As a crochet designer, I have spent several years passionately developing and refining the art of brioche crochet. After publishing my book on brioche crochet patterns, A City Walk, I knew my journey wasn't finished. I kept searching for ways to push the craft further—specifically, how to make brioche crochet fabric softer, more flexible, and full of elegant drape.
Inspired by Brioche Knitting
During this search, I found immense inspiration in the amazing work of Stephen West, the ultimate master of brioche knitting. His fluid, organic lines showed me what was possible with fiber, and I became determined to bring that same dramatic movement into the crochet world.
A few years ago, during my stay in Amsterdam, I visited the Stephen&Penelope yarn shop and saw brioche knitting projects by Stephen West in person. I was blown away by the softness and the drape of hiw Flying Fowxtail patterns. At that very moment, I told myself that I would love to find a way to achieve the same effect in crochet.
And a few years later, here it is! My Drifting Leaves Scarf design!
The pattern is now available on Ravelry HERE and Etsy HERE.
A New Way to Create Brioche Fabric
This pattern is the result of that creative challenge. By blending my years of brioche crochet engineering with the inspiration drawn from Westknits' iconic aesthetic, I have created a unique crochet construction that achieves the perfect, supple drape I’ve been longing for.
If you have tried some of my brioche crochet patterns or if you own my book, you probably already know that because of the two layers used at the same time, brioche crochet fabric can become a little thick and stiff, especially when using cotton yarns.
That makes it a perfect technique for home decorations, such as pillows and rugs. And for bigger projects, like blankets, garments, and wearable accessories, where sophisticated drape is needed, I’ve always recommended mixing the brioche elements and motifs with other, plain stitch patterns.
For a sweater, for example, the best solution would be to crochet a brioche yoke and then use plain stitches for the lower body and sleeves.
But with a new construction tweak introduced in the Drifting Leaves Scarf pattern, it is possible to create larger brioche pieces with excellent drape.
This new brioche fabric has spaces and is see-through; however, the spaces are small, and this new way of doing brioche crochet is suitable for all kinds of crochet projects, including blankets and garments.
The logic of using two colors without cutting the yarn and building the brioche stitch pattern with increases and decreases stays the same. Only the way of crocheting the background differs.
So, in fact, it is still the same brioche crochet as featured in A City Walk book and in my self-published brioche crochet patterns on Ravelry and Etsy.
About the Pattern
For the Drifting Leaves Scarf, you will need yarn in two contrasting colors. The pattern is written for two or more branches with leaves and can be easily enlarged to a blanket size, for example.
The pattern comes in English, using US terms, and contains full written instructions, a photo tutorial, and a link to a video tutorial.
I have created two samples using different yarns. For one scarf, I mixed Scheepjes Arcadia yarn with Rhythm Mohair, and another sample was crocheted with Scheepjes Woolly Whirl and Scheepjes Whirlette yarns.
One sample features two branches and has a bigger gauge, while the other scarf was made with three branches. And they are both approximately the same size.
If you’d like to try it out, you can grab your own copy on Ravelry HERE and Etsy HERE.
Hope you enjoy!
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