Tunisian Crochet -Building Skills in Designs

Tunisian Crochet is a technique that always has something bold to offer. It seems to be a bit cyclical in the design world, making a splash every few years. With every splash creating a great surge in creativity, and the new digital release of The Tunisian Collect from I Like Crochet Magazine is no exception.

I am fortunate enough to have 2 designs in this publication.

A Teenager Loved Pillow

The Cozy At Home Tunisian Tassel Pillow is one that my teenage son liked enough that he had me make some for his room (this is always a huge reward for my work…that the kids actually like it). It really only uses two Tunisian stitches, a Simple Stitch and a Purl Stitch to create this visual effect. In addition it uses a large hook size, so it works up pretty quickly.

Cozy At Home Tunisian Tassel Pillow

I like the edging that seams the two sides as you work it, and the tassels were a definite highlight for my son, so maybe it is a new trending feature.

A Fun Hat

The In The Round Tunisian Full Stitch Hat is one that is a real skill builder. It works what I mistakenly thought was the most basic stitch in Tunisian until I learned more about it, the Full Stitch. This stitch creates a pattern of little lines that do not directly stack atop one another, but are off-set. I have always loved the look.

In The Round Tunisian Full Stitch Hat

This pattern though has a little twist, it is worked in the round. Working in the round is not something that is commonly worked in Tunisian crochet, as it is a technique worked by loading up loops on the hook and then working it back off. So you never turn the work, and it is easiest to work flat.

However I have shared some tips to working in the round, and this pattern puts it to use.

I hope you enjoy these projects and use them to build your skills in the area of Tunisian Crochet.

New Design Release- Perfect for Fall

There is a certain rush about getting up in the morning to receive the message that your latest three designs have been released by I Like Crochet Magazine. There are two in the August 2019 issue and one in the latest book collection, The One-Skein Crochet Collection.

Easygoing Tank- photo coutrsey Prime Publishing

Easygoing Tank

The Easygoing Tank, found in the August issue, is worked as one piece, side to side. It has a simple stitch pattern and is shaped on one edge of the fabric. By using a few join-as-you-go techniques that are explained in the pattern, you can even avoid seaming the tank at all, and finish the entire top with just your hook!

Serene Wrap Skirt- photo courtesy Prime Publishing

Serene Wrap Skirt

The Serene Wrap Skirt, also found in the August issue, is another fun project that has you feeling successful in garment creation. It is worked from the short edge, and increased to the skirt length, then is worked until it fits. The color change is worked within the rows, but are not carried along, but dropped and added as needed….with no ends to weave in. There is some gentle short rows to allow for an ease in the waist fit. Simple ties just above the hips keep this skirt secure. Imagine the color combinations that you create with this structured border edge.

Hello Cozy Hat- photo courtesy Prime Publishing

Hello Cozy Hat

The final design, Hello Cozy Hat, featured in the One-Skein Crochet Collection, and is a slouchy beanie that has an up turned brim to share a surface crochet greeting. Worked flat with short rows at the crown, this hat is then topped with a pom-pom, and using crochet thread the message is surface crocheted in the unused loops of the stitches on the row.

It is always a good morning to be able to share new designs, new ideas, and a new hope to inspire.

Scrap Use Free Pattern

I just completed the Craftvent CAL from Jimmy Beans Wool (if you missed it, but want to work up the pattern, find details here). When I was done, I had several little yarn ball left overs, so I had to find something to do with them.

Yes, I am one of those crocheters, the type that does not like to waste any yarn. This means that I have options for scrap projects. With these left over bits, from the “Sugar Plum” colors of the project already go really well together, so visually anything will look pretty good.

I started out thinking I would make a little draw string bag, but as I got into the project I realized that I had enough yarn to actually make a hat, and a hat is going to get a bit more wear in my household.

I have shared this scrap pattern below, and the notation of how you can turn this into a drawstring bag.

Please note that I do not have any length of the yarn used noted, as really it is just scraps. You could put any colors together anyway you want.

I used an H/8/5.00mm hook and light weight yarns (for a listing of the yarns in the projects, they are the same as the yarns in the Craftvent Quest Shawl, listed here). To help you hat fit perfectly, I share information here.

Scrap Hat

Rnd 1: Ch 4, 11 dc in 4th ch from hook, sl st to join to beg ch.

