Posted on Leave a comment

Tunisian Crochet Lace Class Resources

This clickable list of Tunisian crochet lace resources is mainly to aid students of my classes in exploring more about Tunisian lace crochet at their leisure.  The links below represent the extra information that doesn’t fit into a standard three-hour class. Some are the names of designers, books, other types of crochet lace, etc., that I may have mentioned in a class.

Click: My published Tunisian Crochet downloadable patterns

— Vashti Braha

Tunisian Lace Crochet Class Resources

Click on a photo to enlarge it.

Blogged:

Vashti’s Crochet Inspirations Newsletter Topics:

Some of my not-yet published Tunisian Crochet projects

Story of the Tunisian Wicker Stitch (an eyelet mesh) featured in the Weightless Wrap:

Some Valuable Books

  • 1997: Basics of Tunisian Crochet for Beginners, N. Seto, Japan. ISBN 978-4-529-029285
  • 2000 (1991), Rebecca Jones: Tricot Crochet The Complete Book, Lacis Pubs., Berkeley CA. ISBN 978-1-891656-28-6
  • 2004, Angela “ARNie” Grabowski: Encyclopedia of Tunisian Crochet, LoneStar Abilene Pubg LLC, TX. ISBN 978-0-974972-55-8
  • 2004, Carolyn Christmas and Dorris Brooks: 101 Easy Tunisian StitchesTM, Annies Attic, IN. ISBN 978-1-931171-74-8
  • 2008: Tunisian Crochet Patterns 100, Nihon Amimono Bunka Kyo-kai, Japan ISBN 978-4-529-04484-4
  • 2009, Kim Guzman: Learn to Do Tunisian Lace Stitches, Annie’s Attic, IN. ISBN 978-1-59635-264-3
  • 2009, Sharon Hernes Silverman: Tunisian Crochet: The Look of Knitting with the Ease of Crocheting, Stackpole Books, Mechanicsburg PA. ISBN 978-0-811704-84-7
  • 2014, Kim Guzman: Tunisian Crochet Stitch Guide.
  • Duplet magazine issue #61.
Posted on 1 Comment

The Five Peaks Tunisian Crochet Shawl: Class Resources

5 views of Five Peaks Tunisian Crochet shawl
I created this resource list for my students & others to explore the Five Peaks Tunisian crochet shawl, and similar start-in-a-corner, edge-as-you-go L-shaped wraps. This extra information didn’t fit into a standard three-hour class. Some items are names of designers, books, etc., that I may have mentioned in class.
Below I also include a complete list of my downloadable patterns for Tunisian crochet shawls and accessories. In classes I show a huge amount of published and unpublished crochet designs. They illustrate what we learn in class, and what can happen when we take it further.              — Vashti Braha

The Five Peaks Tunisian Crochet Shawl design

All about the “Half-Hitch” stitch

Vashti’s Crochet Inspirations newsletter: Recommended Issues

{This is 2020 Vashti popping in to say that these are in the process of being uploaded to this blog and updated. Links available soon.}

  • Issue #48: “Diagonal Tunisian Crochet Discovery”
  • Issue #44: “Dainty Eyelets for Winter Lace”
  • Issue #64

View all of my downloadable Tunisian crochet shawl patterns

Diagonal striping of corner-to-corner wide wool scarf

This is the Four Peaks Scarf, a stepping-stone version of the Five Peaks Shawl. It starts in one corner and increases at both edges, just like Five Peaks starts. Then you decrease along one side while increasing along the other for as long as you like. When you decrease along both sides, you’ll eventually create the opposite corner—or the “fourth peak”.

All of these steps are used for the Five Peaks too, but…differently enough to get five corners instead of four.

Isn’t it beautiful what this construction method does with a self-striping yarn?

Getting Geeky About the Geometry of the Five Peaks

Inspiring Features, Examples, and Variations of the Five Peaks L-Shape

Try this self-updating Ravelry search. When I tried it, 32 results came up and it seems most of them are true L-Shaped shawls. (Some V-shaped ones are too, but many V’s are not right angles like the bottom point of an L-shaped shawl is.)


Five Peaks Tunisian Crochet Shawl Class was held September 12, 2012 at the CGOA ‘Knit and Crochet Show’ conference in Reno, Nevada (Grand Sierra Resort). 

Posted on 1 Comment

Spring Lace Pullover: Zegue-Along Class

Pile of lacy cream-colored antique-looking Tunisian crochet swatches

I’m ready to commit to one of these five swatches for a Jane Austen-y lace pullover. My new Zegue-Along online class starts in a few weeks. This blog post will give you initial information in case you want to make something like this in class. My goal is a beautiful, uplifting springtime layer–a roomy pullover–that might even make a great Mother’s Day gift, or bridal accessory.

Five lace swatches arranged flat, each a bit different.

These 5 swatches test many things like yarn twist, fiber content, crochet hook size, and a stitch variation. The two leftmost swatches are my Lotus yarn with a 5 mm (H) crochet hook and a 5.5 mm (I) hook. Top right: J.P.Coats Royale and an H hook. The other two are Euroflax linen with a 4.5 mm (G7) hook and an H hook.

