Tunisian Crochet
It's never too late to teach the old dog new tricks, as the saying goes. Last week I learned how to do Tunisian crochet by following a teeny tiny tutorial at Homefree.I just love reading Karen's blog as she has some very you-nique ideas.
I've shied away from Tunisian crochet as it seemed complicated, but with the easy to follow photos and directions I was able to master this stitch in one evening.
This stitch,also called the afghan stitch, goes back and forth and you never have to turn your work, so the right side is always facing you.
There are special Tunisian crochet hooks but I don't have one so I just used a regular 4.5 mm hook. Using the regular hook limited what I could make because if I had any more stitches they would be falling off the end. Now that I know I like this stitch I will invest in buying one of the special hooks so that I can tackle bigger projects. But for now I'm happy making dish cloths.
Here is my pattern for the Tunisian dish cloth. Remember I'm better at doing the crochet than at writing down the pattern - and it seemed harder to write down a pattern using the Tunisian stitch.
Chain 25 stitches. Pull yarn through each stitch so that you have 25 loops on the hook. Be careful they don't slip off the end if you are using a regular hook. You could always add some sort of a stopper to the end - elastic band, bit of tape etc.
The next row (works from left to right), where you pull the yarn through the first stitch and off the hook, and then pull the yarn through the next two stitches and off the hook, continue till the end of the row. You end up with one stitch left on the hook.
Pick up 24 stitches (vertical stitches of the previous row, working right to left).
These 2 rows are the pattern and you continue until you have enough rows to form a square.
Around the edge of the square I did double crochet stitches to finish it off.
I also found this neat video on You tube showing you how to do this if you are a visual learner.
I think dish cloths made with the Tunisian stitch will be more sturdy and last longer than the simple knitted version. This is a great project to keep in a bag and take with you do do whenever you have to wait for an appointment, or to work on in the vehicle (if you can do that sort of thing). I've been making them while watching my favourite British soaps on tv (Coronation Street, East Enders) and I'll soon have a lot to give away with my Christmas gifts.
How about you ... have you learned anything new lately?
Edit at 6pm: I just discovered a Tunisian Crochet group at Ravelry. You do belong to Ravelry don't you?
I've shied away from Tunisian crochet as it seemed complicated, but with the easy to follow photos and directions I was able to master this stitch in one evening.
This stitch,also called the afghan stitch, goes back and forth and you never have to turn your work, so the right side is always facing you.
There are special Tunisian crochet hooks but I don't have one so I just used a regular 4.5 mm hook. Using the regular hook limited what I could make because if I had any more stitches they would be falling off the end. Now that I know I like this stitch I will invest in buying one of the special hooks so that I can tackle bigger projects. But for now I'm happy making dish cloths.
Here is my pattern for the Tunisian dish cloth. Remember I'm better at doing the crochet than at writing down the pattern - and it seemed harder to write down a pattern using the Tunisian stitch.
Chain 25 stitches. Pull yarn through each stitch so that you have 25 loops on the hook. Be careful they don't slip off the end if you are using a regular hook. You could always add some sort of a stopper to the end - elastic band, bit of tape etc.
The next row (works from left to right), where you pull the yarn through the first stitch and off the hook, and then pull the yarn through the next two stitches and off the hook, continue till the end of the row. You end up with one stitch left on the hook.
Pick up 24 stitches (vertical stitches of the previous row, working right to left).
These 2 rows are the pattern and you continue until you have enough rows to form a square.
Around the edge of the square I did double crochet stitches to finish it off.
I also found this neat video on You tube showing you how to do this if you are a visual learner.
I think dish cloths made with the Tunisian stitch will be more sturdy and last longer than the simple knitted version. This is a great project to keep in a bag and take with you do do whenever you have to wait for an appointment, or to work on in the vehicle (if you can do that sort of thing). I've been making them while watching my favourite British soaps on tv (Coronation Street, East Enders) and I'll soon have a lot to give away with my Christmas gifts.
How about you ... have you learned anything new lately?
Edit at 6pm: I just discovered a Tunisian Crochet group at Ravelry. You do belong to Ravelry don't you?
10 friendly comments:
Hi Crafty, I read with intent focus, but think I may be a visual learner! Thanks for the you tube link. The season to sit and work with my hands is approaching, if I can tear myself away from the computer that is. :-)
Frances
Good luck with the Tunisian crochet Frances. I hope you looked at the Homefree blog with the pictures as they helped me a lot. I've already cut down my time on the computer and I'm getting lots made.
Oh Crafty thank you for the sharing of the sharing. I like very much what you have done with the stitch. It is fun, isn't it.
I'm definitely a visual learner! I've seen afghans done in this stitch and it's lovely. Kudos to you.
Thanks for this instruction I am knitting dishclots for my daughter and will try the Tunsian one it does look sturdier.
Hi Karen, yes I love this stitch and will certainly be using it more.
Good luck with the dishcloths Rosemary. And be sure to let me know if you try the Tunisian stitch.
Thank you for this :) I like the idea of the Tunisian stitch for the cloths, they definitely look like they'd be stronger. Mine have pretty much all fallen apart and I'm itching to make some more. If I can find the time lol, I'll try casting one on tonight using my regular hook as well. Any idea where we can find the
Tunisian hooks?
Hi Victoria, I haven't checked to see if there are Tunisian hooks locally but I think the best bet would be the Knitting Nimrod in Belleville or perhaps Needle in a Haystack in Picton.
That's one crochet stitch I would love to try at some point. I have an old Reader's Digest Guide to Needlework that is just fantastic. My mother taught herself to knit from the book before I was born, and once I was interested in knitting/crochet she found a used copy to give to me. Something new...I think I've finally mastered mitred corners for my sewing projects :)
Now that winter is coming there's not much gardening to write about so I'll probably be adding some of my crafting in there.
I didn't get the scale at first and thought the picture was of some very pretty cushions.
The stitch seems too pretty to leave to dishcloths.
I don't usually like crochet - but I like the look of this!
Lucy
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