Brocade Knitting

Brocade knitting has been popular for centuries, particularly for fine silk jackets of Italian styling. Petticoats also were a favorite place to depict brocade bird and animal scenes, many of them knitted on more than five, long double point needles.
Basically, brocade is formed by a simple reverse stocking stitch, allowing an embossed design to appear on the right side. Many combinations of knit and purl produce some beautifully textured patterns, which are formed by highlighting the pearl bump of a purl stitch. Here is a simple, well-known brocade stitch to try. Brocade by the way, is shown at its best when worked in one color only, as its attraction lies in the raised effect of the purl stitch, which would be lost with multicolor.

Have a multiple of 8sts plus 6.

Row 1: K6 *P2, K6 (repeat)
Row 2: K1 *P4, K4 (repeat, ending P4, K1)
Row 3: P2 *K2, P2 (repeat)
Row 4: P1 *K4, P4 (repeat, ending K4, P1)
Row 5: K2 *P2, K6 (repeat, ending P2, K2)
Row 6: P6 *K2, P6 (repeat)
Row 7: P1 *K4, P4 (repeat, ending K4, K1)
Row 8: K2 *P2, K2 (repeat)
Row 9: K1 *P4, K4 (repeat, ending P4, K1)
Row 10: P2 *K2, P6 (repeat, ending K2, P2)

Ripple stitch makes a cozy baby blanket and is easy to work.

For a puffy brocade pattern (used on a vintage doll sweater), have a look at my original Forsythe. Here, I have used a brocade pattern in a "non-pretty" style suitable for a boy.

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