ARNie's Resource Library for Tunisian Crochet

I'm posting this here, until I can get it up at my website: ChezCrochet.com
It would take me at least a week to type in ALL of the books in my resource library, but for Tunisian Crochet, this is the majorty of them.

*Materials used for Encyclopedia of Tunisian Crochet

Stitch Guides and Technical Manuals:

• *"300 Crochet Stitches" London, England: Collins & Brown Ltd., 1998. (Originally published as The Harmony Guide to Crochet Stitches, Lyric Books, 1986.)
• *"220 More Crochet Stitches" London, England: Collins & Brown Ltd., 1998. (Originally published as The Harmony Guide to 100's More Crochet Stitches, Lyric Books, 1992.)
• *"Complete Guide to Needlework" Pleasantville, NY: Reader*s Digest Association, 1979.
• *"Tricot Crochet: The Complete Book" Jones, Rebecca. Berkeley, California: Lacis Publications, 2000. (Originally published as "The Complete Book of Tricot." Australia: The Kangaroo Press Pty. Ltd., 1991)
• *"Complete Stitch Directory" North, Patsy, ed. NY,NY: Crescent Books, 1982. (Originally published as *Millepunti,* Milan:Gruppo Editoriale Fabbri S.p.A., 1982.) My 'rosetta stone' for Tunisian Crochet, the book that launched my passion for this needlework.
• "Creative Crochet Handbook" Palfy, Christa. Australia, Angus & Robertson Publishers, 1976.
• "Lee Ward's Complete Library of Needlecraft" Houck, Carter, ed. Montgomery, AL, Fuller and Dees Publishing, 1985.
• "A Treasury of Crochet Patterns" Blackwell, Liz. NY, NY, Charles Scribner's Sons, 1971
• "The Encyclopedia of Knitting and Crochet Stitch Patterns" Mariano, Linda. NY, NY. Van Nostrand Reinhold Co, 1976.
• "The New Crochet Dictionary" Goldberg, Rhoda Ochser. NY,NY. Crown Publishers, Inc. 1986.
• "The Time-Life Book of Needlecraft" Donovan, Hedly, ed. NY, NY. Time-Life Books, 1976.
• "McCall's Needlework Tresury" NY,NY. Random House/McCall's publishers, 1964.
• "Good Housekeeping's Complete Book of Needlecraft" Guild, Vera P. Garden City, NY. Doubleday & Co, Inc. 1959.
• "How To Crochet" Turner, Pauline, London, UK. Collins & Brown, 2001.
• "Teach Yourself, Step by Step Guide: Tunisian Crochet" Nehring, Nancy. Little Rock, AK. Leisure Arts, 2004.

Carolyn Christmas' Easy Tunisian books:

• "101 Easy Tunisian Crochet Stitches"
• "Cable Hook Afghans"
• "Sampler Afghan"
• "Cable Hook Fashions"

Historical Reproductions

• *"Knit, Net, Crochet, and More of the Era of the Hoop" Marsh, Heidi, ed.Davenport, Iowa: Amazon Drygoods, Ltd, 1993
• "Needlecraft Practical Journal No. 61- New Crochet Stitches and Garments" The Manchester School of Embroidery, Augsta, ME, 1907 (Reproduction purchased from http://www.ivarose.com/)
• "The Dictionary of Needlework" Caufield, Sophia Frances Anne & Saward, Blanche 1882; Reprint Edition- Arno Press, Inc. USA, 1972.
• "The Complete Encyclopedia of Needlework" de Dillmont, Therese, 1886; Reprint Edition- Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 1972.
• *"Victorian Crochet" Weldon & Company, et. all. NY: Dover Publications, 1974. (A compilation of crochet patterns published by Weldon's Practical Crochet magazine published from 1875 through the 1930's.)

The number of Project Pattern books that I own is huge, so I will put those in another post later on.

Tunisian Crochet: The Look of Knitting With the Ease of Crochet

Most folks know that I have researched Tunisian Crochet for close to 20 years, both in modern and historical resources. I have lamented about the lack of information, and everyone has lamented about the lack of patterns available.

It is my great pleasure to tell you about a new book: Tunisian Crochet: The Look of Knitting with the Ease of Crochet, by Sharon Hernes Silverman. This 115 page large paperback is a welcomed addition to my own Tunisian Crochet Library, and I gladly recommend it.

Employing line drawings, detailed photographs, and step by step instructions, Ms. Silverman provides an excellent overview of the mechanics of Tunisian Crochet to help the beginner; plus new stitch combinations and project patterns that will thrill the experienced crocheter. The 16 patterns include a wide range of projects: home decor, things for babies, clothing for adults and children; she even includes a felted purse.

