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! ✨⭐️

HOSE WITHOUT HEELS
"Socks and stockings are often knitted straight and without heels, the foot finding its own heel by adjustment. This stocking can be very uncomfortable at the instep unless knitted correctly, and then it is as comfortable as any other, the best fit being derived in Spiral Ribbing.
A stocking knitted in this manner is adjusted on the foot by twisting it round until the ribbing appears straight. The heel then takes its position with comfort, and the instep is smooth and smart. Bed-socks made in this manner remain in position all night."

So Mary proposes a scientific, traditional method for an automatic-adjustment-sock, constructed like a Helix that adapts to the shape of the ankle, foot and heel and that does not budge at all, if put on correctly...

Almost 80 years later our funnily shaped Spiral Sock pattern differs with a contemporary toe-up construction from it's grandpa version and features a fun, striped contrast toe as also a mirrored stitch pattern. It also provides you with all the needed calculation for 6 different sizes. 

​I was immediately smitten with this cool idea and had to try it out to see for myself if it works or not (while adapting it to my favourite toe-up method and play around with colours and the stitch pattern). I loved the result so much, that I had to make my notes on my adaptions available to you guys. 
And since the smart idea was not originally mine, but an old tradition as Mary says herself, I found that it would only be fair to offer my updated version for all my fellow beginner / curious or maybe just simply “lazy” sock-knitters out there as a gift for the Holidays!

This smart sock needs to be tried out by as many needles as possible, because:
➤ It really is the perfect beginner sock, since there simply is no heel to construct at all!
➤ It can be worked as a perfect gift for a person which cannot try the sock on while it is knitted: There is no heel - so no specific foot length we need to know about, while the stitch pattern makes for a very elastic width, which means that an approximate guess on size might be enough for a perfectly fitting sock! Add to this the fact, that everybody is impressed with magical tricks ...and the scientific background will immediately elevate this sock to "cool gift" level!
➤ The toe-up version allows for us to use up nearly any amount of yarn, by just halving the weight for each sock.
➤ And then, after knitting the toe, we work the same, super easy repetition of a stitch pattern: So this is a wonderful project when mindless knitting is needed: not much can be done wrong in this sock.
➤ The only thing that might need adjustment is the width for a smaller or larger sock (although 6 sizes are already included in the pattern!) - it is very easy to work any adjustment in our toe up construction.
➤ And it is really quite hard to outgrow this sock, even for quickly growing children feet!

Finally and because of all the above features, this project is the perfect introduction to sock knitting for any beginner or even advanced knitter that is afraid of knitting a sock.

The last couple of months have been quite busy here and I thought that an update on what is happening on the La Maison Rililie front is overdue!

First things first: You might have noticed that my new cardigan pattern (Diane) has been published a fortnight ago!
​If you want to take a closer look, here is the link to my own pattern page on the site + to the ravelry pattern page. There is also a KAL happening on my group, for anybody that is in the mood to work this cardigan together with others in a fun and cozy knit-along.

But... In the above picture you might also have noticed the new hat that is in the works... Mitsouko shall be in test phase soon and... she is not as tame as one might think!
There is more to her than meets the eye....
(and yes, this lady definitely likes some mystery!)

Not only that, but Rachel from YarnLoop is having aBlack Friday giveaway for all NoShowSock-Kits (don't miss the chance to win this giveaway until the 27th of November 2017! Just click on the link above.)
And if you missed this opportunity, don't worry... she is providing everybody for the duration of the next 6 months with a generous kit discount coupon code: 
Simply write MAISONCOUTURE15 for 15% off the NoShowSock-Kits at check out when shopping at Yarn Loop.

Oh! I also had the honour to be featured in Rachel's Designer-Spotlight interview, where I talk a bit about my work and myself.
Thank you so much, Rachel for the article!

Let's see, what else? There is a new shawl in the works as also a sock... and some workshop preparations!
And I have to publish so many blog posts that are still in Draft modus - Tutorials, tips and tricks mostly, but also other stuff... it shall all unfold in the upcoming weeks, if all goes well!

The year will end and start with lots of inspiration and creativity - at least this is what we hope!
...here in the La Maison Rililie headquarters!

Allow me to describe my though-process and incentives about this pattern in this lengthy post:
I was searching for this perfect but elusive accessory for years!
It must have been right after I learned knitting socks, when I whipped up my first typical run-of-the-mill shorty. I was and remained disappointed while periodically continuing with experiments to knit a sock with a low top section, that not only would hide perfectly in my shoes, but also remain put and make for an elegant and flattering footwear, if I'd needed to take my shoes off while visiting friends. (I don't know about you, but I did find that all those other short socks with the horizontal "cut" across the ankle were not the best option for a long-leg-and-slim-ankle look).

Only after many trial socks later, I finally had found a way to produce a low top sock with my favourite kind of heel (a gusseted short-row one). This sock was constructed with a new kind of decrease - especially developed for this pattern, because I didn't like the look of the gusset stitches after turning the heel. I therefore tried to produce sturdy and symmetrical decreases that still had some "plush" feel and style at the gusset-heel edges.

But all of these ideas and new systems, as also the extensive (ab)use of german short-rows in the pattern made me insecure and afraid that people would hate my construction and find it much too cumbersome for such a tiny sock! So I did hold off with publishing it for quite some time and only after getting wonderful feedback from my talented testers I felt brave enough to make this strange little sock pattern public. I was immediately blown away by the amazing response and my fears were completely quelled! I even noticed that many of the other knitters out there shared many of my own quirks and slightly neurotic "preferences" in relation to short socks.... who knew!

No recommended yarn was used for this pattern either, although there were many options of beautiful sock yarn for me to choose from!
The reason was simply that I wanted to showcase that this pattern lends itself wonderfully to use up any of the accumulating bits and pieces, that seem to take up our yarn stash. Small lenghts of yarn, which we don't want to through away but still don't know how to use up!.
It's quite easy to use yarn rests of similar weight here: First find the colours you'd like to combine and then just weigh the yarn rests. Work half or less for one sock and you'll have enough for the second sock!

Finally the last technique that provides a good fit to this special little sock is the customisable cast off, which securely hugs the backside of the ankle while giving a looser fit at the instep section, which needs to be more elastic.

As you can see from the pictures, I have already knitted up quite a variety of those socks - and I have only worn this kind during all of last winter! Standing next to all the youngsters on snowy pavements, wearing sneakers and even short booties - I too, kept my ankles fashionably naked!

You can find the pattern either on ravelry or here on my site
(on ravelry you can even check out many of the wonderful socks that have been already knitted up by knitters all over the world)