Brioche Gradient Scarf
Want to get cozy? Brioche stitch is inherently thick and decadently lofty, and in our super bulky Woolly Wool, it’s that and more!
The beautiful hills and valleys of our Brioche Gradient Scarf take on monumental proportions, while shifting colors create a landscape under the sun and in the shadows.
We knit our scarf up in a world of celestial blues, but our Brioche Gradient Scarf Bundle (Note: no longer available) also comes in sunrise pinks and desert greens. Pick your escape and get ready to get cozy!
If you love the yarn used in this project, you’ll love all of our other yarn, too! Explore our 35+ lovingly created yarn collections, in nearly every natural fiber and spectacular color you can imagine… Only available here at Purl Soho’s online yarn shop!
Designed by Purl Soho designer, Jake Canton. Click here to see even more of Jake’s designs!
Share your progress + connect with the community by tagging your pics with #PurlSoho, #PurlSohoBusyHands, #PurlSohoBriocheGradientScarf, and #PurlSohoWoollyWool. We can’t wait to see what you make!
Materials
We used the Blues palette of our Brioche Gradient Scarf Bundle (Note: The Brioche Gradient Scarf Bundle is no longer available). It includes…
4 skeins of Purl Soho’s Woolly Wool, 100% wool. Each skein is 109 yards/ 200 grams.
- Color A: 1 skein of Woolly Wool in Heirloom White, approximately 83 yards required
- Color B: 1 skein of Woolly Wool in Ice Pond; approximately 72 yards required
- Color C: 1 skein of Woolly Wool in Juniper Berry; approximately 72 yards required
- Color D: 1 skein of Woolly Wool in Stormy Sea; approximately 83 yards required
You will also need…
- US 17 (12 mm), 24- or 32-inch circular needles (circular needles required to work two-color brioche stitch)
The bundle also comes in these pretty palettes…
- Color A: Heirloom White
- Color B: Winter Green
- Color C: Green Agave
- Color D: Sea Turtle
- Color A: Heirloom White
- Color B: Peach Lily
- Color C: Blossom Pink
- Color D: Red Smoke
Gauge
5¾ stitches and 12 rows (6 brioche rows) = 4 inches in brioche stitch
7½ stitches and 10½ rows = 4 inches in stockinette stitch
Size
Finished Dimensions: 9 inches wide x 70 inches long
Notes
Brioche Stitch
Abbreviations
YOS [yarn over slip]: Bring yarn forward, slip 1 purlwise, bring yarn over right needle.
bk2tog (brioche knit 2 together): Knit the next stitch together with its paired yarn over.
bp2tog (brioche purl 2 together): Purl the next stitch together with its paired yarn over.
One-Color Brioche Stitch
NOTE: For a video demonstration on working the steps of Brioche Stitch, please visit our Brioche Stitch: One-Color Brioche Tutorial!
Row 1 (right side): K1, *bk2tog (see Abbreviations above), YOS (see above), repeat from * to last 2 stitches, bk2tog, k1.
Row 2 (wrong side): K1, *YOS, bk2tog, repeat from * to last 2 stitches, YOS, k1.
Two-Color Brioche Stitch
NOTE: For help with this stitch, please visit our Brioche Stitch: Two-Color Brioche Tutorial!
Row 1 (right side): With Yarn 2 in front and Yarn 1 in back, with Yarn 2, k1, *bk2tog (see Abbreviations above), YOS (see above), repeat from * to last 2 stitches, bk2tog, k1. Slide work (see Turn + Slide below).
Row 2 (right side): With Yarn 1, p1, *YOS, bp2tog (see above), repeat from * to last 2 stitches, YOS, p1. Turn work (see Turn + Slide below).
Row 3 (wrong side): Holding Yarn 1 in front of Yarn 2, with Yarn 2, p1, *bp2tog, YOS, repeat from * to last 2 stitches, bp2tog, p1. Slide work.
Row 4 (wrong side): With Yarn 1, k1, *YOS, bk2tog, repeat from * to last 2 stitches, YOS, k1. Turn work.
