Stitchboard Admin message #17
Re: Tunisian gauge
September 29, 2013 at 8:13:42 PM  (in response to BetwixtTheStitch message #1)
 
Sherry,

So glad we're on the same page about having fun!    There's enough "serious" stuff out there to worry about without adding to it by being pressured with crafts! 

I'm so jealous...if you're talking about what I'm thinking of, I saw a few of those double-ended hooks at Michael's years ago (cable between the two hooks, right?), but they were way too expensive and ultimately were clearanced out.  I was going to try buying them with a 40% off coupon, but by the time I had enough to cover the ridiculous price, even with 40% off, but unfortunately, they were gone.    I can no longer find them anywhere; even looked at the manufacturer's site at the time, and they didn't have them. 

I'm very glad you may have figured out a way with the flexible cable needle, though!    Hoping those will be much easier to find!

Wow, that's super about your most important WIPs being finished today!    Woo hoo!

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Stitchboard Admin message #19
Re: Tunisian gauge
September 30, 2013 at 5:48:40 PM  (in response to BetwixtTheStitch message #3)
 
Sherry,

Hmm, so are you saying you're using two of the straight double-ended needles to crochet in the round, then?  Work the one side, then continue on the other, then pick it up with the other hook?  LOL, yes, I'm easily confused! 

I wish I had all of my old hooks still...I'm sure I had some double ended ones, though I probably didn't have two of the same size of anything, sigh. 

And I've struck out on finding the free patterns that I know I saw before, the things that were made from squares.  The only teddy bear I could find was one made out of more than one square, yet the one I'd originally found was made from just one.  Argh, maybe we should just make some kind of square...something?  Try to come up with a gauge and make whatever...a simple purse or...?

I did find a pattern that I suspect will be way too tight of a gauge for the knitting worsted I have, but maybe it will work for figuring out a different gauge and just knitting to dimensions.    LOL, now, understand...I despise seaming.  I don't know, maybe I'll do my seaming with a crocheted seam.

This is the pattern I found:
http://alpiknit.wordpress.com/2013/03/21/glimpse-of-springs-wrist-warmers/

That's a fantastic idea about Simplicity and Herrschnerr's...thanks! 

Is the visible "join" kind of a "jog"?  I wish I had one of those flexible hooks and could try it out to see what it looks like!

Wish I had my old hooks or could find some flexible ones so I could try out what you're talking about!  It's a visible thing...trying to explain it in words is very difficult! 

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Stitchboard Admin message #21
Re: Tunisian gauge
October 1, 2013 at 3:50:52 PM  (in response to BetwixtTheStitch message #5)
 
Sherry,

Love those pics...thank you so much...it really helps! 

So then it's basically simpler than I thought...work one side, then work the other...no need to work the entire round at once, unlike knitting, where you must do that.    Did I understand you correctly? 

Lacking the proper type of hook to try this, I was wondering...might it be possible to work the rounds almost "diagonally"?  In other words, instead of having that loose seam, how about starting a new round over on the next stitch, if it's possible?  This way, perhaps if your join goes around, it might make it look less like a seam and more like a seamless piece.  Of course, I could be completely off here, since this is something I can't really try.    Anyway, your marker could be kept in the same spot, so you always know where you started.

Hmmm, are there square or rectangular hats?  LOL, confused...normal state of mind here. 

Well, I got to thinking last night, and based on need, LOL, this is what I came up with.  Not one, but two ideas!    Two for the price of one...woo hoo! 

First: how about a simple, straight headband?  I really need something to keep my hair out of my eyes, a ponytail holder doesn't cut it, so I'm thinking a plain TKS headband.  Not sure yet about the tie ends...either a chain reinforced with singles or a knit I-cord.

What will really be good practice will be to figure out the edges.  When I made that TKS scarf years ago, the one thing I was unable to master was that edge stitch.  I suppose it could be fixed with a sc border.  But that's kind of ordinary, ho hum.  (Why take the easy way out when I can torture myself?!  LOL!)

What do you do for your edges with TKS?  How do you keep them from being too loose?

Matter of fact, I wonder if that's not why a piece done in the round ends up with what looks like a loose seam? 

Technically, I might try two headbands, TV watching assignment for tonight!    Thinking this through, it might be fun to make one the long way, one the narrow way.

Second: a dishcloth.  Not positive I want to waste such a thick, gorgeous fabric on a dishcloth, but I have some stinky cotton (scented, allegedly, but to me it just stinks!) and it would be nice to get revenge on it use it for dishcloths. 

