I’ve always loved those small perfume samples distributed in perfume shops. Not especially the small bottles. I much prefer the small wipes. Not for me. But for my yarn stash.
I never spray perfume directly onto yarn. That could damage the yarn or change the colors or have an impact on the dye. You never know. I play safe.
What I do is to leave perfume samples open in my project bags and stash boxes. So the wet wipes are never in direct contact with the yarn. But they slowly spread their scent, discreet or strong. Obviously no need for samples specifically. You can spray your perfume on a tissue, that works equally well. Just make sure the wet tissue is not in direct contact with your yarn. I personally like the variety of scents provided by samples. It’s like a little surprise each time I open a box from my stash after some time.
The same applies to essential oils. But these are to be handled in limited amount and with caution. I like cedar and lavender to keep moths away. But that’s another topic.
There are all sorts of yarns. This is why yarn companies give details about their yarns on labels: fibre type, category, weight, yardage, gauge, washing instruction… and needle size.
About needle size, most of the time it’s the size recommended for knitting needles. Hook size may be indicated but then it’s a hook size for “standard” crochet, not Tunisian crochet. I have not seen any label yet with a recommendation on the size of a Tunisian crochet hook.
The trap is to believe that needle size and hook size are interchangeable, that you get the same texture with a yarn that is knitted with 4 mm needles or crocheted with a 4 mm Tunisian crochet hook. In general (but this is not a universal rule), it is wiser to select a bigger hook compared to what is recommended for knitting needles.
Selecting the right hook size
The right hook size for a given yarn is very personal. Some people tend to crochet with a lot of tension. Others will crochet loosely. So crocheted samples with the same yarn and the same hook size may be different from one person to another.
The type of stitches used is to be taken into account as well. Basic stitches usually require a bigger hook than extended or Tunisian double crochet stitches.
Since the hook size has a direct impact on the texture of the project, you need to assess what is best for the type of work you plan to do. You don’t want the same density of fabric for a shawl or for slippers.
In short, the best way to select the right hook size is to make a sample. And maybe even several samples. Until you get the fabric you want to have for your project.
Test with 6 samples
Two or three years ago, I made a little experiment, some kind of test, with 6 samples. All done in Malabrigo Sock, with the same skein. All in Tunisian simple stitches, the most basic stitch. All done the same day by me. The only difference was in the hook size used for each sample.
On the yarn label, Malabrigo recommends 2.25 – 3.25 mm for needle size. In Tunisian crochet, samples made in 2.5 and 3.5 mm give something very dense, maybe ideal to make soles for slippers. No stretch, no elasticity. Untamable curling.
6 samples in Tunisian crochet
The sample in 4 mm gives better results, but curling remains strong and the fabric is not very fluid.
The samples in 5 and 6 mm are excellent. My personal preference goes to the sample in 6 mm because the fabric is very fluid, but the sample in 5 mm could work as well for projects that require a little density. Curling, after washing, is easily defeated.
The sample in 8 mm does not curl at all (or so little), but it does not have any structure, it’s a bit sloppy.
So what do you think about this experiment? And what is your method to select the right hook size for your TC projects?
The question I’ve always (let’s say often) asked myself is to know whether we should describe this type of stitch as “crossed stitch” (singular) or “crossed stitches” (plural). It’s a trivial question, really. But if we stick to logic, in order to cross 2 stitches, you need… at least 2 stitches. In geometry, a crossed line implies there is at least another line that crosses it. And the same applies to arms, legs, fingers, roads… So I usually say “crossed stitches” in the plural form.
However, the name “crossed stitch” is often used in the singular form. Because 2 crossed stitches form one unique entity, some kind of new stitch (though technically it’s nothing new, it’s just the arrangement of stitches that is different). Like a shell stitch in standard crochet, that is made of several stitches and forms a unique stitch. And taken from that angle, it makes perfect sense.
Yet I really like to use the plural form. By habit, no doubt. And in the end, what matters most is to be clear in the description of instructions provided in a pattern, so that everyone understands what is meant to be done. And you? What is the form you like best? Would you use the singular or plural form?
Today I added a few technical details on key elements about Tunisian crochet. Details indeed, yet they make a difference in understanding the basic principles of Tunisian crochet.
Edge stitches
I added documentation on edge stitches, i.e. the first and last stitches of a row. These are special stitches, completely different from all other stitches made in between.
