Ten Tunisian Crochet tips

In preparation for the Crochet Circle Podcast's CAL starting March 3rd I've been reading up on the technique. I was lucky enough to find FOUR Tunisian Crochet books in my public library. Houston is a huge city and our library downtown has over 90 individual titles on crochet. Wow! Although I do love a YouTube video for the specifics of a stitch I prefer to read a comprehensive overview of a technique.

 

Here are some tips I found useful as a relative newcomer to Tunisian Crochet gleaned from my reading this week. I thought you might find these useful if you're a newbie too.

1. Hook length: Your hook can hold a project width three times its length.  For wider projects select a hook with a flexible cable attached.
2. In Tunisian Crochet the front is always facing you so you don't need to turn. 
3. Count the stitches on your hook after the forward row. I know from experience that it's easy to lose a stitch! 
4. In Tunisian Simple Stitch there are the same number of stitches on your hook as on your starting chain.
5. Pull the yarn tight at the start of each forward row to prevent a loose stitch.
6. Work into the vertical AND horizontal bars of the last stitch of the forward row to stabilize the row. I wish I'd known this when I was doing my CYC swatch (see below)!
7. To prevent curl: Work into the back bump of your chain.
8. To prevent curl: Go up a hook size.
9. To prevent curl: At the beginning of your work, crochet a row of Tunisian purl stitch to redistribute the weight.
10. To prevent curl: Block your work.

Making a swatch for my second Craft Yarn Council certificate I remember really struggling with the placement of the last stitch of the forward row of my Tunisian Crochet square. I just couldn't figure it out and the swatch was frogged over and over. I was NOT enjoying myself AT ALL and didn't feel like EVER doing Tunisian Crochet again. But I changed my mind after discovering Entrelac last year. One of my current WIPs is the Tunisian Entrelac Yoga Top and I'm so looking forward to the upcoming CAL!

I had heard of Tunisan knit and purl stitch but there is a whole world of Tunisian crochet stitches and stitch patterns out there. The Honeycomb skirt by Sharon Hernes Silverman  is made in a variegated yarn and is simply stunning! Have a look at the project page on Ravelry.

Anyway, before I get carried away I will start with a simple project for the CAL which is the fantastic looking Cobbled Street Cowl. If you're interested in joining in check out the Ravelry group/thread and use #tccTunisianCAL to see the fun on Instagram!

Getting a wriggle on with my Tunisian Crochet project

Here is my progress on garment number 1 of the year - the Tunisian Entrelac yoga top. It has been slow going. Tunisian crochet is rather time consuming and I've been so distracted by my charity crochet bobble blanket project. The additional wool that I ordered online from Jimmy Beans Wool, taking advantage of their free standard postage in February, arrived far quicker than expected. I just kept making those little bobbles.

 

I listened to Fay on the latest Crochet Circle podcast episode just before the Super Bowl game began and found out that March 3rd is the start of their Tunisian Crochet Along. How exciting!! I've been a big fan of the Crochet Circle podcast ever since I reviewed it back in May last year. 

There are three different categories for the CAL which will be hosted by Sol. And my yoga top does not qualify. Boo! I need to start the project on March 3rd not beforehand. Sharing will take place on Instagram and Ravelry. Check out the show notes for further details here if you fancy taking part. It's going to be fun!

This gives me a few days rest between the current Instagram challenge I'm currently taking part in: #yarnlovechallenge It's great to search for the hashtag and scroll through the loveliness and read the accompanying stories. I am particularly drawn to crochet items as well as doggy crafting companions. The challenge has been organised by @maryheatherb and @oharethey More details can be found on their blogs here
http://maryheatherbrowne.com/blog/yarnlovechallenge and http://www.oharethey.com/blog/yarnlovechallenge. Being a little part of this is really brightening my day. Thank you ladies!!

Hope February is going well for you too lovely readers!

 

1st garment of the year - Tunisian Entrelac Yoga Top

I've decided that this year is going to be the year of the crochet garment. I have made a fair few knitted and crochet garments and designed a couple too but I can definitely finesse my skills. I plan to buy Top Down Crochet Sweaters by Dora Ohrenstein after reading a review by Susan Lowman on her Crochet Architect website.

 

I learned Tunisian Entrelac Crochet last year making a bright blanket for charity and wrote about it here. I enjoyed the technique so much and since this year is the year of the crochet garment I decided to tackle the Yoga Top by Elena Fedotova. I found out about Elena from Marie Segares in her Instagram #undergroundcraftertakeover. Here's the roundup on Marie's blog. Elena's geometric designs look so fresh and modern. I favorited the Yoga Top straightaway and I really love what she has done here with a traditional crochet granny squares on her Granny Fish Top.

I am now underway. The yoga top is bottom up and mostly seamless (yay for not having to sew sides together).I just love making these tiny squares because they are join as you go, and they just look so unbelievably cute. There are a few color combo suggestions and a blank chart in each size for you to colorize with your own color choices. I did have to restart after making a silly gauge calculation. Usually, I find one row is sufficient to measure horizontal gauge but with Tunisian Entrelac stitch the gauge reduces after adding a second and third row. My top was going to be a tight squeeze so I had to rip it all back and add additional squares. My husband likes to see me ripping items back. He says I'm getting more enjoyment out of the yarn and he's probably right.

Are you tackling something new this year? I'd love to hear.