My particular favorites were the Sweet Baby Dreams Blanket- which combines Front Crossed Simple Stitches with Knit Stitches to create wonderful texture; and the Frosted Stitch Afghan, which uses ‘Shells and Columns’ or what the Victorian’s called The Double Gobelin Stitch.

I truly appreciated the ‘extras’ that Ms. Silverman included: schematics with every clothing project, several pages of body sizing and general measurements for patterns, and a yarn weights table.

The drawbacks in the book are minor: the adult clothing patterns go only to a size Large (No Plus Sizes); and some of the stitch names she uses are different. Most Tunisian Crochet enthusiasts won’t find this a major issue, because we are accustomed to different names for stitches, and she clearly defines the mechanics for all of the stitches she uses. An example: the Tunisian Full Stitch (worked between the stitches) is what she calls the Net Stitch.

Ms. Silverman states that Tunisian Crochet is "designed more for the experienced crocheter," and that is the only statement that I took exception with. From my own experience teaching both classic crochet and Tunisian Crochet, Tunisian Crochet is much easier to learn and master. When I have students who struggle with classic crochet, I can put a long hook in their hands and in two hours they are happily stitching. So, if you find this book in a bookstore near you, and you don’t know how to do Tunisian Crochet, don’t be afraid to try. This book can get you started and provide you with enough projects to get you 'hooked.'

Read more about the book at Sharon's Site:
http://www.sharonsilverman.com/books.htm

Instructions for the Scrap-A-Nator

For a short, quick, easy Tunisian Crochet ALong (at our Yahoo Group), I'm offering the instructions to stitch your own Scrap-A-Nator- a pattern designed to use up scraps... so that nothing goes to waste. An Ultimate Yarn Recycling pattern.

At least, 2 pounds of Scrap yarn
6.5mm up to 10mm hook (US size K up to N)
The K sized hook makes a denser fabric better suited for a Bath Mat or Rug.
The larger hooks make a more fluid fabric well suited for a lap throw.

Dimensions will vary:
Size K hook 24-26" wide, the length is determined by you.
10mm Hook 30-32" wide by 40-44" long

Special Instructions:
++RETURN: Yo, pull through 2 loops. (Yo, pull through Connecting Chain and 1 loop off hook) Repeat instructions inside ( ) until there is 1 loop on hook.
This type of Return will help to make a more solid Return edge. On the Forward of each row, you must work into the Hidden Stitch beside the last stitch, or this will decrease one stitch on the Return Edge.

HIDING TAILS ON THE RETURN:
Since this uses scraps, there will be numerous knots and tails to hide. I’ve had good results by stitching these into the fabric on the Return.
Return up to the Knot. Lay the Tails over the yarn, moving towards the Hook hand. Yo, pull through the stitches. Lay the tails over the yarn, moving towards the Yarn hand. Yo, pull through the stitches. Repeat this process, laying the tails- back and forth- over the yarn until they are too small. Later, you can use a smaller hook to pull the remaining tails into the Connecting Chain stitches to secures them.

The Scrap-A-Nator using ARNie’s Favorite Stitch

Holding 2 strands of worsted weight yarn together, chain 66-76.
Row 1: Pick up loops in ea chain, using the Camels’ Hump on the back of the chain stitch. Return, using the Special Instructions above ++.
Row 2: (Tss, Tps) across row, including Hidden St. Work last st, and Return using the Special Instructions.
Row 3: Tss, (Yo, sk 1 st, Tks in next st) Repeat across row, ending with Tks, Tss in Hidden St, & last st. Return using special instructions.
Row 4: Tss, (Tfs in Yo Sp, Yo, Sk Tks) Repeat across row, ending with Yo, sk Tfs, Tss in Hidden St, & last st. Return using special instructions.
Row 5: Tss, (Yo, Sk Tfs, Tfs in Yo Sp) Repeat across row, ending with Tfs, Tss in Hidden St,& last st. Return using special instructions.
Repeat Rows 4 & 5 to create pattern and work to desired length.
Last Row: Tss,(Tfs in Yo Sps, Tks in Stitches.) Tss in Hidden St, last st. Return using Special instructions.
Bind Off Row: Single Crochet in each stitch. End off and finish hiding tails.

For photos, look at posts from earlier this week.
Pattern Copyrighted by Angela 'ARNie' G. 2009.
For copyright permissions, click here:
http://chezcrochet.com/page9.html

UFO CAL

For the last few weeks, our yahoo group has been doing an informal Crochet Along, where we worked on our individual UnFinished Objects.

