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VANILLA JUST GOT A NEW VARIETY

20/12/2017

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FREE No Heel Spiral Sock pattern by La Maison Rililie Designs
Free sock knitting pattern by La Maison Rililie Designs

MEET THE ULTIMATE - SMART - Adaptive Sock!

But before we dive into this new/old sock wonder, allow me to read to you a passage from "Mary Thomas's Knitting Book" , published in 1938.
​On page 230 it says:
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...
Mary Thomas's Knitting Book & Free sock knitting pattern by La Maison Rililie Designs
Mary Thomas's Knitting Book & Free sock knitting pattern by La Maison Rililie Designs
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!
Free sock knitting pattern by La Maison Rililie Designs
Free sock knitting pattern by La Maison Rililie Designs
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.
Free sock knitting pattern by La Maison Rililie Designs
...but stay tuned for an update on this sock next week! Who knows, it might make the smart sock even smarter….
​... and now the update has been published, too! Read it here, if you like.

Find this pattern for free online-viewing, here on this site, as a gift - from me to you!
​Happy Holidays!
Free sock knitting pattern by La Maison Rililie Designs
​On the right you can find a video I filmed - there you can see exactly how the sock should be put  on to make the twisted helix work it's magic!

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A New sock for you...

16/2/2016

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Free ShellSock Recipe by La Maison Rililie Designs
My fancy-lacy-fun socks were started ages ago... and I found them in a forgotten project bag last month. As it happens so often, I fell in love with the stitch pattern all over again and finished them in no time... and even worked a second pair since.
I thought that you might like them too, so I wanted to share this little sock with you.
Mind you, it's not a complete pattern with multiple sizes. It's a recipe style thing - where you get the numbers for a European size 38 foot and some pointers on how to adapt the pattern for another size.
I hope that you like it!
Free ShellSock Recipe by La Maison Rililie Designs
In my opinion this stitch pattern looks its best in one single colour (an easy to wear, light grey is my own preferrence as you can see).

​But I had to let loose on colours for the toe and the heel construction - like this I can have seemingly sombre and wearable socks to go with my monochrome outfits, while the real craziness is hidden in my shoes (and open only for private viewings…).
You can find the ShellSocks recipe/pattern for online viewing by clicking here 
(I am sorry that there is no option to download the PDF at this time, just the possibility to read it via the blog. Free patterns get pirated and sold quite often it seems and I wouldn't like this to happen).

​Make sure to check on the tips below before you start:
Free ShellSock Recipe by La Maison Rililie Designs

Some Tips for ShellSocks (or any sock knitting)

The STITCH PATTERN featured in this sock design is having yarn-overs before a purl stitch and before a knit stitch. Often you find that the yarn overs that are worked before the purl stitch end up to be much bigger in size than their sisters before the knit st and that results in an uneven lace fabric.
There are two ways to remedy that, depending on the look you like:
  1. if you like small yo holes on both sides, then work the yo before the knit stitch as usual (from front to back) and the yo before the purl stitch from back to front. This will result in a twisted yo, that needs to be worked tbl in the next rnd.
  2. if you like larger yo holes on both sides of the decreases (something I prefer for my socks, to make the lace design pop out more), then work both yo’s normally (from front to back), only give some extra slack to the ones before the knit stitch. You can achieve this by pulling the already worked yo a little bit forward with your index finger, while working the knit stitch.
Choose the best option depending on your own knitting style (if you are a tight or loose knitter) - or try both out to see what suits you best.
As you probably know already, I always like to design simple stitch patterns that are easy to memorise and where one can quickly find back into the repeat, even after having left the project quite urgently in the middle of the row, repeat or stitch pattern.
Read your knitting to find each new pattern repeat (ShellSocks by La Maison Rililie Designs)
In this case it is really obvious to find when one needs to work the single patterned row of the stitch pattern: Just take a look at the stitches and if you see that there are 3 rows of knit sts on top of the yarn overs, it’s time for the next patterned rnd. If there are less than 3, than go on and continue to knit around.
And it's even easier to count repeats here: Just count each yarn-over-hole and you know how many repeats you worked already. 
In this pattern I use my favourite HEEL CONSTRUCTION that I like best in terms of fit and which is fairly quick to do: A gusseted short row heel, worked with german short rows.
I like to redistribute all the newly increased gusset stitches towards the instep needles on both sides and then put all the insole stitches on one single needle before working the short-rows on the heel, so that especially the wrong side rows are worked much more comfortable, without having too many needles in your way.
Short row heel in contrast colour for the Shell Sock by La Maison Rililie Designs
Put all the insole stitches on one single needle before working the short row heel (ShellSocks by La Maison Rililie Designs)
​As a bonus you also get a guaranteed ladder-free heel in this way!
Afterwards, when you work the stripes on the heel flap and also on the toe section, don’t forget to twist the yarns to avoid holes at the colour-change (put the new colour over the old one from right to left once, before starting the round in the new colour).
The Shell stitch pattern has double decreases that tend to pull upwards and that can warp the stocking stitch stripes at the heel. This is why we end on the patterned row, just before working the heel. That way, when resuming working all around in pattern at the leg again, we continue with knit rows over the heel section in the next rnds, to avoid distortion on the striped heel.
This tip can be handy in all sock patterns with similar lace pattern repeats: You might want to make sure that the knit rnds of a stitch pattern (one that has stocking stitch rows in between decrease/yarn over rows) will be positioned right above the heel section.
Store your unused colour inside the sock while working the contrast coloured heel (ShellSocks by La Maison Rililie Designs)
And another GENERAL TIP which I am sure you all know already is this last one:

​To work comfortably with the contrast yarn on the heel you can "store" your main coloured yarn inside the sock - like this it won't tangle with the other two skeins of yarn while you work the longer coloured heel sections. 
Finally if you need more tips on AUGMENTING SIZE for this recipe, you can check out the notes on the second pair I knitted for my mum in size 39 here on my ravelry project notes here.
Free ShellSock Recipe by La Maison Rililie Designs

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Variations on a Theme

20/1/2014

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I have revisited two of my older patterns and updated them:
InBetween Bolero pattern by La Maison Rililie
InBetween Bolero pattern by La Maison Rililie
The InBetween Bolero was the first pattern I ever published. It is a nice little shrug that is perfect for layering and it allows you to wear any of your beloved thin dresses or tops in winter. 
This little piece is extremely warm, since it is made out of super bulky wool and very large needles, which makes it also the quickest project I have ever worked on. (It's really fun to see the speed in which it grows with every row...)
But after all this time I wasn't too happy with the fit of the larger sizes & the instructions.
So I completely rewrote the whole thing and re-calculated the grading from scratch.
Tech-edited and tested it...
... and also added a long-sleeved version to the existing pattern (which has ¾length sleeves).
It's so practical that I have already worn it tons of times... something that you can actually even see in some of the pictures, especially the sleeves show some pilling...!
Oh well...

You can find this pattern either here on my site or on ravelry.

The second pattern that got a little face-lifting is my free Cocoon hat:
Free hat pattern Cocoon by La Maison Rililie
Free hat pattern Cocoon by La Maison Rililie
I still love the simple broken rib stitch that makes this hat so easy to work on and so easy to wear!

This was the 5th hat that I made out of my own pattern... and hopefully the one I get to keep: I gave my prototype to my sister and wanted to replace my "go-to hat": So I got some lovely Rowan yarn from my all time favorite shop and started to make this new version.

It has a tubular cast on and much more pronounced decreases - so that I ended up with a pointy/hipster version of the original Cocoon hat.

Since I really liked the outcome I just added it to the existing pattern... 
...and since I was already rewriting the pattern I added another, larger size to the PDF, too!
Free hat pattern Cocoon by La Maison Rililie
You can find the free Cocoon hat pattern either here on my "free patterns" or on ravelry.
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A handy Yarn-Bowl

19/12/2013

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I am in a pre-Christmas-knitting-frenzy to finish up (or even start - horrible me!) the last presents for my nearest and dearest... I guess that you all are in quite a similar situation!!!
SoftCables + DIY Yarn Bowl
So I started working on my sister's gift: a pair of quick and easy armwarmers, which thankfully don't need any intellectual activity at all and can be knitted up while working on the computer or while thinking about the next present that needs to be done....
SoftCables + DIY Yarn Bowl
Soooo... while I was working and minding other stuff, my centre-pulled yarn ball started to tangle and it dropped to the floor more than once and generally couldn't seize to annoye me - That's how I remembered a tip I had seen on pinterest some time ago...

