse for the knitter. Back to the drawing board.
I looked at Keith’s (the dyer’s) inspiration photo for the Black Orchid colorway…what about that vivid green? I had some leftover Bellina from my Peekaboo Cowl, so I knit up a little swatch.
Posted onApril 14, 2025|Comments Off on Log Cabin Knitting winner, classes
And the winner is Helen Brisson! I’m emailing you so you can register for class. Congratulations!
If you didn’t win, you can still come to this online class. Register at the Vogue Knitting Live website; class is Saturday April 26. Edited to add: Flash! Use coupon code APRIL20 for 20% off remaining classes for this event.
I’m teaching three classes via three venues that weekend. I’m teaching brioche + pooling in-person at For Yarn’s Sake in Beaverton on Sunday, April 27. Class is for knitters who can knit brioche rib. We’ll cover the increases and decreases, syncopation, and assigned pooling in class. Fun!
And I’m kicking off that teaching weekend with Brioche Beginnings for Modern Daily Knitting online. Class is on Friday, April 25; you can register here.
Busy busy! These are my last classes for spring. May is…unsettled. Juggling lots of stuff in real life…
But I’m still knitting! Current project on the needles in Black Orchid and an unnamed green from Yarn Snob. I love this color combo.
Comments Off on Log Cabin Knitting winner, classes
I’m designing for Sweet Paprika Designs’ Skill Building Yarn Club! This club will have six project boxes over the next year, with yarn dyed by Sweet Paprika Designs. The projects include mosaic knitting, lace, colorwork, cables, steeking, and brioche. I’ll be designing an all new accessory (hat/cowl?) for this project.
Each box includes yarn, tutorials, and a pattern. And a little extra yarn so you can sample the technique before casting on.
You can sign up for an individual box, or the whole club at a discount. Use code NEW-SKILLS for $5 off your order. Sign up at Sweet Paprika Designs website here.
I’m extremely pleased to announce that I’ll be teaching an online class for Modern Daily Knitting. I’ll be using my Brioche Pastiche pattern to introduce knitters to 2 color brioche rib, and increases and decreases that create beautiful brioche patterning.
Screenshot from Modern Daily Knitting website
The live class will be Friday April 25. It also will be recorded, so you’re covered if you can’t make it on that date. You can also just play it again and again after class if you miss hearing my dulcet tones.
You can sign up for just the class, or include an optional pack of Modern Daily Knitting’s Atlas yarn, which is a lovely and squishable Rambouillet. Register here!
The Rose City Yarn Crawl is coming right up, Thursday March 6 – Sunday March 9. Lots of shops to visit, lots of prizes to win! The theme this year is “Our Sky Full of Stars.”
I’m having a trunk show on Thursday at For Yarn’s Sake, come say howdy! I’ll have lots of knits to squish, including my latest design, Starstruck. Way to fit the theme!
It’s busy season around here. This morning I gave a lecture on blocking and taught a class on brioche + assigned pooling for Vogue Knitting Online.
Trunk show is this week, and next week I’m heading to Nashville for NashYarnFest. This is the first NashYarnFest; it’s being put on by Modern Daily Knitting. I’m looking forward to knitting…and some music!
Speaking of Modern Daily Knitting, I have news! I’ll share in the next post…
The Starstruck shawlette combines two of my favorite knitting techniques, brioche and assigned pooling. This asymmetric triangle is knit from the narrow end to the wide end. The syncopated edging evokes swirling nebulas, and the body of the shawlette features assigned pooling stars.
The shawlette requires two skeins of fingering weight yarn, one of which should be dyed for assigned pooling. The assigned pooling yarn is featured in the body of the shawlette and stars, and the other yarn is featured in the syncopated edging.
Your pooling yarn tells you when it’s time to make the stars. I knit my shawlette with A Chick That Knitz Singles Fingering, in Hibernation and Caramel.
This pattern is available on Ravelry and Payhip. Use coupon code NEBULA for 15% off through March 5, 2025.
Thanks to tech editor Meaghan Schmaltz, test knitters Ann Berg, Debbie Braden, Diane de Souza, Nancy McNally, Annette Morsing, Lynn Murphy, Brynn Riordan, Tammy Pelfrey, Anna Zeigler, and model Sharon Hsu.
Special thanks to Tammy Pelfrey/A Chick that Knitz, for the beautiful yarn for this design.
And yes, I did change the name of this design from Stardust Nebula to Starstruck. Shorter, punchier, easier to remember? I hope so!
I had a great time at Red Alder last weekend. I taught 4 classes, took a class, shopped the market, and enjoyed the company of many fiber artists. There are a ton of pictures on my Instagram; pop over there to see them because they won’t all fit here!
I taught 3 brioche classes and one assigned pooling class. No class pictures, because I was too busy.
Nancy Marchant gave the keynote address, talking about her knitting career. She is deep into woven knitting now. She referenced an article about brioche that she wrote in 1992 for Vogue Knitting magazine.
Slides from the keynote
Later that evening, a passerby in the lobby asked us if there was a bread convention because they saw the brioche sign. Ha!
When I came home, I wondered if I still have that magazine, and yes I do.
It was interesting to read the article; brioche terminology has come a long way. BRK didn’t exist yet; Nancy called it k2tog, but noting that it was just one stitch. Nancy Marchant did so much work with the brioche stitch, her terminology is pretty much the standard for brioche knitting. I think I breezed right past the article in 1992; I was more interested in the recipe for knitting hats at that time.
Brioche plus pooling, and woven knitting
Always fun to express appreciation in person!
I took a class with Xandy Peters on center-out knitting. This is the kind of class where I know I could figure it out myself, but need a class to make me sit down and actually do it. We looked at three cast ons.
The first was a circular cast on that is much tidier than the one I’ve been using. Xandy affectionately called it the cat butt cast on; you can see why!
The second was Judy’s Magic Cast On (JMCO), done so the stitches on the second needle aren’t twisted. I use this infrequently, so it was nice to refresh my memory. The trick for remembering this is to think of swimming the forward crawl, so that the yarn is going over the needle each time. No twist!
The third cast on you don’t need to know if you can do JMCO, so I just kept knitting my rectangle (on which I probably messed up the increase corners, whoops).
We also talked about increase rates for knitting to lie flat, 4 increases every round on average, but you can arrange them/space them out as you like. Four increases per round, 8 increases every other round, etc. The sample pictured above is to remind me of that.
Starstruck and Peekaboo shawlettes
I wore my two new brioche plus pooling/algorithmic knitting shawlettes, among other things.
And test knitter Anne-Marie wore her Trailing Leaves cowl.
from Red Alder’s Instagram story
I sang a song about gauge one evening: Don’t Knit Twice, It’s Alright. I also sang with Amy Snell: Teach Your Knitters Well. Fun!
Maker’s Mercantile hosted my books, so we sold and signed a bunch of them. Anna from my class bought this one.
I visited my favorite window at the federal courthouse, which is in the old train station. The glass art is by Dale Chihuly.
We had a spectacular sunrise on Saturday,
with Mt. Rainier casting a shadow on the clouds. Stunning!
And it’s the end of an era and the beginning of a new one. This was the last Red Alder for John and Becky; they are handing over the reins to my singing buddy Amy and her business parter Karen. Look for more Red Alder next year, February 12-15, same location at the beautiful Hotel Murano in Tacoma, Washington.
Now I’m home, and I need to prepare a presentation for the Tigard Knitting Guild for Thursday evening. Aaaaaand, GO!
Find my patterns on Ravelry: Michele Bernstein Designs
Here are some of my favorites, and the newest. Many of my designs are also available through my Payhip store.
PDXKnitterati 