Today I want to talk about an easy and simple method to work the classic 1x1 ribbed tubular cast-on, that uses a simple rectangle as a base, knitted out of waste yarn. 

I have posted a video that shows how it is done, but if you like to find out more about the technique and why some things are worked a specific way, then this blog post might be for you.
Of course you can skip directly to the video in the centre of this page, if you are not interested in the (k)nitty-gritty details!
​
So what is so special about the tubular cast-on? It gives a professional, finished look that resembles ready-to-wear machine knitting: Knits and purls flow seamlessly around the edge of the knitting and have the same amount of stretch as the ribbing itself. This is why it has quite a lot of elasticity and is one of the more flexible cast-ons. It can be worked flat or in the round (the latter being the version this blog post is dedicated to).
One can use it in any project for a neat, elegant and stretchy edge: In clothing - on any neckline, cuff or hem - but also in many accessories worked in the round, like hats or mittens.

There are many different ways to work this beautiful cast-on, but I wanted to showcase this specific one, since I do prefer the waste-yarn technique for three reasons:
FIRSTLY: No special knowledge is needed for this technique: You just need to know how to knit and purl - there are no specific finicky cast-on movements involved and one doesn't need to get back to the video instructions every time to do it. In my eyes it's a true no-fuss method!
SECONDLY: The stitches don't get distorted, to make knitting the first row or joining in the round problematic later on. Since there is a good chunk of the worked cast-on already on the needles, this method makes it much easier to join in the round without twisting your stitches around the cables. An especially useful feature, if you have many stitches to cast-on: When starting a sweater or a hat in fingering yarn.
THIRDLY: I prefer to work some rows in waste-yarn to produce a good sized rectangle instead of using just a crochet cast on (as is done in other waste-yarn methods), because it allows to easily see the stitches to work into (and without having to put them on a needle before) + it keeps them in a good and even tension, since they are nestled in all this stocking stitch fabric. One has something to comfortably hold onto while working (which - again - is especially nice when working many stitches) and the working yarn stitches are kept nicely in shape until the end.

Now that you have found the perfect waste yarn, you start by casting-on half the amount of the needed stitches for the project + 1 stitch. (For this you can use any cast-on you like and feel comfortable with. It really doesn't matter). Usually patterns will give you an even number of stitches for a 1x1 ribbing worked in the round. So we shall cast-on half of this instructed number  + 1 extra stitch.

We then work even in simple stocking stitch in the waste yarn. The main idea is to have enough rows to hold onto while working the actual cast-on, without distorting the working yarn stitches, and to end this section on a RS. (I worked around 4-5 rows, judging by the video).
Then take the working yarn and start on a WS to work 4 rows, since we have to end the working yarn section on a RS (we need to be able to work the tubular cast-on on the WS, to fold over the purl stitches by connecting the top to the bottom stitches). This will all make more sense when you watch the video:

- The idea here in this variation is to use a knitted rectangle in waste yarn to serve as a base for working another rectangle over 4 rows in our main project yarn.
- Because the stitches are worked from both sides of the working yarn section, we effectively double the amount of our end stitches in the tubular cast-on. This is why we start with only half the amount of the needed stitches of any given pattern. ​
- We add the + 1 extra stitch at the beginning to anchor the final purl bump stitch and keep the ribbing neat and straight (it will be worked together with the last purl bump in psso fashion, so we decrease it at the very end and are left with the correct amount of stitches).

​Since we start our actual CO with 4 rows already worked and we double the amount of stitches in the same area, we end up with more volume and a very elastic edge with lots of stretch.

The final stitch position might seem a bit confusing in this technique, but it's really not too complicated, if one understands why they end up where they do when changing to knitting in the round.
Because they are doubly opposite in terms of both back to front and left to right, our round will end up starting with the same kind of stitch that we used when beginning the tubular cast-on..
(You can see in the video, that I started with a purl stitch on the backside (WS) - and that would be a knit stitch on the visible side (RS) - but because it ends up being my last stitch and I work a 1x1 ribbing in the round with a knit stitch at the very end of the tubular CO row - I end up with a purl stitch again as my first stitch!
Complicated? Don't worry...
...the only important thing to remember is this: If you start with a purl in this tubular cast-on technique, you will have a purl at the start of the rnd after finishing.

