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.

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!

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:

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.

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.

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.

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.

I have revisited two of my older patterns and updated them:

... 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:

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!!!

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....

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:

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. 

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...

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!!!!

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!!!
:)

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 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! 

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.