Because brioche stitch (also known as English rib) is fully reversible, there is no right or wrong side of the fabric.
When the time comes to weave in yarn tails, we need to find a hiding spot that is inside the puffy brioche texture. Only then will the tails be out of sight on both sides of the project.
The safest place for this task is a space between two layers of strands formed at the right-hand and left-hand sides of each brioche stitch.
These safe spots are a bit like “tunnels”, and they are so reliable that they keep the woven-in tails invisible even in the middle of the project.
Let’s see how this method works. To better show you where exactly a tail is hidden, I will use a yarn tail in a contrasting colour.
If you are a visual learner, watch this method in a video tutorial:
Thread a yarn tail into a wool needle and run the wool needle through a tunnel that is the closest to the tail.
It is important not to poke the fabric with the wool needle. We don’t want to transfer the tail to the other side of the project. We want it to stay INSIDE the fabric.
That’s why we only skim one layer of strands that form that tunnel. To keep the tail from getting out of its hiding spot, skim at least four strands.
To make sure the tail doesn’t show on the other side of the project, look at the other side of the fabric to check whether the wool needle shows there. If it doesn’t, you are on the right track.
Here’s how my swatch looks on the other side with the wool needle run through the tunnel.
Pull the wool needle through, hiding the tail inside the brioche fabric.
Now pull the fabric vertically to relax the yarn tail and ensure it is long enough to stay put even when the fabric is stretched.
Finally, trim the tail.
Even though the yarn tail hidden in my swatch is in a different colour than the fabric, it doesn’t show much on either side.
But when the tail is in the same colour as the fabric (which is usually the case with the tails we weave in), it becomes absolutely invisible.
I didn’t trim the woven-in tails in my swatch to help you see where they are hidden. Otherwise, you will have a hard time guessing where they are.
This method works exactly the same for weaving in tails in one-colour and two-colour brioche fabric.
In two-colour brioche, one side of the “tunnel” is formed by strands in one colour, and the other side is formed by strands in the other colour. That’s why we can weave in tails in any colour on either side of the fabric.
SAVE FOR LATER:
This and 26 other in-depth tutorials are part of Knitting Collection #9.