Sunday, May 9, 2010

More Tunisian projects and a free pattern!

Well, my obsession with Tunisian crochet continues, despite the fact that I am still supposed to be packing. LOL

Anyway, just wanted to share my recent creations. This honeycomb hat was made Tunisian in the round, and I really like how it turned out. I created the pattern myself! I also made a junior version which my daughter, begrudgingly, modeled for me. Look at the bottom of this post for the pattern.





I also made these two bags. The blue one is that same honeycomb pattern, but the red one is all knit stitch in the round. You can't see it, but there is purple behind the red. I used the new Country Loom by Loops N Threads from Michaels. I absolutely LOVE it! I will be using it again, for sure.




Honeycomb Hat

Materials needed:

Double-ended crochet hook, size 6.5mm
Worsted weight yarn, two colors (MC - main color, CC - contrast color)
Tapestry needle

Stitch explanation:
Tss - tunisian simple stitch. I think this is also called a basic stitch.
Tps - tunisian purl stitch. This is also called a reverse stitch.
Tunisian crochet in the round. This video takes a while to get the point, but it's worth viewing.

Now, on to the pattern...
With MC, chain 61, being careful not to twist the chain, sl st the chain together to form a ring (ETA - I just tried a hat starting with ch 61 using a thinner ww yarn and it was a bit too tight. Depending on the yarn, you may want to go with ch 66 or 71.)
Pull up loops as basic forward pass, all around the ring, with CC chasing (or binding off) behind.

Once foundation row is done, tss in the next stitch and tps next stitch. Continue in this manner with CC chasing until the hat reaches about 5 - 5.25" long. If all is well, you should be tss in a tps stitch from the round previous, and tps in a tss stitch.

Now comes the decrease part, and here is where a stitch marker may come in handy. *Tss next stitch, tps next stitch, tss next stitch, tps next stitch, then tss next 2 stitches together. Tps next stitch, tss next stitch, tps next stitch, tss next stitch, then tps next 2 stitches together* *Repeat to end of round.

Next decrease round: *Tss next stitch, tps next stitch, tss next stitch, tps next 2 stitches together.* *Repeat to end of round. Now, in case you missed a stitch, or had too many stitches, don't worry! Just start off this round with tps and keep on going. Honestly, no one will know. LOL!

Next decrease round: *Tss next stitch, tps next stitch, tss next 2 stitches together. Tps next stitch, tss next stitch, tps next 2 stitches together.* *Repeat to end of round.

Next decrease round: *Tss next stitch, tps next 2 stitches together.* *Repeat to end of round.

Next decrease round: *Tss next 2 stitches together. Tps next 2 stitches together* *Repeat until there is just one stitch left (or two, depending on how the rest of the pattern went for ya!). Fasten off the yarn by pulling both colors through the MC loop on hook. Pull the ends back down through the hat (so they are on the inside) and use your tapestry needle to clean it up. Also, clean up the ends from the beginning of the hat.

Voila! You are done! And best of all, the hat is reversible. The back side of Tunisian work is just as visually interesting as the front.

A little disclaimer (if you even made it this far) - I have just learned Tunisian, and actually never read or wrote a Tunisian pattern. I cannot guarantee that this pattern will be free of errors. But, give it a try and tell me what you think. I think it will make a great gift and I think you will be able to sell these at your local fairs, etc.!

Oh, and for the junior version, chain 53, and follow the rest of the gist of the pattern. :)









9 comments:

  1. Wow! I have just learned how to do the basic Tunisian stitch and was wondering how to do more! Thanks for the links.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Hi -

    My name is Bethany Marcello, and I write for the yet-to-be-launched Craftfoxes.com - a crafting and social networking site.We're putting together some great stuff for our upcoming launch, featuring everything from quilting to sewing to crafting and baking.

    Our editorial intern came across this picture, and was wondering if you would grant us permission to use it? We'd give you a link to your site.

    Thanks for your consideration!

    Bethany Marcello
    craftsintern@gmail.com



    http://craftfoxes.com
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  3. I don't mean to be offensive, but I think that the purl st and the reverse st are actually different stitches. The Reverse st is picked up in the loop behind the fabric with the yarn behind and the Purl st is picked up with the yarn in front, in the vertical bar in the front of the fabric. They make very different looking fabrics and I have a discussion of them here: http://www.ravelry.com/discuss/tunisian-crochet-beginners/1719075/1-25#1 (see swatch 3) Again, I mean no offense, just offering info and looking for discussion. :)

    hugs and wags,
    Sande and Precious, the Wonder Dog

    ReplyDelete
  4. Hi Sande! Thanks for commenting! Yes, there is a DEFINITE difference between the two stitches. What I was noting is that different people call the two stitches by opposite names. Some authors/designers call a purl a reverse and vice versa. So, I put the links in there so that no matter which name you call it, you would know which stitch I was referring to. :)

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    Replies
    1. Hi ! I have a hard time trying to guess what people mean in their patterns by TPS and TRS because of this problem of inverted names (I still don't know who is right, so I just try to see what each author had in mind so that I can at least use the good stitch no matter the name !). I followed the link to know which one you use here as TPS but the link is broken so I had no answer... is it the TPS with the yarn in front, front bar, or the TPS with the yarn in the back, back bar ? Thank you very much, I can't wait to try this one !

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  5. Hi there!


    I just came across your blog and I thought you could help me with a question about the tunisian honeycomb stitch used in this project.

    I've been trying the honeycomb stitch but I can't seem to get the stitch to stand out as much as it does on your project. It kind of gets blended in and you can't really see the honeycomb pattern. Kind of like this picture: http://files.hookedonneedles.com/uploaded_images/honeycomb-717552.JPG

    Although, I am using quite a thick yarn (Super bulky - Lion Brand Wool-Ease Thick and Quick). I tried using a 10mm and 11.5mm crochet hooks and neither can show the honeycomb stitch that well. I really like how the stitch looks on these projects:

    http://img1.etsystatic.com/il_fullxfull.270752305.jpg

    http://img1.etsystatic.com/il_fullxfull.270753337.jpg


    I'm still a beginner with knitting and crocheting but I'm loving it so far. But hopefully you can help me figure out what I'm doing wrong. Perhaps I need even a LARGER hook for this. Or perhaps I'm doing something else wrong.

    I also want to make a scarf instead of a hat, so I won't be crocheting in a round, so I'm not sure if that makes a difference of how the stitch lays.

    So please please please, if you know how I can get that pattern in the pictures above, do let me know!


    Thank you so much!

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  6. Hey there Kristin! I think I know the problem(s) you are having.

    First, my hat was made in the round, so the forward pass (which creates the actual honeycomb pattern) is made in a different color and the return row really sets off the stitch pattern by using another color.

    Second, I believe that really thick yarn is making it hard to create a discernible stitch pattern. Try swatching with a thinner yarn and you just might be surprised at how clearly the honeycomb shows up, even all in one color!

    Hope that helps, and happy hooking!

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  7. I just bought a double ended crochet hook so that I could make an infinity scarf with the honeycomb stitch. Now I can make a matching hat! Thank you for sharing the pattern.

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  8. I understand how to make the honeycomb stitch. But I don't understand how to incorporate the second color.
    "with CC chasing (or binding off) behind." <--- I'm totally lost....

    ReplyDelete