... I went to the kitchen and found a nice sturdy, big enough bowl and a simple binder-clip and I made my own, perfectly functioning yarn-bowl:
SoftCables + DIY Yarn Bowl
I am absolutely loving it... it keeps the yarn in one place (don't choose a light bowl that might move around) and the yarn flows out smoothly without any problems. I took the binder-clip apart to put my yarn in the loops, since I thought about this DIY yarn-bowl after having already started the project - and it could not have been easier to set everything up!

In less than 2 minutes everything was done and my knitting resumed... only this time I had a very obedient yarn ball sitting in a nice looking bowl next to me!
Another plus is that whenever I wan't to put my WIP away I can just put it in the nice bowl and it looks much better than just thrown in a corner, as was my former "method" of organisation!

Here you can find the original post that was linked to pinterest, where I had read about this great idea! And for the curious amongst you: the yarn is "Cool Wool Big Melange" from Lana Grossa in the colourway 617 & the pattern is the free SoftCables I published in November. 

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Tutorial: A Good Looking Left-Leaning Decrease - Please Welcome the LK2tog

14/12/2013

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Have you tried all left-leaning decreases known to man and just resigned to the strange and floppy look that they have in comparison to the one right-leaning decrease we all love: 
the K2tog?
Well... me too: The SSK, the PSSO, the K2tog through back loop, and many more... they all end up with a huge loop underneath the left leaning stitch that bunches everything up and makes a strange zig-zag instead of a clean, smooth line of decreases, like the k2tog does....

But I now "found" a way to work a decrease that has nothing to be embarrassed about...
Tutorial for Lk2tog: a new way to do left-leaning decreases by La Maison Rililie
This decrease needs some practice to get used to. I found it quite cumbersome at the beginning, but was too delighted with the result to just let go - and I can confirm, that after some happily executed LK2tog-decreases they now are really quick and easy to make!!!!
Tutorial for Lk2tog: a new way to do left-leaning decreases by La Maison Rililie
Tutorial for Lk2tog: a new way to do left-leaning decreases by La Maison Rililie
Tutorial for Lk2tog: a new way to do left-leaning decreases by La Maison Rililie
To see a larger version of the tutorial, you can click here.
... and you can also check out some other tutorials  here, if you like .
Update: we have started a discussion on the subject of this decrease-technique on my group on ravelry here (since it is easier to exchange ideas there than in the comments) and I wanted to invite everybody to come to the ravelry forum to post questions, remarks or impressions on the LK2tog. 
Tell me if you like it or hate it or whatever you think about it...
...everything interests me!!!
:)

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SoftCables

26/11/2013

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Free knitting pattern: SoftCables by La Maison Rililie
I published a free pattern for a pair of armwarmers on ravelry - just in time for the christmas-knitting frenzy (as a small gift from me to you guys)!
These arm-warmers are like unattached sleeves that one can wear with all the short or 3⁄4 sleeves that look cute, but don't really keep up when the weather gets colder. 
Armwarmers are the most practical and versatile accessory ever! I wear them either to make my shorter sleeves "longer" or, if my fingers freeze they can stand in as temporary mittens, when I wear them really low on the hands and bury my fingers in them!
Free knitting pattern: SoftCables by La Maison Rililie
These feature a big mirrored cable, with crisp and neat looking braids thanks to the hidden purl stitch in-between them and the 1x1 ribbing right next to the cables. The rest of the armwarmers is worked in simple Stockinette stitch. 

Any smooth and highly twisted yarn is suitable for showing off the cables. In this sample 100% merino was used, which is an excellent choice for textured patterns. 
And they are made out of worsted weight yarn, which makes for a speedy knit!

This pattern uses a tubular cast on and bind off for a very neat looking finishing that has also extreme stretch (my absolute favorite for accessories). But if you don't feel up to work this technique, you can exchange this CO or BO with any other method of your choice, just make sure that it is very stretchy! 
Free knitting pattern: SoftCables by La Maison Rililie
And while I was taking the pictures for the pattern it started to snow - for the first time this winter, very softly and silently the snowflakes wanted to make their presence in my photos...

You can download this pattern for free either on this site here, or directly on ravelry.

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