August 2010 CAL: Tunisian Scarf Swatching

Below are various iterations of my ongoing Tunisian crochet scarf design project. My biggest issue with Tunisian crochet, particularly for a scarf, is that it doesn’t always look great from the back and a scarf needs to be designed to be viewed from both sides. I’ve made a list of as many Tunisian stitches as I could think of and have swatched with all of them, trying out some combinations and increases and decreases.

I really like the combination of Tunisian knit stitch and Tunisian purl stitch because the former tends to curl forward and the latter curls backward so they balance each other out and look pretty nice from the back when used together.
The front of a Tunisian swatch (the knit/purl part is on the left):
The back of the swatch:

Tags: bulky, CAL, swatches, techniques, tunisian
Category 8/10 Tunisian Scarf, Crochet, Techniques |

I’m a Picky Crocheter

Lately I’ve realized how picky I’ve become when it comes to finding a pattern/project to crochet. There’s now a growing list of construction techniques that I avoid like the plague. No wonder I’m often unimpressed with crochet magazines. After going through this list there’s usually only one or two projects left that I might want to make per issue. I know I should probably just try one of these things sometime but I’ve been spoiled by easier alternatives.

• I only like top down sweaters, I’m really reluctant to work bottom up.
• I refuse to make a sweater in pieces and sew them together. If I have to make separate front, back, sleeves, etc. forget it. I have, however, considered making a sweater/tunic that starts with the waist band and works up and then down from the middle. I haven’t tried it yet though.
• Anything made with many motifs/squares. Again, I just don’t want to have to sew them all together.
• Shawls, ponchos and capelets. Not that I wouldn’t enjoy making one, I just don’t know anyone who wears them.
• Hats should always be top-down and socks should always be toe-up. Also, as confusing as turning a heel can be, I’d rather figure it out than do an after-thought heel.
• Though I think they are cute, I have no interest in crocheting food or critters. Again with the sewing of pieces together. Also, I like to keep the tchotchkes in my house to a minimum.
• Extensive color work. I’m not completely opposed to this but this goes back to wanting to crochet (or knit) in one piece. I dislike all the extra weaving in of ends.
• Bobbles- whether knit or crochet, they are annoying.

Ok, so maybe I need to be a little more open to some of these things. But since this post has taken such a negative turn, here’s the list of things that I love to crochet:

• Top-down, raglan sleeve, seamless sweaters.
• Scarves- worked horizontally or vertically, lacy or shells or Tunisian
• Bags worked from the bottom. I especially love mesh market bags and thick felted purses.
• Toe-up socks and top-down hats that make it easy to try on as you go.
• Cowls worked in the round or moebius style.
• Fingerless gloves and wrist warmers.
• Crocheted fabrics with texture- shells, lace, post-stitches, mesh, v-stitches, etc.
• Anything with self-closure or otherwise clever construction.
• Anything worked in a spiral or diagonally.
• Crocheted ribbing, front loop/back loop only, foundation sc/dc and other tricks to make crochet stretchier.

So tell me, what are your favorite and least favorite things to crochet or knit?

Tags: construction, crochet, favorites, magazines, pattern, techniques
Category Crochet, Techniques |

Knitting Increases

One thing that I didn’t expect about knitting is that you can’t just increase however and wherever you want like you can in crochet. If you do you’ll likely get lots of holes. In crochet, increasing is simple: just put more than one stitch into a single space in the row below. Sure, it’s good to space increases out evenly but the technique is basically the same no matter the location. But with knitting there are lots of increase techniques and you must use the right one to get the right look for the project (some good illustrations here). Here are the ones I’ve learned so far:

Yarn Over (YO) – I used this in the first sock pattern I tried. I’m pretty sure I wrapped the yarn around the wrong way (the crochet direction).

Make One (M1) – this one seems the most intuitive to me but I learned the hard way that it makes a big hole in stockinette fabric if you don’t twist the stitch before knitting into it. Those first socks have tons of holes.

Lifted Increase (LLinc or RLinc) – I used this one LOTS in the Skew socks. This is when I learned that stitches must be sort of twisted to look correct. I was sure I was doing it wrong almost the whole way through the first sock but I wanted to at least stay consistent so I kept doing it the same way. I think it’s right… it looks good to me.

I also didn’t know that you have to increase differently depending on which way the stitch should lean and whether you’re knitting or purling … and there are several more ways to increase that I haven’t learned yet. Not to mention all the different ways to decrease!

Tags: knitting, socks, techniques
Category Knit, Techniques |