LOL, isn't seaming the pits?!  Which is why much of my seaming is done with crochet.  I made some knitted coasters for a wedding gift and really tried to sew them as the pattern indicated...ugh, disastrous (though the prototype became a useful, but not particularly picturesque, washcloth)!  So I made a simple joining chain on subsequent coasters, where I thought it looked like a noticeable chain stitch, but hubby couldn't even tell where it had been joined and thought it looked great!    A crochet edging is nice for knitted seams, especially, IMO...it doesn't require finding a certain spot and not being sure of where the rows are...zip, zip, zip, it's done!    And it looks nice, too.

So what do you think of the headband/discloth ideas? 

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Stitchboard Admin message #22
Re: Tunisian gauge
October 2, 2013 at 4:12:21 AM  (in response to BetwixtTheStitch message #5)
 
Sherry,

Sigh, I didn't do well tonight.    I tried that stupid little headband strip, going the narrow way for the first piece, but I must have been doing something very wrong, because I ended up with too few stitches after the first couple of rows.    Ripped it out in frustration and now have to figure out why I can't do a lousy straight piece.  On the bright side, the H hook worked just fine with the Red Heart acrylic, so at least there's that!

I didn't do a gauge swatch, since I eyeballed the size needed.  I forget how many stitches...8...9.  The stitches "lost" were on the left side...do you think it's the weird stitch on the left, that odd ch 1?  It looked a little confusing.  Is the end stitch "different"?  I tried looking at a couple of videos, but nothing really clicked, because everything started with a foundation of work already done.  Anyway, I'm not giving up...will try again tomorrow...just a bit frustrated that what I did X number of years ago is such a mystery all of a sudden! 

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Stitchboard Admin message #24
Re: Tunisian gauge
October 2, 2013 at 3:00:14 PM  (in response to BetwixtTheStitch message #8)
 
Sherry,

Thanks for clearing that up...I was trying to picture how on earth to work an entire round with a straight hook...LOL, it didn't seem as if it would work! 

With a flexible hook, I don't see how else it could be done, other than all at once.  The trick would be to join it, but the flexible hook sounds like more trouble than it's worth.

I can't wait to hear how the spiral works out!    Thanks to beading for that idea...in a certain kind of stitch, working "tubular" means "stepping up," so the pattern spirals over one for every row.  A pattern graph that shows the "beginning" of every row has dots that literally go in a diagonal line. 

Oh, I see...LOL, I couldn't picture a square hat, but then, I wasn't thinking of that hated seaming.

Hee hee, I'm so glad we're on the same wavelength with the headband! 

I would tend to use cotton yarn for a dishcloth.  I don't know that acrylic would be all that good...it probably wouldn't wear well with all of the washing, and am guessing it would also start to pick up the smells.  I have some beautiful cotton that I bought a year or so ago, but it's "scented" and totally stinks.  Hoping everyday use of it, soaping it up and rinsing it out, would cause it to no longer stink.

Post single or double crochet for the edging?  Do you do this with TKS specifically, to cover up those sort of wonky/loose edges?

I didn't save what I had worked on...but I swear, there was one less stitch each time.  I plan to try again tonight.  Must figure out what's going wrong...thanks...I'll check out that last chain and where the hook is going at the end.  That may be it! 

It would be wonderful if it was just "leaning," but I seem to recall having fewer stitches. 

Glad to know I'm not the only one who eyeballs work when messing around with it, rather than swatching!  I didn't have to worry with mini/amigurumi stuff, since it didn't matter exactly how big anything turned out...small was fine, so I used whatever was comfortable.  (I stopped because my hands kept cramping to work that tiny.)  I don't tend to bother for stuffed toys in general...or small doll clothes, because it's easier to make something new or add a few crochet rows than to swatch for something that's far smaller.  Even baby blankets...I just eyeball them and make it up off the top of my head, and I make them huge, too.  LOL, no wonder I like to make those kinds of things...it's the lazy woman's way of getting around swatching! 

I'll let you know how tonight's experimenting works out. 

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Stitchboard Admin message #27
Re: Tunisian gauge
October 3, 2013 at 4:24:55 PM  (in response to BetwixtTheStitch message #10)
 
Sherry,

The hat looks fantastic!  Love the color, too...the stitching looks wonderful!  

