But I thought that it'll be the perfect time to make some smaller updates to 2 of my older tutorials, that you guys know already from older posts:
The first update is another, quicker way to work my LK2tog left leaning decrease. 
A couple of months ago Steffi (a very nice member of my Ravelry-Group) told me about this variation and I was very happy with her excellent idea and thought I'll share it with you...
It's technically the exact same technique as before, only that Steffi's way made it quicker by eliminating some of the last steps. This version might work better for tight knitters than for looser ones, but tell me how it works for you.
Click on the images below to read the whole tutorial in higher resolution.

The second update is a photo-tutorial for the Purled CO with twist (until now only a video-tutorial was made about this method). Nothing has really changed at all with this technique... it's just that the new PDF format allows you to download it and to look at it offline or also print it and keep it as a reference (if you like it, of course).

Both of these updated PDFs can be found on the tutorial page of this site, here

Well, summer continues and we are testing out my new lightweight top at the moment. The very helpful and fun team of Testers work really hard on Ravelry so that I will be able to make the pattern available about mid of July!

Here is a sneak-peek of the new SpliTTop!
I hope you'll like it as much as I do....

So... what are you up to for summer? Do you knit at all?
And if yes... what is your favourite knitting project for the hot season???

You know the eternal problem with binding off a cuff on a toe-up sock: often it comes out too tight or it looks a little bit strange, like some kind of a mishap-ruffle that might be stretchy enough but somehow stays stretched out and never gets back into "pole-position" when not worn...
 
I usually like the i-cord bind off for garments, while for socks & mittens and the like I prefer the tubular bind off. Both of them are stretchy enough and look gorgeous, too. 
But quite often I am not in the mood for these long-winded methods (although it's true, they are worth their while) and I just want a simple, straightforward and quick ending to my ribbed sock cuff that preferably stays in place when unworn and stretches out enough to pass over my foot without squeaky yarn sounds (or worse, squeaking me-sounds)!

So... as usual I experimented a little bit and I thought I'd share my "findings" with you:
(You can click on the pictures to find the PDF in a higher resolution).

For a simple stockinette fabric I would alternate the Increase Bind-Off and a traditional Bind-Off (every second stitch would be done in the Increase BO) to have an elastic version that does not flare. This variation might also be of interest for all the loose knitters out there, even for ribbing...

So.. that's the Increase Bind-Off... (sounds like an oxymoron, but that's probably why I chose this name! Stupid word-plays never fail to make me happy!). Well, I decided that I like the result of this cast-off technique and that all my next pairs of socks will definitely feature it!

I am sure that someone else has already thought about this simple method of discretely increasing stitches before binding them off before me, butI couldn't find anything similar looking when browsing the web: 
The methods I have found on the net are the Lace-bind-off (the k2tog tbl version, which definitely is stretchy, but has aforementioned problems of bouncing back when unworn) and another technique, which also is perfect for Lace knitting and Casting-Off of shawls: The yarn-over method (or better known as Jeny's surprisingly stretchy bind off). It is decorative and beautiful, but a little bit too decorative for what I wanted for my ribbed cuffs in this case.  
There is also a newer method by Lorraine LeGrand, which I still need to try out (she calls itLory's Twisty Bind Off).
And since we are talking bind-offs, here is a link to knitty.com with a compilation of different known bind-offs, stretchy or not, which you might find useful.

But do tell: What is your preferred method for a super-stretchy bind off?
I am always eager to learn....

If you like the tutorial you can also find other similar stuff on this page...

Here it is: A new shawl pattern! Reminiscent of a vintage, granny-style mixed with a contemporary colour-work and a simple border with a little twist.

It's a long time I wanted to make a shawl, one that is big enough to actually wear over the shoulders on a chilly summer evening. But it had to be in a retro half-circle shape with a little bit of texture in it (just enough to keep things interesting without getting too much in the way of some effortless beach knitting) and it had to have stripes of course - it wouldn't be me if it wouldn't feature at least some stripes! To cut up the horizontal bands of the stripes and colour-work I also added some dramatic vertical lines of eyelets.... 
...and voilà, my new shawl was born!