Rnd 2: Ch 3, dc in same st, 2 dc in each st around, sl st to join.

Rnd 3: Ch 3, dc in same st, dc in next st, [2 dc in next st, dc in next st] rep around, sl st to join.

Rnd 4: Ch 3, dc in same st, dc in each of the next 2 sts, [2 dc in next st, dc in next 2 sts] rep around, sl st to join.

Rnd 5: Ch 3, dc in same st, dc in each of the next 3 sts, [2 dc in next st, dc in next 3 sts] rep around, sl st to join.

Rnd 6: Change color, ch 1, 2 sc in back loops of same st, sc in back loops of next 4 sts, [2 sc in back loops of next st, sc in back loops of next 4 sts] rep around, sl st to join.

Rnd 7: Change color, ch 1, 2 sc in back loops of same st, sc in back loops of next 5 sts, [2 sc in back loops of next st, sc in back loops of next 5 sts] rep around, sl st to join.

Rnd 8: Change color, ch 3, dc in back loop of same st, dc in back loop of next 6 sts, [2 dc in back loop of next dc, dc in back loop of next 6 sts] rep around, sl st to join.

Rnd 9: Change color, ch 3, dc in each st around, sl st to join.

Rnd 10: Change color, ch 1, sc in back loop of each st around, sl st to join.

Rnd 11: Change color, ch 3, dc in back loop of each st around, sl st to join.

Rnd 12: Change color, ch 3, dc in each st around, sl st to join.

Rnd 13: Ch 3, dc in each st around, sl st to join.

Rnd 14: Ch 3, dc in each st around, sl st to join.

Rnd 15: Change color, ch 1, sc in back loop of each st around, sl st to join.

Rnd 16: Change color, ch 1, sc in back loop of each st around, sl st to join.

Rnd 17: Change color, ch 3, dc in back loop of each st around, sl st to join.

Rnd 18: Change color, ch 3, dc in each st around, sl st to join.

Rnd 19: Change color, ch 1, sc in back loop of each st around, sl st to join.

Rnd 20: Change color, ch 3, dc in back loop of each st around, sl st to join.

Rnd 21: Change color, ch 3, dc in each st around, sl st to join.

Rnd 22: Change color, ch 1, sc in back loop of each st around, sl st to join.

Rnd 23: Change color, ch 1 sc in back loop of each st around, sl st to join. Fasten off. Weave in ends.

Simple Bag

Work as for Hat in Rnds 1-19.

Rnd 20: Change color, ch 4, sk next dc, dc in next st, ch 1, sk 1, [dc in next st, ch 1, sk 1] around, sl st to join.

Rnd 21: Change color, ch 3, dc in each st and ch-sp around, sl st to join.

Rnd 22: Change color, ch 1, sc in back loop of each st around, sl st to join.

Rnd 23: Change color, ch 1 sc in back loop of each st around, sl st to join. Fasten off. Weave in ends.

Drawstring

Create a chain about 50” long, turn and sl st in each ch across, fasten off.

Weave drawstring through the ch-sps of Rnd 20, then weave ends around to opposite side, ensuring that the tie is wrapped around the bag twice. Tie ends of drawstring together, and pull pull closed.

 

 

Beyond Basic Hat- Free Pattern

Last week I shared a Basic Hat free pattern, I had an increased number of people wanting to make hats, and they really are great, quick projects, that can help those fighting cancer by the means of chemo therapy. I have designed both of these hats using baby weight yarn, as I find that it is both soft and hypo-allergenic.

The Beyond Basic Hat is worked holding 2 strands of baby yarn at one time (you could substitute 1 strand of medium weight yarn instead). To use 2 strands is not as difficult as it seems, you simply hold them together and treat them as if they were just 1 strand, so you yarn over using both strands together, you pull through loops using both strands together, they just get worked as one. I find it fun to use 2 different colors, like I did in this sample with teal and lemon yellow.

I find that this pattern tends to be my go to hat more often, as is really works up fairly fast, however if you want to learn how to customize the size of hat, check out my tutorial, Crochet Hat Formula, here.

 

Beyond Basic Hat

Materials:

2 skeins Lion Brand Soft Baby light weight yarn (60% acrylic, 40% nylon)

I/9/6mm crochet hook

Gauge: 5 rnds/ 8 dc=3”

This pattern is worked holding 2 strands of yarn throughout.

