What's this? A new crochet hook and yarn? What ever could have caused this? I know I have blogged before about my complete inability to follow patterns and hence successfully crochet much, but I saw this awesome tutorial from Crocheting the Day Away on Pinterest and I figured since I had never tried Tunisian crochet before I would give it a try. It looks easy enough, and the tutorial is really good with lots of photos (my best friend in crochet world).
Doesn't that stitch look awesome? It's sort of a cross between knitting and crochet, I have never knitted in my life so I'll report back to you on how it goes. I was just too excited to share my project (hopefully a striped scarf) that I had to share so you could all try this out too if you feel the need.
UPDATE: Here is my work in progress!
I have to say, I am quite impressed with myself, just goes to show what an amazingly easy to follow tutorial this is, very well done Mary!!
Once again, Pinterest has proven itself to be a great source of inspiration and great tutorials. It really is an awesome site, and again if you want an invite shoot me an email (craftinomicon@gmail.com)and ask for an invite! :)
For more inspiration don't forget to check out the Happy Haulidays post to see some great books from Chronicle Books and comment for a chance to win!
It looks cute! Once upon a time I learned tunisian crochet, but now every time I try it curls horribly
ReplyDeleteSo far mine is a little curled, but I'm doing much better than I thought I would be. More photos of my horrible crochet attempts will be coming soon :)
ReplyDeleteDepending on the fiber content, you may be able to 'block' your scarf and it will help with the curling. Blocking is super easy to do and it really helps give some polish to hand crocheted or knit items, in my opinion.
ReplyDeletei bought a tunison hook years ago and its sat in my stash ever since. Thanks for the inspiraiton, maybe i'll take a whack at it soon myself =)
ReplyDeleteGah! I should be banned from trying to do anything in front of the TV, as soon as I left my computer's screen with tutorial in full view, I started doing it wrong. Now it's all crooked, I'm gonna have to rip my stitches and start over because I am too embarrassed to even show a picture haha
ReplyDeleteI'm a crochet master!
I hope your Tunisian Crochet is going well! I hope the tutorial works out for you.
ReplyDeleteCan I suggest a couple tips for if your work is curling?
1. Keep your hands nice and relaxed. I know starting off you may be a little tense and tight. Just relax yourself and try to get a good motion going.
2. When pulling up a loop, try giving it a little extra tug to keep the loop a little bigger/looser.
Either way, dint give up! I'm sure you will get the hang of it. Once you do, it is a nice relaxing stitch that you can do in front of the TV!
I can't wait to see your progress! Thanks for checking out my tutorial. :)
Mary @ Crocheting the Day Away
Mary--Thanks! it's going pretty well, I'm going to post a picture of my progress later this afternoon! :)
ReplyDeleteYour work looks awesome! I just love the colors. Those happen to be two of my favorites :)
ReplyDeleteWhat yarn are you using?
I'm using Sheep(ish) by Vickie Howell for Caron. Its a 30% wool, 70% acrylic mix. I've never used it before, but so far I like it, it has a really soft texture and the colors are super vibrant!
ReplyDeleteI love sheep(ish) yarn - I used the lime for a halloween costume hat for my kiddo, and the gunmetal grey color for a scarf for my husband, and the same purple in your pictures above for a project that I ended up tossing because I got so mad at it.
ReplyDeleteI like the tunisian stitch! it just seems so much slower than my regular crochet stitches....however, I really like the polished, "knitted" look to it so I am going to keep at it until I am more comfortable with it. :)
Thanks for sharing your progress!
I will admit it is much slower going than any crochet I have previously done, but I like the look of it so much that I don't care all that much.
ReplyDeleteI am considering making "blocks" of tunisian crochet along with some blocks of other crochet stitches and then weaving them together for a baby blanket (one of my cousins announced in her Christmas card that she is expecting!). That way I could have varied texture, some ofthe nice knitted look, but also some squares that don't take me as long and maybe have a hope of finishing it before the baby is out of high school :)
I'm trying it now and it's really curling a lot. Any suggestions welcome.
ReplyDeleteThe best advise I got was from Mary above, try to keep your hands relaxed and give your loops a little extra tug to keep them loose. I always have trouble pulling mine rather tight and then it really curls up.
DeleteI just completed a tunisian stitch afghan and I love it. Made it for my oldest son's dorm room in his college colors. I liked tunisian because it was crochet but looked more masculine. I made 25-30 blocks in 10in x10in measurements, then whipstitched them together. I liked the patchwork look too and it solved the curling problem.
ReplyDeleteThat's an interesting stitch. I've never seen these hooks/needles before. I might scout one out now. Could you tell me what brand of yarn you're using in this project? I really like the looks of it.
ReplyDeleteThe yarn is Sheep(ish) by Vickie Howell for Caron. It's a 30% wool, 70% acrylic mix, and is really soft and shiny, I love it :)
DeleteI like that yarn!! Do you need a certain needle/hook thing? Or could I use a knitting needle or crochet hook? I'm gonna try this at some point, it's in my list.
ReplyDeleteThere is a special hook, it's a tunisian crochet hook. It is long, like a knitting needle, but has the crochet "hook" end. The opposite end has a stopper of some sort to make sure your stitches don't come off. If you are making something that isn't too wide, you can always wrap a rubber band around the end of a regular crochet hook a couple times so your stitches don't fall off.
DeleteOh, thanks!! I'm gonna look for that. Of course If I can't find it I'll just improvise! : )
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