--- BUT WHAT IF YOU REALLY NEED TO START WITH A KNIT STITCH?
The simplest way to change your very first stitch to a knit stitch, is to just place your marker one stitch next to the actual start of round after having joined and worked one round of 1x1 ribbing. This one stitch jump will not show in the final project and is a much simpler solution than to try to calculate how to reverse all the stitches in the video. 

You could of course work the sequence of knit and purl in reverse (first k one stitch out of the purl bumps and then purl the first live stitch) and then end with a slipped purl stitch and a purl worked out of the bump - but if you just want to follow the sequence shown in the video, the quick and easy way to change it up is to just skip one stitch when finally placing the marker.
...and you are good to go!

Tipp: For a flat tubular CO version in this technique you would like to mirror both edges - so you should end the row in a similar stitch as the one you started it (+ with added selvedge stitches at the start and at the end). So for a 1x1 ribbing you would need an odd number of stitches, to finish the row with the same stitch as the one you started.

In believe that the only downside in comparison to other techniques is, that you need some extra waste yarn to do it, the time to knit 4-5 rows with it and to separate it at the end. I found that I like it better for larger projects and ones in fingering yarn, but you can check out for yourself if you prefer another method to the one discussed here…
There are many other tubular cast-on styles out there and a nice blog post, that showcases them is this one here from Ysolda, where many different versions are explained in minute detail.
​

Please note that none of the above third party links are affiliate links and that La Maison Rililie Designs is not having any financial gain on any of them.

The last months were quite busy ones here in the La Maison Rililie Headquarters and my latest pattern, the OberLandForstMeister was published just last week! This cardigan pattern is part of the Bricks & Woods Collection, organised and curated by Magasin Duett and which features 8 different designers!
You can see a video of the complete collection by clicking on this link! I am truly honoured to participate this third time in one of the wonderful collections that Petra is organising to showcase one of their lovely yarns.

This year it was the Mohair Tweed we all worked with and I have to admit that I am quite smitten by this beautiful and soft yarn in all those incredible colours and the great hand that allows so many shapes and forms to stand the time. 

On another note I wanted to share a super generous offer with you guys!
I was contacted by LoveCrafts with an offer for my readers.... YOU!

LoveCrafts is no new kid on the knitting platform planet: 
As you might remember, LoveKnitting and LoveCrochet were two separate sites, and now they’re combined with some other new crafts into one virtual craft room - the aptly called LoveCrafts!
Of course they still offer all kinds of stuff related to knitting, crochet and sewing, but now there are also crafts like embroidery and cross stitch covered and they tell me that there are more exciting crafts to come! Their aim is to create a home for all like-minded people to explore the family of crafts. 

I was with LoveKnitting since 2015 and am still updating my patterns there. You can find me amongst many others as a designer on their site... together with a huge offer on yarn that you can order together with any pattern and a big choice on haberdashery, notions and tools and lots of other stuff.

So in short, they offer a celebratory discount code for you to enjoy!!!
You can use the following 20% discount code on the LoveCrafts site:

Keep in mind that the code can only be used once per person and that it is valid for a month from today (until the 29th of September 2019). It can't be used on pdf patterns, sale items and e-gift cards but you can go wild on anything else!

Please note that none of the above third party links are affiliate links and that La Maison Rililie Designs is not having any financial gain on any of them.

For my upcoming pattern (one that shall be published in the next week) I needed a different approach to work the renown i-cord bind off, the professional looking edging we already cherish and love...

I wanted something, that allowed this very neat border to flow discreetly in and out of the fabric, whenever I should choose for it to do so.... this means that I wanted to allow the cord to get to its full volume and shape after having worked some rows of it and not right from the very beginning (as is the case when we immediately cast on the 3 needed stitches for it) and also to subdue softly at the end of it's cording existence.

Whenever the i-cord bind off is not worked in a complete and eternal, grafted circle, it starts and ends abruptly with a thick wulst when constructed in the common way. In these sad cases one often tries to hide it's bulk by sewing parts of it into place and pulling some sections out of the way while doing all kinds of stuff that are never really too efficient in hiding all of it's hideousness!

