December 2024

Newly-published books

I think Brioche Knitting Workshop by Lavanya Patricella is a great book for knitters wanting to learn brioche. It includes 15 modern patterns that guide you from simple to more complex designs. As a brioche newbie myself, I appreciated the progression, knowing I wouldn't be overwhelmed by too many techniques at the start.

The patterns focus mainly on accessories, which are ideal if you're just starting with brioche, since they tend to be small and often don't need a lot of shaping. Lavanya has also chosen super bulky yarns for the very simplest patterns, giving you a quick early win.

The book provides lots of photo tutorials, covering the basics and also some of the trickier aspects of brioche. The tutorials start with the funny-sounding "brk" and "brp" stitches ("brioche knit" and "brioche purl", respectively), before moving onto increases, decreases and how to pick up the dreaded dropped stitches. I think this last tutorial is an essential one if you want to progress with brioche. I've known knitters pull back an entire brioche project because they couldn't fix a dropped stitch!

However, I did have some trouble knowing where to start. The "Getting started with brioche" section had lots of useful information, but I found it hard to grasp some of it without having stitches on my needles. I tried to make a practice swatch, but the setup instructions were separate from the main brioche instructions and I couldn't work out how to combine the two.

Skipping ahead to the simplest pattern solved this problem for me. In the pattern, everything was written out in a way that I could follow. There were a few parts where I needed extra help, but for those I just flipped back to the relevant tutorial, and everything became clear. Re-reading the "Basics" chapter after I'd got a little practical experience was useful and made a lot more sense!

I'm glad I persevered. I'm really enjoying knitting brioche and seeing the textured fabric emerge from my needles. I'd say this is a great book if you want to explore brioche and make some deliciously squishy accessories.

New and discontinued yarns

New

Araucania
Casita – Heavy Worsted – 56% Alpaca, 24% Wool, 20% Nylon – Brushed bouclé – Speckled colors
Fiesta – Super Bulky – 100% Merino Superwash Wool – Single ply – Multicolored

By Laxtons
SheepSoft Fibreknit – Super Bulky – 100% Wool – Chained – Heathered colors

Elements
Amplify – DK – 100% Acrylic – Plied – Long zip

Gründl
Alpasoft – Aran – 63% Alpaca, 37% Nylon – Chained – Self-striping (gradient transition)

Hand Maiden Fine Yarn
Selkie – Worsted – 70% Kid Mohair, 30% Silk – Brushed bouclé – Solid colors, Tonal colors, Multicolored

Himalaya Yarn
Dolphin Mystery – Jumbo – 100% Polyester – Chenille – Self-striping

Hobbii
Coriandoli – Bulky – 52% Wool, 48% Acrylic – Chained – Dotted colors
Daily Stitch Wool Blend Tweed – Aran – 80% Acrylic, 15% Wool, 5% Viscose – Tweedy – Tweed colors

Hoooked
Woool'e – DK – 60% Wool, 40% Cotton – Tweedy – Semi-solid colors

Katia
Concept Silk Alpaca Natural Colors – Sport – 74% Superfine Alpaca, 26% Silk – Brushed bouclé – Undyed colors

Knit Picks / We Crochet
Ewe & Billy – DK – 75% Merino Wool, 25% Kid Mohair – 2 ply – Solid colors
Gossy – Sport – 65% Cupro, 35% Merino Wool – Plied – Solid colors

Lion Brand
Wool-Ease DK – DK – 80% Acrylic, 20% Superwash Wool – Plied – Solid colors

Loops & Threads
Classic Cotton – Worsted – 100% Cotton – Plied – Solid colors

Miss Babs
k2 – Bulky – 100% Merino Wool – Plied – Solid colors, Tonal colors, Multicolored, Speckled colors

Quince and Co
Dove – Light Fingering – 83% Kid Mohair, 17% Mulberry Silk – Brushed bouclé – Solid colors

Red Heart
Flower Power – Heavy Worsted – 100% Acrylic – Plied – Self-striping

Schulana
Feelings – Sport – 60% Merino Wool, 20% Baby Alpaca, 20% Cashmere – Plied with a soft haze – Solid colors
Kid Brushed – Bulky – 77% Kid Mohair, 18% Merino Wool, 5% Nylon – Fuzzy – Solid colors

Sirdar
Loveful 100% Recycled Acrylic DK – DK – 100% Acrylic – Plied – Solid colors
Loveful 100% Recycled Tweed Blend DK – DK – 40% Polyester, 40% Superwash Wool, 20% Acrylic – Tweedy – Tweed colors

Skein Queen
Bonnie – Fingering – 80% Merino Superwash Wool, 20% Bamboo Viscose – Plied – Tonal colors, Multicolored, Speckled colors

SweetGeorgia Yarns
Mulberry Silk 20/2 – Light Fingering – 100% Mulberry Silk – 2 ply – Tonal colors, Multicolored

The Plucky Knitter
Legacy Aran – Aran – 100% Merino Wool – 2 ply – Solid colors, Tonal colors, Multicolored, Speckled colors
Plume DK – DK – 90% Suri Alpaca, 10% Silk – Fuzzy – Solid colors, Tonal colors

Universal Yarn
Jingle Jolly – Aran – 75% Acrylic, 25% Alpaca – Plied with a soft haze – Solid colors

Yarnsmiths
Merino DK Superwash – DK – 100% Merino Superwash Wool – Plied – Solid colors

Zwerger Garn
Opal Feine Merinowolle – Fingering – 75% Merino Superwash Wool, 25% Nylon – Plied – Self-striping

Discontinued

Dragonfly Fibers
Damsel – Sport – 100% Merino Superwash Wool – Plied – Solid colors, Tonal colors, Multicolored
Dragon Sock – Fingering – 100% Merino Superwash Wool – Tightly plied – Solid colors, Tonal colors, Multicolored
Super Traveller – Bulky – 100% Merino Superwash Wool – Plied – Solid colors, Tonal colors, Multicolored

Ella Rae
Alpaca Mohair Degradé – Lace – 34% Kid Mohair, 34% Superfine Alpaca, 32% Nylon – Brushed bouclé – Gradient

Ice Yarns
Pure Silk – Lace – 100% Silk – 2 ply – Solid colors

Loopy Mango
Fluffy Alpaca – Jumbo – 88% Superfine Alpaca, 12% Wool – Fuzzy – Solid colors

Miss Babs
Caroline – Fingering – 70% Merino Superwash Wool, 20% Cashmere, 10% Nylon – Plied – Solid colors, Tonal colors, Multicolored, Gradient sets

Navia
Lamb – DK – 80% Alpaca, 15% Wool, 5% Nylon – Bouclé – Solid colors

ONline
Linie 157 Tessa – Worsted – 100% Superwash Wool – Plied – Solid colors, Heathers

Quince and Co
Phoebe – DK – 100% Merino Wool – Plied – Tonal colors

If you'd like to get in touch, please send a mail to hello@yarnsub.com (you can simply reply to this mail) or find me on Instagram.

Wishing you a wonderful Christmas and New Year break, hopefully with plenty of knitting and crochet.

See you in January 2025!

Wendy

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