I’ll get to these in a bit.

First, my “pullover” plans.

Basic Lace Pullover Shape

Most of all, I want long sleeves of this lace. Kind of roomy but not as much as a kimono. Long sleeves are a commitment! And, I’d like to use only simple shapes—no shaping, just a few rectangles—but I might need to do a bit of tapering to avoid kimono sleeves.

I’l be crocheting from the top down instead of bottom up (or possibly from side-to-side), because I want the option to stop at a cropped length. This way I could wear it during class and then add length later.

What About the Head Opening? Neckline?

I like wearing V-necks, and boatnecks if modified slightly. Both are great for a lace pullover. This lace will be easy to steek! This means it’s “self-healing” if you cut it. So I have a nice option of just crocheting big rectangles, then cutting a head opening later!

If I crochet the rows horizontally, a steeked neckline would be a boatneck type. If crocheted side-to-side, the rows would run vertically, and a steeked head opening would result in a V neckline.

All of these things help bring the construction method into focus.

The Swatches

I used the same Zegue variation for all five swatches. Instead of extended Tunisian knit stitch (“Teks”), I used a twisted Tunisian extended stitch (“TwTes”). I’ll demonstrate how to crochet both of these in class, and more.

The three yarns I tested are considered sport weight. I used hook sizes ranging from 4.5mm to 5.5mm because this is Tunisian crochet. A crochet hook size of 3.5 (E), 3.75 (F), or 4.0 (G6) with sport weight is more typical for regard crochet.

Twist and Spin

Three kinds of twist are going on in these swatches! The yarn is twisted, the crocheter adds some twist, and the stitch loops are twisted. So, I tested this pattern with yarns spun in both directions. You can see the texture differences in the close up photos.

I crochet right handed, so I automatically add a little counter-clockwise or “Z”-twist to the yarn as I go. Crocheting left handed does the opposite: adds a bit of clockwise “S”-twist to a yarn. The twisted-loop Tunisian stitch I used adds “S” twist. A leftie would twist the loop in a “Z” direction. It’s a lot of twisting. Or, untwisting.

Please bear with me, I just have to get this out of the way: yarns with two or more plies twisted together also tend to start off with twist in the opposite direction, but this doesn’t concern us here. The Lotus and Royale yarns have S-twisted plies that are then twisted together in a Z direction. This is called its “final twist”. For this project I’m only concerned with a yarn’s final twist direction.

Yarns vary not only in their twist direction, but also in how much twist. A yarn with a lot of twist is said to have a “hard twist”. The Euroflax yarn is a good example of a “soft twisted” yarn.

The Lacy Verdict

I started out hoping I would love the Euroflax. I’ve had 1600 yds of it waiting in my yarn stash since 2007! Still waiting for the perfect project for it, I guess. I love linen and I only want to use it if the project shows it off. Here, though, it looks old and stringy.

Until I tried a 5.5 mm hook with the Lotus, I preferred the Royale. The surface texture looks rich and fascinating in person (in photos the surface texture tends to look flat). It has enough twist to stay twisted even with all the S-twisted stitch loops. The ropy look gives a slight nautical and casual effect compared with the fine-grained sheen of the 12-ply Lotus.

If you can pick out the return pass chains in the Euroflax swatch, you might see that my Z-twist crocheting of them has canceled out almost all of what little S-twist the yarn has. Then see how the forward pass stitches with their S-twisted loops preserve the yarn’s S-twist better.

Lace Pullover: Next Steps

  • Measure the rows and stitch repeats per inch of the Lotus swatch I did with the 5.5 mm crochet hook.
  • Decide the finished length and width I want of the sleeves.
  • Decide if I’m crocheting the rows from sleeve cuffs to cuff, or widthwise. I’m leaning toward two widthwise sleeve pieces for a v-neck result like this top (except with longer sleeves).

My working name for it is Clarenzeg (link goes to its Ravelry project page). I can’t wait to start!

Posted on 1 Comment

Crochet Herringbone Chains Class Resources

Up to date as of 5/14/2022. This page will be updated again before class time and possibly after. 
View high-res versions of Herringbone Chains images in its photo album.
This page is a conveniently clickable group of things I mention in the new Crochet Herringbone Chains class. This two-day class will be held Wednesday, May 18 & Thursday May 19, 2022 at 1:00 pm – 2:00 pm Central Time.  — Vashti Braha

A Unique & Versatile Stitch

Herringbone chains are naturally sleek, strong, dense and flatter than regular crochet chains. This makes them as useful for functional reasons as for decorative ones. They twist up less than regular chains. This type of chain stitch has the same structure as the decorative military bugle cord that knot tyers traditionally make. They have a single bugle, double bugle, triple and more; we’ll learn how to crochet all of these!

Herringbone Chains on a big scale in three colors of chunky wool
Herringbone Chains on a big scale: triple-herringbone variation in three colors of chunky wool

This handy new crochet stitch resembles fishtail braids and soutache cord. When crocheted very loosely, it also looks like nålbinding.