The shawl is one of my UFOs, and is Tunisian Crochet Feather and Fan. I'll be working more on the instructions, and hope to publish it later this year. This shawl was made with Homespun in various shades/ombres of Gray and Tan.

The colorful blanket is another Scrap-A-Nator, but is 3 feet by 4 feet, instead of just a lap throw.

The Scrap-A-Nator

In the process of choosing which project I could work on, I found the blue and lavender lapthrow that was half finished.... I was fighting migraines again, so that project would be easy to stitch.

I finished it in 2 or 3 hours... so I started another one. Finished it and started another one... I think I have 5 of them now, in just over a week. A larger version is in another blog post this week.

These are roughly 30 inches wide and 42 inches long, based on dimension my local needlework group uses for their charity lapthrows to local nursing homes. These throws are worked holding two strands of yarn together, using a 10mm hook, and MY favorite stitch. http://chezcrochet.com/page18.html

I will be doing a short TCAL (Tunisian Crochet Along) with our yahoo group starting May 18; using this pattern. I will provide tips and tricks, as well as, detailed instructions, yarn requirements, etc. http://groups.yahoo.com/group/tunisiancrochet/

The lap throw itself was an effort to use up a bunch of scraps and still have something visually appealing. Although I can't call this a Stash Buster, like the Stitch Diva's blanket, it does provide a great way of using up scraps.

Tess D'uberville Shawl- over view

There have been several interesting conversations about how to create a shawl seen in the BBC production of Tess of D'uberville.

That shawl was knitted, and since my knitting skills are rudementary at best... I never tried to knit it. I did look carefully at the photos and decided this could be done in TC, but put the project on the back burner.

Well, several days later someone asked this very same question: could this shawl be done in Tunisian Crochet... so I experimented with it and in only a few minutes had the answer.

First of all, the piece is a Mitered Corner Shawl in which the stitches run in the opposite direction of Mitered corner shawls that are more common place. It is this Stitch Direction that has caused all the commotion.

I could find no other way to duplicate this method, without first working a Square; then working the two Ends separately. Each end forms a Triangle that continues working rows of stitches from the square, but each row decreases along the top edge of the shawl.

Now, if you work all Tks, the stitch direction will look very similar to the more common triangle shawls. The opposite stitch directions will be more obvious with the Pronounced Ridges on the back of the piece.

You can work alternating rows of Tks/Tps (like in my sample), although with the Pronounced Ridge on back, you don't have to.

My instructions (in the next post) are written in such a way that you can insert any stitch you prefer, to create a shawl of your very own.

Check back here, or at my site: ChezCrochet.com for upcoming pattern booklets where I will offer variations on this shawl, with detailed stitching instructions.

These instructions and Schematics are Copyrighted by Angela 'ARNie' Grabowski 2009

Tess D'uberville Shawl

A. Ch 3.
Row 1: Forward- Yo, pick up a stitch, Yo, pick up last st. Return.
Row 2: Forward- Tfs- in Yo Sp, Yo, Tks, Yo, Tfs-in Yo Sp, last st. Return.
Row 3: Forward- 1 St. Yo, Tks, Yo, 1 St, last st. Return.
Row 4: Forward- Work chosen stitches up side, Tfs-in Yo Sp, Tks, Tfs-in Yo Sp, then work chosen stitches down the other side. Return.

Repeat Row 4 to create length.

B. These instructions create a Mitered corner square, as seen by the white lines.

C1. Once the Diagonal measurement of the square equals the length of the shawl (from your neck down). Stitch Up this side up to the 1st Yo Sp. Return.
Subsequent Rows: Stitch up side to last 3 sts. Tss2tog, last st. Return.

C2. When you have only 1 loop remaining- DO NOT END OFF. Remove the hook and put a Work In Progress (WIP) Clip into the loop. This can be a paper clip, pinch style clothes pin, a file clip (bull dog clip.)

D. Attach a new ball of yarn into the empty Yo Sp.
Stitch down this side and Return.
Next Row: Stitch normally- following your chosen stitch pattern. Return as you normally would until you have 2 stitches left (3 loops.) Yo, pull through all 3 loops (Decrease made- Dec).
Subsequent Rows: Ignore the Stitches within the Dec. Stitch down side. Return following instructions in previous row.
When there is only 1 loop left, End off.

E. Go back to other End, and removed Wip Clip. Insert hook and work classic crochet Single Crochet stitches or Slip Stitches across the top edge of the shawl.