So!
Fast forward to today...
In the case that you are one of my fellow knitters that had similar unfortunate i-cord experiences before when finishing your (otherwise) hand-knitted masterpiece, you might be happy to try out this tutorial I just uploaded.

Hopefully my suggestion for a softly starting and discreetly ending i-cord bind off can help you keep those edges of your very own masterpiece as neat as possible!
​
Click on this link, to checkthe revisited i-cord BO photo-tutorial out. 

What is an i-cord loop, you ask?
It can be used for many things, but here I show it in the form of a hat finishing.
​One that is cute, easy to make and practical:

I don’t know about you, but I like for most of my hats to have some kind of a little something at the top: Some time ago I liked pompoms more than anything (and I still do), but they were always so cumbersome and long to make and I often didn’t have enough of the suitable yarn to make a good sized, fluffy pompom!

And this one has become my favourite finishing now. What I like most about it is it's practical aspect: One can hang it on any kind of peg and keep the hats out of the way and organised without folding them! 
​(I first used this finishing on my Casazul hats, that are seen hanging below)

The i-cord construction is truly quick and easy to make and it uses very little yarn...
In the Casazul pattern I had added a photo-tutorial to showcase the construction of the i-cord loop, but I thought that for my newest pattern a video would be in order, to really showcase the construction of this loop in an easy to follow manner, so as to enable everybody to try the tiny little loop out to finish their hats!
(Of course this exact same method can be used for any kind of knitted loop that you might need, in any size and form --- for any project!)

When I was asked many moons ago from a new to me Japanese haberdashery company of the name TULIP to review and try out their bamboo circular needles, I was definitely interested - but not too keen on the bamboo material itself:
All my relationships with wooden or bamboo needles had failed miserably in the past and I only kept some bamboo DPNs for knitting socks on planes (because there is nothing worse than having one's needles confiscated by security and the project destroyed).
My own old travel-set always seemed somehow splitty, dry and too blunt for my taste. That's why I decided that I must simply be a metal-girl and to avoid all other material in needles!
Case closed and my knitting life exclusively went on with metallic clicking sounds...
​This was until that day when the parcel from Tulip arrived!

I said yes, because I was mostly intrigued by the fact that Tulip is a Japanese brand - and as a paper and pen lover, I have always been admiring the incredible quality products and industrial design philosophy of anything that comes from Japan! 
So I knew that I needed to check these circular needles out in person and I happily accepted their kind offer to try them out and to give my honest opinion on them (and maybe even give some away...).

...and I definitely did try them out and gave them a very complete and long testing period of many months! I also send a couple to friends of the knitting industry. Friends that know what to look for in their tools -  and I gifted some to participants of my workshops. I did ask for feedback on everybody's opinion, since I wanted to provide you with a truly objective review...

So let's take a closer look on what these needles are supposed to do: On the Tulip website one can find the following claims about the KNINA bamboo circular knitting needles: 
They are supposed to have sharp needle tips that make knitting comfortable, to have an exceptionally smooth and rotary cable-needle join that prevents twisting and they are supposed to work great for magic loop knitting because of their flexible cable!
​
Well, let me tell you right from the start, that I have to agree on most of these points and that these bamboo circulars by Tulip absolutely changed my opinion on my own preference about material in needles!
They really have a super smooth surface and lie in the hand very agreeably right from the first usage. From the moment one takes them out of the simple, practical and durable red storage bag, the cord is unfolding with ease and laying flat without any effort. It just moves softly into the right position and never gets entangled into any annoying loops or knots.
But the best part is the connecting section of the needle tip to the cord: smooth and with ease of movement, it can swivel promptly to prevent any twisting! This motion has been the smoothest in all the circulars in any material I own. It just turns like a well tuned instrument... I am very impressed!
The only thing I didn't care too much about was the slightly blunt needle tip - I didn't find that it is sharp as described.  But I do have to add that this is truly a very personal thing, since I like my needle tips to be extra-super-sharp and most of the needles I encounter do feel blunt to me.

Since I have gotten feedback on the needles from three friends, let me insert their opinion here below:

Petra:
For me it is important that the cable is smooth enough for magic loop and not too smooth when knitting in the round - the cable of this needle is perfect for both of it! 
I also like that the needle tips are not too sharp and not too round ...and these are perfect.

