New project: Brioche (knitting) in (Scheepjes) Peru

After weeks of rain, the weather in Southern England has turned perfectly wintery - bright and sunny but cold with frosty mornings. So this week I've been knitting brioche in Peru. Not the country in South America (sadly), but a very warm and snuggly - yet lightweight - yarn from Scheepjes*. Combining 20% Alpaca and 80% acrylic, Peru comes in 100g / 75m balls in a range of nine neutral shades and I can't quite decide if this one is grey or brown because it seems to change colour in different lights - when I ordered it I thought it would be more brown, but it could really be worn with / as either. Originally intended for another project, it caught my eye while learning to knit the brioche stitch and seemed like a cosy option for such a squishy stitch. 

So what am I making? After being reminded of my button-cufflinks from five years ago, I decided to whip up a really simple wrap, using some buttons (pictured) to hold it in place. As it's a very relaxing knit, I've been able to pick it up and put it down easily between other things - the basic brioche rib stitch is very straightforward, once you get the hang of it. 

To the uninitiated, the stitch could be confused for a standard 1x1 rib, but on closer inspection you can see that the stitch produces a more intricate, thick and lofty fabric with a lot of stretch. Combined with this thick and airy yarn, I think this should make a really cosy winter accessory. As it's knit on 10mm needles (12mm for cast on/bind off), it shouldn't take too long to finish and I'll be back with the completed project next week. I plan to take some step-by-step photos for you to see how the stitch works too, so stay tuned if you'd like to give it a go!

*Find links to lots of free crochet and knitting patterns using Scheepjes yarns on the Blogger Inspiration Pages, where some of my own projects are featured.