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!