Turn + Slide
When you work this Stitch Pattern, you either “turn” or “slide” the work at the end of each row.
“Turn work” means to do what you would normally do when knitting rows with circular needles: Transfer the needle from your left hand into your right hand and the needle from your right hand into your left, flipping the work around so the opposite side is facing you.
“Slide work” means to keep the same side of the work facing you and to push all the stitches to the right end of the circular needles. Without turning the work, start the new row as you normally would.
You will know that you’re doing this right if the yarn you need to complete the next row is right there waiting for you!
Stitch Multiple
This pattern works over an odd multiple of stitches.
Pattern
With Color A, cast on 13 stitches. We used a basic Long Tail Cast On.
Set-Up Row (wrong side): *K1, YOS, repeat from * to last stitch, k1.
Repeat Rows 1 and 2 of One-Color Brioche Stitch (see Notes) until piece measures 14 inches from cast-on edge, ending with Row 2.
Join Color B.
With Color A as Yarn 1 and Color B as Yarn 2, repeat Rows 1-4 of Two-Color Brioche Stitch (see Notes) until piece measures 28 inches from cast-on edge, ending with Row 4.
Cut Color A.
With Color B, repeat Rows 1 and 2 of One-Color Brioche Stitch once.
Join Color C.
With Color B as Yarn 1 and Color C as Yarn 2, repeat Rows 1-4 of Two-Color Brioche Stitch until piece measures 42 inches from cast-on edge, ending with Row 4.
Cut Color B.
With Color C, repeat Rows 1 and 2 of One-Color Brioche Stitch once.
Join Color D.
With Color C as Yarn 1 and Color D as Yarn 2, repeat Rows 1-4 of Two-Color Brioche Stitch until piece measures 56 inches from cast-on edge, ending with Row 4.
Cut Color C.
With Color D, repeat Rows 1 and 2 of One-Color Brioche Stitch until piece measures 70 inches from cast-on edge, ending with Row 2.
Bind-Off Row (right side): K2, pass first stitch over, *p1, pass first stitch over, k1, pass first stitch over, repeat from * to last stitch, k1, pass first stitch over. Cut yarn and pull through remaining stitch.
Weave in ends and steam block.
Looking for more inspiration? Explore all of our free knitting patterns and knitting tutorials, buy one of our many knitting kits and yarn bundles, and shop for beautiful yarn. We have over 35 gorgeous natural fiber yarns in 100’s of magnificent colors, designed to bring integrity, beauty, and joy to your next knitting project and only available at Purl Soho!
I love this pattern and the yarn is gorgeous but could you please suggest a less bulky yarn and needle size to knit up this pattern? The friend I would like to knit it for is quite petite and would get swallowed up in the Wooly Wool.
Thank you so much!
Caroline
Hi Caroline,
Thanks for reaching out! I would suggest our Super Soft Merino with a US 11 needle or Worsted Twist with a US 7 needle for a less bulky scarf! You can work a gauge swatch with whichever yarn you decide on and use that to calculate your cast on amount!
I hope this helps and please let me know if you have any more questions!
Warmly,
Gianna
Hi Gianna,
I am also interested in knitting this pattern in a less bulky yarn and would like to use the super soft merino you suggested in this post. How many skeins of each color yarn should I buy? I realize I’ll have to experiment with the cast on number for the pattern.
Thanks,
Dawn
Hi Dawn,
Thanks for reaching out! You would need exactly 1 skein of Super Soft Merino in each of the 4 colors to make this scarf. Since it’s cutting it so close, I’d actually suggest purchasing 2 of each, to be sure you won’t run short. If you do end up ordering 2 skeins of each color, I’d recommend only winding each skein when you know for sure you’ll need to use it. Then, you can return any yarn in its original condition for a refund (within 30 days) or for store credit (within 6 months)!
All the best,
Lili
Thank you Lili 🙂 I’ll do as you suggested and order 2 skeins of each color. I’ll also only wind one skein at a time. Thanks again for your help!