For directions for the Reverse Single Crochet (Revsc) check out my tutorial here.

Sizes: Baby (Kid, Woman, Man)

Rnd 1(1, 1, 1) Ch 4, 11 dc in 4th ch from the hook, sl st to join.

Rnd 2 (2, 2, 2): Ch 3, dc in same st, 2 dc in each st around, sl st to join.

Rnd 3 (3, 3, 3): Ch 3, dc in same st, dc in next st, [2 dc in next st, dc in next st] rep around, sl st to join.

Rnd – (4, 4, 4): Ch 3, dc in same st, dc in next 2 sts, [2 dc in next st, dc in next 2 sts] rep around, sl st to join.

Rnd – ( -, 5, 5): Ch 3, dc in same st, dc in next 3 sts, [2 dc in next st, dc in next 3 sts] rep around, sl st to join.

Rnd – (-, -, 6): Ch 3, dc in same st, dc in next 4 sts, [2 dc in next st, dc in next 3 sts] rep around, sl st to join.

Rnd 4-8 (5-11, 6-12, 7-13): Ch 3, dc in each st around, sl st to join.

Rnd 9 (12, 13, 14): Ch 1, Revsc around, sl st to join. Fasten off, weave in ends.

The Basic Crochet Hat

I have been asked to outline a basic pattern for a top down crochet hat several times over the last few weeks, this has resulted in this really basic crochet pattern.

I designed this pattern with baby yarn, so it can easily be adapted for donation hats for those journeying through a cancer diagnosis that might include chemotherapy. Baby yarn is recognized as being soft, and as it is 100% acrylic it is hypo-allergenic.

The pattern is written to address 5 different and popular hat sizes, to use the pattern find the type of hat you want to create, notice the location of the name in the parentheses, as all subsequent rounds of the pattern will relate to this same position. (To make a custom sized hat, check out my basic hat formula here). This hat has a tie at the brim to allow for some adjustment by the user to get a bit of a more custom fit.

Basic Hat

Materials

Lion Brand Baby Soft light weight yarn, (60% acrylic, 40% nylon)

G/6/4mm crochet hook

 

Gauge

10 rounds =4 ½”(11.5cm)

 

Preemie (Baby, Kid, Woman, Man)

Ch 4, sl st to first ch to create ring.

Rnd 1(1, 1, 1, 1): Ch 3 (counts as dc here and throughout), 11 dc in center of ring, sl st to top of ch-3. -12 dc

Rnd 2 (2, 2, 2, 2): Ch 3, dc in same st, 2 dc in each st around, sl st to join. -24 dc

Rnd 3 (3, 3, 3, 3): Ch 3, dc in same st, dc in next st, [2 dc in next st, dc in next st] rep around, sl st to join. -36 dc

Rnd 4 (4, 4, 4, 4): Ch 3, dc in same st, dc in next 2 sts, [2 dc in next st, dc in next 2 sts] rep around, sl st to join. -48 dc

Rnd 5 (5, 5, 5, 5): Ch 3, dc in same st, dc in next 3 sts, [2 dc in next st, dc in next 3 sts] rep around, sl st to join. -60 dc

Rnd – (6, 6, 6, 6): Ch 3, dc in same st, dc in next 4 sts, [2 dc in next st, dc in next 4 sts] rep around, sl st to join. -72 dc

Rnd – (-, 7, 7, 7): Ch 3, dc in same st, dc in next 5 sts, [2 dc in next st, dc in next 5 sts] rep around, sl st to join. -84 dc

Rnd -(-, -,  8, 8): Ch 3, dc in same st, dc in next 6 sts, [2 dc in next st, dc in next 6 sts] rep around, sl st to join. -96 dc

Rnd – (-, -, -, 9): Ch 3, dc in same st, dc in next 7 sts, [2dc in next st, dc in next 7 sts] rep around, sl st to join. -108 dc

Rnd 6-11 (7-15, 8-16, 9-16, 10-17): Ch 3, dc in each st around, sl st to join.

Rnd 12(16, 17, 17, 18): Turn, ch 1, sc in same st, ch 1, sk 1 st, [sc in next st, ch 1, sk 1 st] rep around, sl st to join, fasten off.

Tie

Create a chain that is 5 inches (13 cm) longer than the circumference of the hat. Weave the chain through he ch-1 spaces, tie into a bow.

Finishing

Weave in all ends.