Brioche vs. K1below

I did buy the new XRX book , Knit One Below by Elise Duvekot. I would post pictures to demonstrate my comments, but I'm a little scared of Alexis.

This book is laid out beautifully, much like the three Sally Melville books they did. The text is extraordinarily helpful. Ellise is clear and anticipates problems before they happen. The projects show beautiful fabrics and color combinations to die for. Yes, here comes the BUT---Too many straight lines. Straight shoulders don't fit my super slanted ones; straight armcyes don't fit my curved arms. Dropped shoulders, even modified drop shoulders aren't ever your best choice. That said, I'm not sorry I bought the book.

I plan to use what I have learned from Elise and create my own shapes. Do look at the book when you get a chance.

Another but---
I started knitting Elise's mitered square in the K1below technique and found it only okay. I changed midway to the brioche st (tutorial on my website) and learned a lot.
Take a look. The brioche is at the top of the piece; K1b is at the bottom. They look the same to me--well, almost. The K1b is a bit denser, which could be important to your project, especially in colder climes.

This is the back of the piece. Focus on the left side of the picture; the right side is a mess because I'm still trying to figure out the mitered decrease section. Pretty similar; some would say the same.

This is my joining following the K1below directions. I don't think it is a fair show; I may could have knit this much better. I'm using a Bernat cotton that splits like crazy, but feels really great.
This shows the K1 below both back and front.

This is the join I figured out using the brioche st. I like it better--I know this is sloppy--I'm still figuring out how I want to do it.

So, what have I learned as I knit this washcloth?
1. I don't enjoy the K1b nearly as much as I like working the brioche st. It's a rhythm thing.
2. I'd probably choose to do the striped mitered square as a fair isle project if I wanted a firmer fabric. Both brioche and K1below give a very drapey, bouncy fabric unless you torture the yarn with supersmall needles.
3. I think brioche would make a killer winter coat.
4. I know brioche will make a luscious reading shawl.