The first loop on hook is not the first stitch you make at the start of a FwdP. This first loop is the loop that remains on hook wen you have completed a full RetP. Technically, this loop is not a simple stitch or any other stitch. It looks the same whatever the stitches you make in between the first and last loop of a FwdP.
Edge stitch at the end of RetP
The last loop on hook could be picked up under the front vertical bar like a simple stitch, but you would end up with an edge that is not stable enough, that would be distorted after being stretched a few times. It is usually wise to insert the hook under both threads of yarn on the edge of the work.
Edge stitch at the end of FwdP
One last thing to mention today about edge stitches: they do NOT look alike. This is normal. They are created in totally different ways.
Details about what makes a basic stitch
I added a photo to show the details of a Tunisian basic stitch. So far, in the documentation on this website, I mentioned vertical bars, RetP chains, back thread… without showing exactly what these are.
Structure of a Tunisian basic stitch
Take the time to watch your work. Closely watch your work. While you are busy with it and after you’ve done a row. Have a close look at how yarn threads intertwine and shape stitches. It is not a waste of time. This will help you in learning how to “read” your crochet work, how to spot what you like and what you want to improve. Take the time to identify what a basic stitch is made of.
This weekend is a bit hectic for me. I even had to cancel my visit to the Kaléidoscope shop and skip my participation to the Cup of yarn, a knitting club organized in the shop in Brussels, to my regret. A hectic weekend.
But since I took up the challenge to post something every single day of March on my new blog, today I added a link to my patterns on Ravelry in the site menu. A small thing, but something all the same.
My patterns on Ravelry
Ravelry
If you don’t know Ravelry, I strongly encourage you to join. It’s free and you’ll find a gold mine of information in different languages on patterns, yarns, projects shared by passionate users all around the world, discussion threads in forums and a personal notebook where you can log your own projects. Because a passion is best when shared. I’ll never repeat that enough.
Ravelry was founded in the US, but the interface is available in different languages. The translation work is done by volunteers. See how motivated users are about Ravelry!
If you know Ravelry, tell me what you think about it. I post my patterns and projects on this site, I exchange messages in discussion threads in different groups. But above all I get to know tremendous people! What do you like about Ravelry?
Today in my new blog I added a page on Tunisian double crochet stitches, a variation on basic stitches. Here below I show a photo of the Tunisian double crochet simple stitch and, further below, a photo of the extended Tunisian simple stitch.
They look similar but are not quite the same. Do you see the difference?
On this page I show what the main extended Tunisian crochet stitches look like, but also I add a short note on “standard” (understand “non Tunisian”) crochet. Any stitch can be “extended” by adding a chain in the making of this stitch.
I describe these stitches in words and with a video (in French) along with photos to show what the 4 basic stitches look like once extended.
Important note on edge stitches: Because extended stitches are taller than their equivalent basic stitches, it is wise to adapt the height of the edges at the beginning and end of the rows. I also show how to get this little “indented” edge.
I like Instagram. The format which consists in using a photo or a short video to share a passion is just ideal. This application allows to follow almost in real time what other people all round the world are busy with on a shared center of interest.
You can follow people. That is the first natural thing I started to do when I joined Instagram. But it is also possible to follow hashtags. And this, in my opinion, considerably widens the scope of shares and discoveries. You want to see more content related to Tunisian crochet? Look for specific hashtags.
Today I published a page to list purl stitches based on the 4 main basic stitches. To be consistent, I added a photo to illustrate each stitch listed, but to be honest, the sky is grey and I have no light today… So the photos are not tremendous. I’ll change them later in spring.
The Tunisian purl simple stitch is the best known of purl stitches. So well known that it is often just called “purl stitch” without any reference to the kind of basic stitch that is supposed to be “purled”. I think that when a variation of a stitch does not mention what kind of basic stitch it is worked upon, then by default we should understand simple. That’s just my assumption.
Personally I do not find purl knit and full stitches particularly beautiful. Used in combination with other stitches, they are useful to keep in mind. They are a bit lacy without being very lacy. Stretchy and flexible.
The purl stitch that I like best is the purl reverse stitch. Go to the page on purl stitches and have a look at the photo at the bottom of the page. I compare the purl reverse stitch with the twisted up stitch. Make a sample, give it a try and alternate these 2 stitches one after the other. You’ll get a nice reversible fabric, ideal for a scarf.
Combine the purl reverse stitch and the twisted up stitch to get a reversible fabric.