Rebekka:
The Tulip Needles are very light and feel nicely in the hand. The surface is extremely smooth and nothing is getting entangled while knitting. All the wooden needles I have had before did break at the joint at some point, but this needle seems very robust to me and it passed the test of using it in different projects really well!

Susan:
I tried the Tulip KNINA Swivel needles I received to test.
I was impressed by the utter smoothness of the bamboo - far smoother than any other bamboo needles I've tried and on an equal level with hardwood needles. The tips are pointy rather than stabby - personally I might want them pointier for knitting lace or for complex cables, but otherwise they were absolutely fine. What impressed me the most was the smoothness of the join between the body of the needle and the cable: it was so smooth I could barely feel anything with my nail and my yarn flowed well over it without hesitation. The fact that it swivels and unfurls any peculiar twists that develop in knitting (particularly when you use magic loop like I do, this can get quite fiendish at times) it absolutely amazing - a feature I absolutely love. The heft of the cable too is just right: it holds the stitches without them sliding away into your lap (i.e. it can take the weight of the knit - admittedly I didn't try a full sweater! but rather a small accessory) but is still soft and supple with no memory at all.
I would definitely use these in fingering weight and above yarns, particularly for small circumferences with magic loop: they're perfectly designed for that. I probably wouldn't for complex lace designs, where I want something a bit pointier.

Finally, I do want you guys - my loyal readers - to experience the super smooth Tulip KNINA needles by yourself. Thanks to The company's kind offer, I'll give away 10 of their circular KNINA needles to you!
Just comment below and tell me your own personal preference in knitting needles and what you like to work best, and I shall randomly draw 10 people and post the results on my instagram in the beginning of the new year... so there is plenty of time to participate during this hectic season!
THE GIVEAWAY HAS ENDED - THANK YOU ALL FOR PARTICIPATING!

Happy Holidays everyone.... whatever you are celebrating this time of the year!
​
If interested, you can find these needles in many shops online, like the Amirisu shop (US+) or the Wool Warehouse (UK), to name a few.

Disclaimer: For this review and giveaway the needles were kindly provided by the company Tulip, but no sponsoring of any kind was provided otherwise.

...the fishermen's blues of Magasin Duett, that is!
The new collection under that name by the quality oriented Swedish yarn company is out as by today - and I had the luck and honour to be asked to participate with a garment pattern.

You can check out the whole gorgeous collection in the complete video at this link.
(The perfect aesthetics of these images are effortlessly transporting us to a tiny, picturesque Swedish fishermen's village - it is all made possible by Jesper Orrbeck's filmmaking with the special soundtrack by Thomas Hagby)
​
I am truly very happy to have been part of this wonderful collaboration.
​Thank you so much, Petra!

Find more info about the pattern itself on the site's La GeKka shop page or directly on ravelry.
​And take a look at the complete Fishermen's Blues collection at this link.

After having used this wonderful method of adding horizontal pockets to my latest knitted jumper, I thought that a quick walk-through of the needed steps - together with some pictures - might be of interest to some of you.
​Not everybody has yet tried this easy peasy way of adding pockets in knitted garments.

The idea is to have the pockets arranged at a flattering position, depending on the style one wants to achieve. If they are going to be functional and not simply decorative, they have to be at a comfortable height to put one's hand inside (preferably without resorting to acrobatic movements).
​At the same time they need to be wide enough to comfortably fit the wearer's hand as also deep enough to fulfil their purpose.
But careful: We do not want the lining to be peeking below the hem when we use them! We all know how much give in length a knitted fabric can have and pockets can "grow" to nearly double their length when lounging hands are pushing downwards.

That's actually all there is for the pocket placement itself!
​After finishing the rest of the garment, we can go back and work on the lining of the pocket:

For a seamless lining we need to pick up the stitches worked in our original yarn, on top and below the waste yarn row with the right side facing us. I am using circular needles here because it is easy to simply pick up the same amount of stitches at both sides of the opening: One needle tip sits at the row above and one at the row below. 
​Be careful to not twist the stitches and do try to always pick the right "leg" of each stitch.