Projects & Stitch Patterns

(In progress.)

Crochet Herringbone Chains and regular chain stitches
  1. Nankeen Necklace (2022).
  2. Tunisian Herringbone Zegue (2022).
  3. Lizzie Cuff (2021). Pictured at the top of this page.
  4. Beaded Herringbone Barefoot Sandals (2019), at right (or below if you’re on mobile).
  5. Rainchains silk skinny scarf (2018). See close up of raindrop in gallery, above.
  6. Lizard Cord (2018).

Herringbone Chain Swatches & Tests

Eleven Herringbone-Chain Cord experiments in fiber, color changes, beading, and stitch size
Herringbone-Chain cord experiments with beads, stitch size, color & fiber changes.

Flickr photo album for this class. A great way to see class material at full resolution, and an array of new uses and variations. I use stitch albums like this one for my own reference. I’m continually creating swatches and photos to add to this album.

My Pinterest Herringbone Chains Pin Board created for this class topic. It compares the look of herringbone chains with other arts–beading, leatherwork, embroidery, etc.

Recommended Articles

  • “Fancy Cords in 360°” Crochet Inspirations Newsletter Issue #17 (04/28/2011; most links in it are out of date)                  
  • “Tweak Those Gaps Along Row Edges” Crochet Inspirations Newsletter Issue #25 (08-2011; most links are out of date)
  • “Effect of ‘Sproing’ fibers on stitches”: Vashti’s Crochet Inspirations Newsletter Issue #11 (Feb 3 2011; links in it are out of date) 
  • “Wish Bracelets: Why Not Crocheted?” Vashti’s Crochet Newsletter Issue #69 (07/04/2015; most links are out of date)
  • “What IS Crochet, Really?” Vashti’s Crochet Newsletter Issue #103 (10/2020)  

Inspiration Boards for this Class

Still need to register for this class? Register with CGOA. This is a NEW two-hour class held online over two days: Wednesday, May 18 & Thursday May 19, 2022 at 1:00 pm – 2:00 pm Central Time. Registration closes 5/15/22 or when the class is filled.

Posted on 2 Comments

How to Emboss Tunisian Return Stitches (Free Pattern)

Six swatches of embossed Tunisian color work method: stars with longer spokes and in a range of yarn thicknesses and fibers; also examples of embossed horizontal bars left ungrouped into stars.

Today I’ll show you how to “emboss” Tunisian return pass crochet stitches step by step. The complete pattern for the blanket square is also included below. The background stitches are Tunisian extended simple stitches (TES). The starry groups are extended Tunisian Yarn Overs (TYO) in contrasting colors.

My 12-inch square for Knitter Knotter’s 2021 Tunisian Blanket Crochet-Along (CAL) features this novel color work method for Tunisian Crochet. The finished 12″ square is the one on the far left in the image above.

About the 2021 Tunisian Square CAL

I love how the CAL is going! Host Arunima Goel has created a fun way for designers to contribute a square, and for crocheters to experience new Tunisian stitches. My square is #18. By the end of 2021 there’ll be 24 fresh and free intermediate-level 12″ square patterns.

Plush, chunky scarf texture from basic Tunisian Crochet stitch and a high-end yarn.

Are you a Tunisian Crochet beginner? Or just need a quick review?

This Colorwork Method

I seem to have stumbled upon a way to get a fully raised texture horizontally, and in a contrasting color. And, no lacy holes!

I wanted to test the usefulness of extending Tunisian Yarn Over (TYO) groups. Sometimes a group of several TYO can get loose and loopy, just like the yarn overs of really tall stitches tend to do in regular crochet. Extending tall stitches by adding a chain here and there while making them helps use up that slack. (For some alternatives to extending, see How to Fix Loose Loops of Tall Stitches.)

Embossing return stitches has potential.

  • As a return-pass-based color work method it can be combined with existing Tunisian Mosaic, and especially Overlay methods. These are forward-pass-based methods that do fancy things vertically, with tall stitches. The possibilities boggle!
  • Make other embossed shapes. Once you learn how to emboss Tunisian return stitches, you can make other shapes besides the starry groups you see here. Arrange horizontal bars in patterns. Make some longer or shorter. Modify the stars to have spokes in different lengths or amounts.
  • As a fabric, it’s self-reinforcing yet lean and flexible. This is mainly thanks to the Tunisian Extended Simple Stitch (TES). If you’ve followed my newsletters and Tunisian classes over the years, you know I’m a big fan of extending Tunisian stitches. Normally TES fabric would be too thin or lacy for a blanket square. This is where the embossed rows come in.

How to Emboss Tunisian the Easy Way

For your first try, pick two colors and alternate them for each row: a main color (MC) for the background, and a contrast color (CC) for the raised embossed stitches. The colors will help you see where to put each next stitch.

Follow the practice swatch; it’s just twelve rows of ten stitches each. The instructions also explain the why’s, and pattern abbreviations as they come up.

Continue reading How to Emboss Tunisian Return Stitches (Free Pattern)