Friday, July 8, 2011

A Funny Thing Happened...

**Errata added 7/9** - Trim should read *Dc next st, ch 7, sc in 5th ch from hook, ch 2, sk 3 st, dc next st.*

The other day, a nice gal named Les sent up a challenge on Ravelry to recreate Doris Chan's famous All Shawl in Tunisian crochet. Well, I love Doris, I love shawls, and I think everyone knows I love Tunisian! So, that challenge was right up my alley.

I knew I needed something semi-circular, and something with a fairly tall, open stitch. After all, these are the traits carried by the All Shawl. So, following the basic formula for a perfect (half) circle, I set off using the Tunisian double crochet, also called Tunisian double stitch but...

A Funny Thing Happened...

Take a look at this picture of the shawl, before blocking. There is a definite sway to the right. Convinced I had screwed up somehow, somewhere, I started designing a new shawl, also semi-circular, but with a more complicated stitch pattern. Sure enough, the sway was there too! I am not sure why it's there; it doesn't really show up as much when working other shapes. But, I am convinced that blocking cures all evils, and it didn't fail me on this adventure either. Anyway, hope you enjoy this pattern!

Materials:
GypsyKnits BFL Superwash Wool Fingering weight, appx 385 yds
J Tunisian (afghan) hook
Tapestry needle

Gauge: not especially important.

Abbreviations:

tds = Tunisian double stitch (y/o, insert hk, draw up lp, y/o, draw through 2 lps)
y/o = yarn over (increase made)
lp = loop
hk = hook
sp = space
st = stitch
ch = chain

Notes:

•Ch 1 at the beginning of each row, counts as a tds.
•All return rows are as normal: y/o, pull through 1 loop, then y/o and pull through 2 loops for remainder of row.
•Yarn-overs, and the spaces created by them, count as stitches and should be worked accordingly.
•All stitches are created knitwise, meaning the hook is inserted from front to back, through the fabric.
•The fabric will not appear to be perfectly semi-circular. However, a good blocking will remedy the situation regardless of the fiber content used.

Pattern:

**Read Notes first!**
Ch 10
Row 1: With 1 lp on hk, *y/o, pull up next loop*. Repeat from * to * to end of row.
Row 2: With 1 lp on hk, tdc in y/o sp, *y/o, tdc in next st and y/o sp *. Repeat from * to * to end of row.
Row 3: With 1 lp on hk, tdc in next st and y/o sp, *y/o, tdc in next 2 st and y/o sp *. Repeat from * to * to end of row.
Row 4: With 1 lp on hk, tdc in next 2 st and y/o sp, *y/o, tdc in next 3 st and y/o sp *. Repeat from * to * to end of row.
Rows 5 – to desired size: continue increasing each section by tdc in each tdc, as well as each y/o sp.

Trim/Bind Off Row:

Ch 10, sc in 5th ch from hook (counts as dc, ch 2), ch 2, sk 3 st, dc next st. *Dc next st, ch 7, sc in 5th ch from hook, sk 3 st, dc next st.* Repeat from * to * to end of row. In the event that you are short or over 1 extra st, just sk 2 st for last trim section, or sk 2 for the last 2 sections, to even it out.

Finishing:

Block the shawl, regardless of the material used, to beat the sway into submission. Check out the pics here on the blocking board, and after. Blocking matters!







13 comments:

  1. This is beautiful! The color and open weave is lovely!

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  2. Really lovely! After blocking it takes on a differente personality.

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  3. This is sooo pretty. I love it nice work!

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  4. THANK YOU! This is perfect. I had the perfect yarn to make myself a lovely All Shawl, but not nearly enough of it to make it as large as I'd like. And I'm dying to branch out into more Tunisian. Bookmarking this page and starting this tomorrow :) I'm excited!

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  5. That's beautiful. I have lots to learn about Tunisian stitches. Looking at your work makes me want to learn it even more.

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  6. This is gorgeous and I just learned Tunisian crochet. But where oh where did you find that beautiful yarn? I can't find it anywhere!

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  7. I actually bought this yarn from someone who was de-stashing on Ravelry. I don't know where it is sold at, but I think it was hand-dyed. Isn't it yummy? I think I actually have one skein left...saving it for something special. :)

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  8. can you tell me how long this took you to finish? I am wanting to work up a quick shawl in a limited time...

    thanks!

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  9. VeganMom - yes, the shawl worked up pretty fast. It was the blocking process that was a bit slow. But, since it was wool, it took awhile to dry. If I had used acrylic I could have just steam blocked it and it would have been ready so much faster.

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  10. Amy, what do you think about this yarn:
    http://flic.kr/p/bGYCrK
    http://flic.kr/p/bu4QbN

    I was given the advice of using another strand of ww with it ... any thoughts??

    Thanks!

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  11. Well, the open work of the pattern will certainly make it easier to use that yarn, but note that it will be heavier than the one in the photo. If that's what you are going for, then it will be awesome! As for using another strand with it...well, that's a preference issue. When working tight fabrics with such fuzzy yarn it can be tough to see your stitches. Since this is such an open pattern, I don't think you will need a carry-along yarn.

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  12. I am very new to Tunisian crochet and a stitch count at the end of each row would be extremely helpful.

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