Then just remove the waste yarn and pull the right needle tip out enough to start working the thus exposed stitches of the lining in the round in the magic loop style (or simply change to a shorter circular needle or DPN). The needle size should be the same as the one we used for the project itself.

Close up the lining-tube by following the linked tutorial on the 3-Needle BO: It is perfect for this job, because it provides a good looking, sturdy seam that has the same elasticity as the knitted lining itself and is worked quickly during the binding off process!

Before you ask:: The jumper shown here is a new pattern called La GeKka (worked in Magasin Duett yarn Blues) and to be launched on the 25th of August 2018..... 

*¹Footnote: A true after-thought method would be to just cut into the middle of any row and carefully unravel to both ends of the pocket (after having picked up the stitches above and below of course). But for the sake of the article let us stick to the "official" and non-pirate version of doing things!

When I started designing this shawl, I wanted to do something completely different from all the shawls I had already knitted to that point. I do have to admit that I am often a bit bored with the traditional construction of this accessory type: All to often we end up repeating the same motif in ever increasing rows that take hours to complete!
So here I knew right from the beginning, that I wanted to play around and to “allow” myself to work in all possible directions and to change things up as much as possible - without really getting to the point to work endless rows for days...

The crazy “Banana Leaf” colour of Nature’s Luxury Farouche yarn was the first I got, years ago. I knew that this colour would work best as an accessory (at least in my own wardrobe) but I had had quite some difficulties in deciding what to do with it and how to proceed.
I found that is somehow was too shiny, too soft and well... too green!

So, almost 2 years later and the next time when I saw the lovely couple behind the brand - I knew that I had to pair the Banana Leaf with some matte complimentary colours, to allow the Farouche to do its thing with support in all its grandeur. Two Parisienne yarns were the perfect choice for this endeavour and the Menage à Trois project was born that instant.

(Find yarn-kits for this shawl on the Nature’s Luxury website)
The pattern can be found on Ravelry or here on this site for instant download.

Who is in the mood for drawing and painting?
Who wants to play with yarn and colour?
Imagine a fun and yarny colouring book experience: But with absolute freedom of abstraction.

If, like me, you are a bit bored of the usual motifs used in Fair Isle knitting, Norwegian colour-work or traditional embroidery throughout the world and want something you created by yourself, you can get inspiration from any shape or form around you - try to see the lines and surfaces in an abstract design.
There are so many different ways that colours can interact with each other that go beyond what we already see in knitting..
​..but I digress...
​let me start at the beginning:

​Now, by looking at the early 20th century perfume bottle, I had my answer:
​I allowed myself to get influenced by the delicate scrollwork pattern from the label design and played with it to create an interesting motif that also provided a gradient of colour, deliberately set up to go from light to dark. I'd like to think that you can still see a bit the influences of Art Deco and Japonesque elements that were the rage when the perfume was launched!

This pattern tries to explore stranded knitting by tackling the subject with a different approach:
Mitsouko wants to explore something a bit more experimental, large-scale and conceptual.
The idea is mostly influenced from abstract large scale paintings in general, while only the specific interpretation is drawn from the famous scrollwork pattern. 

You can knit this Mitsouko pattern as is and I have prepared charts that match three standard sizes to create these colour interactions with your yarn and colours of choice.
But if you’d like to go a bit further and be a bit experimental and unleash the abstract designer or graphic artist inside, I have also provided empty charts in three sizes for you to play with, without having to bother to do all the math or think about construction.

​This could be a design or drawing of your very own. You can customise this hat while getting an excuse to doodle… and get to unleash your (inner?) kid!

So how would this work? Well you can choose something you want to make as a pattern. Like me, you can allow yourself to be inspired by any form you find intriguing. You could blow up and digitise a photograph that has interesting colour interactions. You could take up crayons and have some fun. You can blow up a segment of a design you like or even a lace design and transform it into colour-work. You can also give the provided charts to your friend, child or loved one and have them come up with a colour design for a unique custom knit they have put their own creativity into.
And then you can knit their custom-motif up for the perfect gift... a project that came out of your very own creative collaboration.
You can use this as a fun experimental place to try out something new. Take a walk on the design side, or the fashion side and come up with a fresh take on your knit-work for a truly one-off hat nobody else has – this way, you are the master of your project.

