In 1976 I moved to the Netherlands.
It was there that I discovered the
patentsteek. It was a very common
stitch and experienced Dutch knitters
knew four different methods for
producing it.

As I began researching its history,
I found that among English-speaking
knitters, this stitch also had many
different names; Prime Rib, shawl
stitch, Oriental rib, shaker knitting,
patent stitch, fisherman’s rib
and brioche stitch were among them.

Brioche is the name given to the stitch
- when worked with a slipped stitch
and yarnover - by Barbara G. Walker
in her book “A Treasury of Knitting
Patterns”. And so it came to be
called in an article I wrote for Vogue
Knitting Magazine (Winter 1992-93)
where I described the stitch, tried

to create a new set of abbreviations
and nomenclature evolved around the
stitch and showed a few variations.

The diversity of the brioche stitch
does not end with its many names
or various modes of production. By
experimenting with the design elements
of line and color through brioche
knitting, a whole new ballgame begins.

In 2005 I wrote a second article about
the brioche stitch for Interweave Knits
Magazine, Spring issue. I wanted to
introduce a deeper study of playing with
the linear quality of this stitch.