Brioche - a form of knitting that produces a fantastic reversible effect. It's tricky and pretty.

Of course, it's another 'dive in the deep end' and I went straight for two-colour. Working with two colours, you work across a row with one, slide the knitting back, and work the other colour, before turning to work the other side. It involves yarn overs and slip stitches in sequence which links the knitting yet dropping one colour behind the other.

And you have to get it right.

After three days of knitting, ripping out, knitting, ripping out, etc ad infinitum, I now have a few inches correctly formed.

Yes, it's a scarf. That tells you how tricky this technique is, as the other scarves I knit are generally in complicated cobweb lace.

Syncopated brioche occurs later in the pattern - essentially this reverses the standing colours - in diagonals, diamonds and stairstep shapes.

So lots more complicated stuff to come ... I might actually finish the lace silk scarf just as a respite for my brain!

The pattern is the Geveldak scarf taken from Knitting Brioche by Nancy Marchant, available on Amazon (other book selling merchants are available).

After, I had posted, I noticed a mistake halfway down the pink side of the knitting:


Now, I wasn't inclined to rip back 4" of hard won knitting, but I'd ripped back and re-knitted enough times to have acquired some knowledge of the formation of the stitches.

Using pins and a cushion (to stick the pins in), I unlocked the pink stitches down to the mistake, corrected the position of the brown strand and, using a crochet hook, hooked them back up. Hey presto, fixed:

I've spent the last six weeks or so knitting numerous pigs, gloves and a couple of scarves. So it was time for something completely different ....

I decided on a Shetland Lace scarf and, to add a little something extra, to do it in silk.

As usual, at first the lace looks messy and unlike the finished result.

There is a danger period, for me, until the end border has been done, the stitches picked up and the first lifeline has been put in, to give up, especially when dealing with silky smooth silk.

I didn't do headbands. I thought they were in the same category as knitted mobile phone covers - something for a beginning knitter to have a go at, but nothing anyone would actually want.

Well, it seems that I was wrong. So, having been asked to knit up some headbands, I thought I'd use the opportunity to practise some techniques and stitches.

Top band - simple 4 stitch cables. During this one I discovered that 'kinked' cable needles are actually quite useful. I usually use a dpn, but I have to admit that getting a couple of cable needles free with a magazine turned out to be pretty good.

The second is a straightforward headband in basket stitch. I rather like the textured effect of the stitch.

Then came some bobble practice, and, boy, did I regret that! They're not difficult, just a right faff if you're doing lots.

Finally, stranded colour work. I found the pirate pattern on someone else's headband pattern and just nicked skull and crossbones part of the chart.

I have been developing a fingerless glove pattern.

To the left is the working prototype that I have ended up with.

Left and right gloves are identical as I have not introduced any patterning (as yet).

I spent some time on the thumb increases.

Most increases are unsatisfactory. Ignoring yarn-over increases completely:

Knitting into front and back of a stitch leaves a bar - this I did not want.

Make one (L or R) leaves a tiny hole (a rather large one if you do it wrong). Although this is fine on a garment that is not likely to be under tension whilst worn, this was not right for the gloves.

I plumped for 'knitting into the stitch beneath and then the stitch' increase (it probably has a proper name). This leaves even less evidence than the 'make-one's. Placing correctly also gave a neat seam on both sides of the thumb.

For an added extra touch, I have added a fur trim below the ribbing. The ribbing is still there for comfort and fit.

Now, me being me, the fur yarn I had in my stash has been discontinued (obviously, as it's Sirdar). (It's Racoon flavour, for information.) Sirdar do Funky Fox now, that may or may not be an alternative, I have not seen it yet.