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)

In the last weeks I had to reconsider my knitting-needle "organisation": My "system" wasn't working anymore. Circulars were everywhere and although I tried to keep them from tangling up with each other by storing most of them in their original sachets, they were also starting to show their age and tearing up. It was extra hard and quite unpleasant to try to find anything in my big mess of a bag...

It might look like an innocent, elegant silk clutch from the outside, but beware - the inside holds the best tool for all of us slightly neurotic and archive-maniacs knitters out there:
Pockets... Labels,
TABS!
In this organisational wonder you get 21 labelled pockets, plus another 3 plain pockets. 
​All of them do have a flap and they are about 15cm x 10,5cm big, which makes each pocket large enough to hold about 3 (smaller sized) needles comfortably.

The half sizes stop at 6,5mm, so that there was no pocket provided for my 7,5mm circular (the labelling goes from 1,5mm (000US) to 12mm (17US) by the way). There are even quarter sizes for the smaller needles, which I do not use at all - so I thought that I could put stickers on the existing tabs to personalise the labelling according to my own needs and together with the pockets that do not have labels, I can still find my stuff at one glance and have all of my needles together in one case.

While the pocket organisation is most practical and welcome, the main star of this case is of course the fabric! When I first saw it, I thought that it is made out of pure silk - but no, the material is called “Poly Silk” and as I found out with a quick google search, Poly Silk is essentially polyester and silk - it is a mix designed to make the silk more durable, easy to wash and wrinkle resistant. So you get the gorgeous look of silk and hopefully the durability and resistance of polyester with this material. 
Sounds good to me (who always walks around with wrinkly clothes, if they aren’t knit-wear… my knits are perfectly blocked, always!!! But everything else, not so much).

The colour I have is called “Seafoam” and it is a wonderful, vibrant, light venetian green. I especially love the different hues the silky fabric provides and I have the impression that it will age gracefully by getting lighter at the edges and make the rich texture of the weave come out even more. On the website there are quite many different colours to choose from, depending on the model and there is also a big choice of different sized needle cases for interchangeables, straights, DPNs or crochet hooks. I also think that I saw some lovely project bags over there, but I tried to ignore them for the time being.... 

But what I love the most, is the fact that these cases aren’t produced by a big international company but by a small business based in Seattle, which seems to be working ethically with the people that produce those handmade bags in Vietnam.

There is so much more info you can read about the DellaQ shop and the quirky owner Della in her about page (or you can also check her out on instagram). Her blog “The Knitting Bag Chronicles” features also a lovely post that introduces the Vietnamese sewers and the workshop she is working with.

Now I am off to find a different solution for my DPNs, since I guess that my old Cath Kidston straight case (although very cute) will be too cumbersome to take with me when travelling…

For the dimensions, offered colours, price and other info about the cases, check out the DellaQ shop.
My case is this one: The Que Grand Circular Needle Case in the colour seafoam

After having gifted a very special hand-knitted item to a beloved receiver, the most dreaded thing for a knitter to hear, is: "Oh... it's so cute, I love it - but I have to admit that I never wear it because it really doesn't fit / is too big / much too long / not really my size...! Well, thanks anyway"
- I had the pleasure to hear something similar after asking my mother if she wears the ShellSock in yellow I gifted her about a year ago. I made her this pair because she liked the ones I did for myself (based onthis free pattern here), but I never saw her wearing the socks, when I visited.
So... after wondering why she didn't tell me sooner and without me asking about them, I immediately started "The Operation ShortSock".
It's nothing groundbreaking in terms of newness or innovation. No, it's simply a cut-and-graft shortening of the sock's foot-tube. But since many knitters seem to be afraid of such "invasive treatments" and since I thankfully remembered to take pictures during "surgery" (a rarity in my case), I thought that I might show you the complete procedure below - step by step - and maybe it will seem less daunting to some! It's the idea of cutting that frightens more than the act itself, believe me.
​
So - first of all we had to do an evaluation-field trip: Mum tried on the sock and we established how much exactly we would need to shorten it, so that it'll fit comfortably.
​Try to keep in mind here that the fabric is elastic and that it will stretch a bit, but avoid to take out too much and make a sock that will be too snug and tight. Just fold over a section, try it out and mark the extent that needs to go.

Then I cut into one stitch of said contrast round in white (the first round of the section we intend to remove right above the needle of the toe area) and proceeded to take the whole round out stitch by stitch until the toe was separated completely from the rest of the sock.
You can click on the pictures to see a bigger version of them, if you like.

Then I found the tail of the grey main colour and just unraveled it until I got bored... and grabbed the cute little scissors I have from fringesupplyco to quickly cut all the excess away - without of course hurting any of the stitches already positioned on the needle - or myself - or others... 

Then the fun part began: The actual grafting and re-connecting of the toe to the foot! If you are one of those knitters that fear this step, rest assured that it is not at all hard to do. You just need to take your time and keep an eye on your tension, while following a good tutorial, if you don't already know the grafting mantra "knit, slip, purl... purl, slip, knit" by heart.

After neatly hiding all tails and such, the old-new shortened sock was ready to be worn for the first time and it successfully had been saved from a dark and boring life in the sock-drawer!
Both me and my favourite knit-recipient were quite glad about it...
You are welcome, mum! 

On an incredibly hot day this past June, I strolled around the former industrial district in Athens and stumbled upon a rare gem: A happy marriage between Art and Fiber.
It was the very last day of an exhibition called Chroachym by Chrysanthi Koumianaki, as I read on the front door of the old Mentis factory - so I walked inside.

Chrysanthi Koumianaki, a greek artist, collaborated and got inspired by a small scale brocade factory called Mentis in Athens - which today houses the Centre for the preservation of traditional textile techniques of the prestigious Museum Benaki in Greece.