Cheers,
Dawn
Hi! I’d love to make smaller versions for my daughters. Any advice on how to make this kid sized (maybe less cast on and shorter length)? Do you think I would have enough yarn for two scarves if I sized down? Thank you SO much!!
Hi Courtney!
I think you’re on the right track – the easiest way to make this scarf more kid sized would be to reduce the number of stitches cast on and reduce the length. If you wanted to halve the current scarf pattern, you’d end up with two 4.5″ x 35″. If that sounds like a good fit for your daughters, I’d recommend casting on either 5 or 7 stitches to start and following the pattern from there!
I hope this helps, and let us know if you have any other questions!
Happy Knitting!
Kelsey
This is my first time doing brioche but this pattern was written in such a confusing way.. even with the video linked it was not so helpful as the video didn’t show the rows being completed.. I think it could have been more helpful if the rows were more clearly defined, and there was less text complicating things as I have to keep scrolling back and forth instead of just reading a pattern
Hi Sabrina,
Thanks for reaching out! I am so sorry to hear that you had a difficult time with this pattern! If you would like any extra one-on-one assistance, please feel free to reach out to our customer service team at [email protected] they are more than happy to help with any issues and can work with you directly!
I hope this helps, happy knitting!
Gianna
Hi
Just wondering if it’s possible for you to send the yarn in balls or will I have to do that myself? I usually like to do that in the store before bringing the yarn home.
Hi Amy,
Thanks for reaching out! If you want your skeins wound, you can indicate that in the Special Instructions section at checkout. We’re only able to wind 2 skeins per order, since we’re working with a limited staff, and it adds a lot of additional processing time when we’re already experiencing delays. So just bee aware that it will take about a week before we can ship your order! I hope you can understand.
All the best,
Lili
Can you please clarify the two-color brioche instructions. In the video tutorial, the second color is added as a one-time set-up row. The instructions above don’t mention when to add the second color. In Row 1 of the instructions, apparently, the second color has already been added. The video tutorial shows adding the second color after the cast on row and after turning the work, which would result in color 2 tail being at the opposite end of the needle as color 1. However, the instructions for Row 1 assume both colors are at the same end. (“With Yarn 2 in front and Yarn 1 in back…”) Can you help me sort this out? The only way that could happen is if instead of turning the cast on row, it is slid. Thanks!
Hi Judy,
Thanks for writing in. In this pattern, you’ll actually work in one-color brioche for 14 inches before joining in the second color! You’ll add in the second color when the pattern says “Join Color B.” I can see how the instructions for two-color brioche in the notes are confusing in this regard, though. For the first row when you join in Color B, you can disregard the instructions “With Yarn 2 in front and Yarn 1 in back.” But this will become useful once you’ve completed Row 4 and are ready to work Row 1 again! Hope this clears things up.
All the best,
Lili
Trying to learn how to switch from one-color brioche to two-color brioche based on this pattern has been incredibly frustrating. Specifically, what the video refers to as Row 1, the pattern appears to refer to as Row 2. Can someone confirm that that’s an accurate interpretation? I can’t find a single video on the internet showing how to transition from one color brioche to two color, and I’ve ripped out my work probably four times already.
Hi Sharon,
Thanks for writing in, and I’m sorry to hear that this pattern has been so frustrating! I’m eager to help out in any way I can. As you’ve been noticing, there are some differences between the videos and the instructions for this pattern. That’s because the videos are meant to provide the most basic and general instructions for these brioche techniques, but each pattern will be slightly more nuanced. Both are correct! I’d recommend using the videos to get comfortable with brioche techniques, but only follow the pattern instructions for the actual project.
In this pattern, you will switch between one- and two-color brioche after a Row 2 of one-color brioche, beginning with a Row 1 of two-color brioche. So once you’re done with a one-color Row 2, use Color B as Yarn 2 and begin knitting Row 1 of the two-color brioche instructions with that yarn. From there, you can continue through Rows 2 – 4, and just like that, you’ll be on your way with two-color brioche!
I hope this helps clarify things, and please let me know if you have any other questions!
All the best,
Lili