...If on the other hand you prefer taking the safe route and also don't like the spirals of the original Mitsouko? Then, well... then Mitsouko's Lover is for you...  

Mitsouko's Lover is the cheeky name of the "minimal and simple" striped version which is probably more unisex and easy to wear than Mitsouko, although this all depends on personal style anyway. For this version I tried the Ovelha Negra Victoria yarn for the first time and it really is an absolute joy to work with!

The longer ribbing and slightly larger body of the actual shape of all versions can be worn slouchy or tucked in for a more elegant beanie effect. You get a dense and warm hat, that is still light and easy to wear and to take with you, since it is knitted in fingering weight yarn.

Find the pattern on this site or go to ravelry.
(Until midnight of 23 of January 2018 (CEST), you automatically get a 20% discount)​
Also stay tuned to find out about some news out of Italy.... a surprise collaboration with Unfilodi knit house that will interest all Italian speaking friends and many more...

Since the whole hat pattern is so adjustable and open to personalisation, it is the perfect project to have a fun and interactive KAL together with other colour-drawing-exploring knitters - or to get some help in deciding on how to combine one's own ideas of design, motif and colour - or to just show off different versions from clean-cut minimalism to totally out there, baroque styling!
Check out the ColourOutsideTheLines knit-along (or KAL in knitter's terminology) to find out more...

Click on the Banner above to open up the KAL page and participate in this fun game!

I know I know...
It seems as if I have been in a sock knitting frenzy lately - but my sock ramblings shall be kept in check for the next year (here you have quite the original New-Year resolution)!

But I really had to post this follow-up article on my latest one,  the free SpiralSock Pattern!

My good friend and tech-editor Kate, actually made a great suggestion after she checked the first version of the pattern ( the one published this Christmas). There was not time to rewrite the pattern back then, but I really wanted you guys to know about Kate's great idea!

(Quick disclaimer:... It seems that her idea is a known adaption to heel-less sock patterns, but we both didn't know about it and re-discovered what others will most probably already know for decades!)
Anyway, since I know that there must be other sock-ignorant people out there like me, who are very entertained by this kind of knitting-technology, I still thought that this follow up post and addition to the pattern itself, might interest some of you.

So, well... Kate's new and improved method was to work a Star-Toe (or also a round toe) with the SpiralSock, so that it can be worn without having to adjust the toe in any way, since there is no need for any adjustment in any direction because there simply isn't any - the star toe is the same on all sides, as is the tube for the heel-less sock!
With this toe, one would be able to keep the heel part of the sock even longer in shape, since it never will be put on in the exact same way and therefore the whole area will be worn out over a longer period of time.
Cool, isn't it?

So I played around with a star-toe with a progressive ratio of increase and even rounds and of course I have updated the sock pdf and now there are both toe variations in there for you to choose!

To work this star toe though, we need to cast on our stitches in a circle and there are many ways to work the same circular cast on techniques: One is the crochet technique, which uses (as you have already guessed) the extra tool of a crochet... not a problem in itself, if you can be bothered with looking for it in your messy studio (not that I speak out of experience here....)
Or then there is the excellent "disappearing loop method" by the famous techknitter, whom I consider my biggest teacher and mentor, that also uses knitting needles only and is using a similar technique as for the tubular or invisible cast-on.
 
But I do prefer the one I am showcasing below, since it not only has the advantages that no extra tools are needed (and the messy studio can be sufficiently ignored) - but it also does immediately provide the knitter with two casted on rows. Therefore there is an actual "lower row" stitch to work into right away - a feature, which is especially handy for hidden increases in the very first round after casting on.
(Here I like the hidden increases because they provide a discreet way to work immediate repeat augmentations - on every stitch and/or directly on top of each other on subsequent rounds, as we are doing here to provide a less pointy toe)

On another note: I wonder, do you guys prefer my printable photo-tutorials (which I find are easy to reference later on or to file) or do you like videos better?
Is there one medium you strongly prefer over the other, or does it all depend on the technique itself (like in this case, where the tutorial is easier to understand when actually seeing the movement)?
Please do tell me and I will try my best to adapt to what you guys like most!
oh...
​...and have a wonderful and strong New Year! ✨⭐️