The brocade factory opened in 1867 to dress King Otto, the first King of Greece’s shortlived Monarchy. Later the factory's production expanded as a silk factory and it became one of Greece’s most famous producer of passementarie - the embellisments that decorated courtains of couture houses, traditional costumes, theater production and even army wear for over half a century. Today it survives as a reference to a by-gone era, less as a necessary production line but as a symbolic gesture, a cultural and historic heritage site.

Wonderful tassels, cords and edgings fill up the space everywhere and can be admired in midst all the industrial beauty of the old machines and tools. And there, right between the busy silk heaps, there are Koumianaki's delicate floating pieces of work: Intertwined, as if they always were a part of the setting. Listening with feminine attentiveness and speaking to us about the factory in a poetic and soft voice. Her work asks us to see the factory’s particularities - to see and to hear them anew, as they truly are - and that IS Art in my opinion. It makes people think and feel and challenge and decide and observe.
Making us more "human", I guess - and I love this feeling, even if I encounter it seldom!
Thank you Chrysanthi for this experience.

Since most of my own pictures are from the factory/museum itself, you can see more of the actual exhibition here, on Chrysanthi's site.

Just as a general side note: I have to mention here that I don’t take the word “Art” lightly and that I myself have never applied it, when referring to knitting, spinning or weaving. I also have to admit that I am always cringing when I read or hear this new linguistic construction called a “Fibre Artist”…
But I digress... this is quite a huge subject and we can discuss it in the comments or in another moment, if you wish.

Anyway, ranting or musing aside… in this very specific instance there was something happening that truly resonated with me and that for the first time gave the words “Fiber Artist” a meaning that rang true - even in my personal strict, narrow and very specific view of fibre and art!

Gilda... The film Rita Hayworth was most famous for.
The 1946 Hollywood drama with this one immortal scene: Featuring a dancing and singing, alluring Gilda and one looong glove!

Now my take on Gilda has not much in common with the sleek and provocative, red-haired pin-up Rita... But it features long fingerless gloves too, and I would love to think that it would be Rita's choice for a Gilda-esque casual and chill out day in autumn or winter...
... the dancing and singing is optional, of course!

Finally the extra large stripes give the whole design a more youthful and modern take, while tiny accent stripe allow for a fun play with colour.

To further enhance the striping of this design, different material has been chosen, so as to have a slightly mat fabric for the patterned stripes and a smoother one for the Stockinette sections. Both yarns are of light fingering weight and very affordable, while offering a vast choice of colours and extremely good quality: Mabel & Ivy Supersoft and Mabel & Ivy Coast yarn.

The producer of the Mabel&Ivy label, Tangled Yarn, are offering kits for this pattern, which include all the yarn you’ll need to knit your sweater (with the option to purchase the needed amount of yarn - with or without arm-warmers - to complete the look)!
The GILDA Kits are available on the tangled-yarn site for a limited time: Until October 20th 2016.

There is a new bug in town and it's a fun little cardigan with lots of special details!

I have been working on this design since last fall and I am so happy that finally I can share it here with you. There was a lot of thought put into the whole coordination of all the different aspects, and if you like I can tell you some things about them:
We have a prominent textured bottom half that features a fairly easy stitch pattern to give an effect that is reminiscent of old brocade, which I absolutely love. 
Then there are the folds of course - two smaller ones at the front and one that draws all the attention at the back side. These are held in place without distortion by a contrast coloured slip-stitch band right above them and they are responsible for the quirky shape, since they drape at all the right places and counterbalance the fitted top section with instant ample volume.

It was the shape of the lower part of the body that made me think of colourful scaraboid wings and surprisingly I found that they looked good on human bodies, too!
Of course there were some knitters that were a little afraid that it might not look as good on their larger sized projects, but since I like to take these differences in body shapes in account for the larger sizes (as far as this is possible in standard sizing and pattern writing), I was able to reassure most of them. We discussed that a darker colour at the bottom part (or a single colour at both top and bottom sections) can result in a slimmer looking version. Further the length of the cardigan would be crucial to achieve a different style, as also the choice of the yarn quality of course, since a drapier yarn falls differently than a stiffer one.

​Shetland is a rustic and matt yarn, that will soften after washing and bloom nicely to fill any possible gaps in your knitting. This makes it quite suitable for stranded knitting, fair isle or other colour-work.
It is available in 22 beautiful colours. Most of them do have a subtle heathered quality that looks great in simple stocking stitch, too.

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.

It's been a year now that my cardigan pattern MarlOn was released in the wonderful amirisu winter 2015 issue! The gorgeous Japanese knitting magazine gave me back the rights to the pattern just recently and so it was able to join it's sisters here on my blog. 
It is still available through ravelry of course - I just changed the layout of the English PDF pattern to the "rililie-approved-version" you all know (with yoke charts and so on).
The Japanese translation remains in the original amirisu layout though, since I wouldn't dare to touch it. Yes, my Japanese is non-existant... and sadly will remain so for quite some time!

The first couple, narrower stripes are quite at home on the delicate collarbone-area while they progressively get "fatter" towards  the larger neck backside, as you can see above.

And then there is all this play with using denser and spaced out, fine and larger stripes to enhance the feminine body of an otherwise classic cardigan shape. This is all achieved by following a specific marled sequence and the use of 2 strands of yarn throughout.
"MarlOn" is all about having fun in choosing one's very own, unique colouring!

(and no, I haven't cut my hair - these are all pictures from when I finished the cardigan 2 years ago... just before sending it away from home, to far away Japan!)

An immense thank you to the lovely girls at amirisu for the excellent collaboration!
Starting today, you can find the pattern PDF in English and Japanese for direct download, either here on this site, or as before on ravelry.