Brioche Building Blocks with Patty Lyons (MAY 23)
May 23 (FRIDAY, 9 AM–4 PM)
Have you long admired Brioche but haven’t taken the leap? Or have you worked Brioche for years, but have trouble ‘reading’ your knitting, or fixing mistakes? Let Patty Lyons break it down in a way that makes it simple! You'll start from the building blocks of Brioche – the Brioche knit and purl. By building off of regular rib we will learn to recognize our Brioche stitches, what makes them different and how to read our knitting. After starting by working through a one-color sampler to get comfortable with the motions, we’ll kick it up to two colors. If time allows, you'll explore working in the round. As always, Patty will teach Brioche for both Continental (picking) and English (throwing) knitting, as well as what you need to do for combination knitting. She’ll even demo it backwards just to get your mind swimming. By the time you finish class you’ll be ready to take on your first project.
Skill Level: Intermediate. Must know how to knit, purl, cast on, bind off. Must be able to recognize the knit and the purl and to work them without supervision.
Materials List:
Yarn: Any smooth aran weight to chunky yarn, one in a light color, second ball of a contrasting color yarn. NO VARIEGATED YARN.
Needle: Students will be working flat and in the round. 24” circular needle for flat swatch (yes, we still need circular for working flat), needle should be one size smaller than recommended for your yarn. 16” circular needle for circular swatch (see homework below)
Homework prior to attending to class:
FLAT SWATCH: With the darker color, on 24” circular needle, CO 17 stitches. Work 5 rows in k1, p1 rib as follows:
1 (RS): K1 *p1, k1; rep to end of row
2 (WS): *p1, k1; rep to last st of row, p1
Repeat row 1 & 2 one more time, then repeat row 1, ending having finished a RS row.
CIRCULAR SWATCH: With darker color, on 16” circular needle, with chunky yarn, CO 40 – 48 stitches (enough that you can join in the round).
Work two rounds of K1, p1 rib.
*Please note:Cheshire Mills Boarding House is only available by request for one-day classes. Please email hdretail@harrisville.com to request a reservation.
Cancellation Deadline: 3/28/2025
MEET YOUR TEACHER
Patty Lyons is a nationally recognized knitting teacher and technique expert who is known for teaching the “why” not just the “how” in her pursuit of training the “mindful knitter”. She specializes in sweater design and sharing her love of the much-maligned subjects of gauge and blocking. Her designs and articles have been published in Vogue Knitting, Interweave Knits, Knit Purl, Knitter’s Magazine, and more. Patty has been a repeat guest on PBS’s Knitting Daily TV and featured as subject-matter expert in publications including the Wall Street Journal. She’s even made a nemesis (all in good fun) out of popular late night host, Seth Meyers (of Late Night with Seth Meyers). She is the author of Patty Lyons’ Knitting Bag of Tricks.
Cancellation and Refund Policy
Please note our 2025 cancellation and refund policy includes a non-refundable $100.00 registration fee per workshop. In the case must withdraw, you have 8 weeks prior to class for a full tuition refund, less the registration fee. After this date all payments are non-refundable, no exceptions. Thank you for your understanding!
Have a question about a HD workshop or class order? Email hdretail@harrisville.com.
Single Rooms, $70 Per Night
Please note, the boarding house is for class participants only.
With spectacular views of town from its third-story perch, our boarding house offers bright, airy accommodations just a few minutes’ walk from the studio, shop, and general store with cafe. Year after year, returning students remark upon the peaceful camaraderie they enjoy winding down after class in the spacious common areas, and the fun conviviality of cooking family-style dinners in the kitchen. In addition to a living room, dining area, and full kitchen, the boarding house has six bedrooms and two full bathrooms.
Built in 1853, Cheshire Mills Boarding House provided lodging for workers at the mill for over 100 years. Today, Harrisville Designs is dedicated to maintaining an economical nightly rate to help ensure the cost of lodging is affordable during workshops and classes throughout the season.
Harrisville Designs is happy to provide towels, sheets, and pillowcases for an extra $20 per stay (please order ahead). However, students are more than welcome to bring their own linens. Pillows and blankets are provided. Reservations can be made while signing up for class. We do apologize, it’s an old building. There is no elevator and two flights of stairs. Please pack accordingly.
Alternative Housing & Dining
Harrisville is a small village (pop. 1200) with a post office and general store/cafe across the street from the studio and Boarding House. Harrisville is a short drive from Peterborough (15 minutes away) and Keene (20-25 minutes away); both offer a nice variety of hotels, shops, and restaurants.
Additional accommodations in Harrisville are available at Aldworth Manor and the Harrisville Inn and at local Airbnb’s including the Harrisville Guest Suite. Peterborough accommodations are available at Cranberry Meadow Farm, the Jack Daniels Motor Inn, and the Little River Bed and Breakfast. Options in Keene include the Carriage Barn Inn, the Best Western Plus, the Fairfield Inn & Suites, the Holiday Inn Express, the Courtyard by Marriott, and Days Inn. We also suggest searching Airbnb and Vrbo.
Location
About Our Workshops
Nestled in the heart of a historic textile village, workshops at Harrisville Designs take place in the Bethuel Harris Mill. Built in the 1830s as a spinning mill for locally raised wool and located at the end of the canal, it originally operated on water power. Today, it’s home to our first-floor retail store and spacious second-floor workshop studio. Year after year students are greeted by sunlit windows, fresh air, and tranquil views of the mill pond and preserved industrial brick buildings.
Workshops vary in skill levels and lengths. Enrollment is limited to ensure each student is immersed in the atmosphere of a working studio rather than a classroom. Most scheduled classes meet from 9 am to 4 pm; however, the studio is open to students 24 hours a day while their class is in session. Looms are provided in the weaving classes, and woolen yarn and other materials are included unless otherwise noted in the materials lists online. While taking a class, students receive a 10% discount on HD items in our store, including looms! (Excludes sale and consignment items)
Have a question about a HD workshop or class order? Email hdretail@harrisville.com.