You're absolutely right about the price of cotton for what you get.    I've been using a lot of cotton lately, only because it seems to fit in best with what I'm working on, like dishcloths or coasters or whatever.  (I use worsted weight cotton, though...not very much of that small stuff...blergh, while it's good for certain things, it's just way too small otherwise!  )

Oh, exactly...do you also figure on things that aren't going to be worn, "Why bother swatching?"  I mean, come on, how much larger or smaller is that toy or baby blanket going to be if I don't swatch it out?  Is anyone going to notice?  If I make, say, a teddy bear as a gift for an adult friend (something I really am going to be doing soon!), is she realistically going to say, "Wow, this is an inch smaller than I was picturing in my mind"?  Considering the baby blankets I make are usually a stitch pattern I pick out and then work as whatever comes to my twisted little mind, LOL, is anyone going to look at it and say, "That baby blanket is just too big"?  Of course not!

When I first started crocheting, I didn't know much about swatching, other than it seemed an awfully evil process , but now that I know what I do, I know better than to waste my time with something that really doesn't matter.

Better to save the swatching for something that is going to be worn, something that absolutely can't be made too large or too small!

Glad to know I'm not the only one making large baby blankets.  Probably about the first one I ever made was so huge, I'm guessing the people were still using it when the kid was 8 or 9, maybe older!  It was the right size for a twin-size bed, to give you an idea.  And I'd made it with fingering weight yarn.  Yes, it was insanity!  It took years...I had made it with someone in mind, and let's just say I no longer had contact with that someone by the time I finished it. 

I really need to start messing around with the FPDC/BPDCs and the FPSC/BPSCs, as well!  I'm enchanted by how well the hat turned out!  It's the perfect finish.

The thing I mainly don't like about crocheted ribbing is how it's not all that elastic (talking about the "fake" FPDC/BPDC type of ribbing).  I did see something on TV years ago, though, that advised using a slip stitch for ribbing.  I've never tried it...but am anxious to, because it's very stretchy!  IIRC, you slip stitch into the front or back loops...but I don't remember, which is where the experimenting comes in, hmm.  Should have tried it upon first seeing it, so as to be able to speak authoritatively about it, rather than simply storing it in the back of my mind for later use! 

Your headband sounds gorgeous!  I love gold and silver, especially...they always look sonice and elegant!  I can't wait to see how it turns out!  Are you going to finish off the edges with some kind of FP/BP thing?

I've got plain old acrylic for my headband.    If I can scrounge it up, I could try some worsted weight cotton.  Next size down that I have is size 10, so nothing in between...size 5 actually sounds like the ideal size for such a project!

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Stitchboard Admin message #29
Re: Tunisian gauge
October 4, 2013 at 11:05:53 PM  (in response to BetwixtTheStitch message #13)
 
Sherry,

First...success!    I had looked up the stitch and was apparently doing it all wrong...misunderstood the directions.  So now I'm doing it correctly...though the left edge seems a bit wonky, so am thinking of ripping out the handful of rows I actually managed to do and starting again with fewer stitches so adding sc or something on the edges won't make it too wide.    Not sure yet.

Super...those hats and sweaters are going to look so fantastic, and I can't wait to see them! 

I think that's a great idea to make crocheted buttons, perhaps the barrel and loop idea you had mentioned.  Kids love to put everything in their mouths...LOL, cats, too!  (I had bought a mini sock monkey for a friend, showed it to the kitty, expecting her to sniff it politely...nope, she bit the poor sock monkey's face!    I also showed her a piece of beadwork...again, with the biting.  It really would be nice to know ahead of time what they'll sniff at and what they're going to bite.)

It's too bad Velcro messes up yarn...it grabs those fibers and pulls them way out of shape. 

I understand about the headband...it would be very hard to see with thin thread like that.    I do like your idea of using an acrylic yarn!

Yes, please let me know how you get on with the sl st ribbing!  I actually wasn't thinking of the fp/bp stitches that weren't stretchy like knit ribbing...though those aren't, either...I was actually thinking of the front/back loop, but same difference.  I haven't found anything terribly stretchy, so am hoping the sl st works! 

Hee hee, I'm so glad you said what you did about throwing out the rules, because I always do!    Don't get me wrong...if I had to make something to fit, I would swatch or whatever, but for the headband that I work the wide way, I'm going to live dangerously and eyeball it! 

I'm so glad to hear the hats work out fine without swatching!

I definitely agree with you about using light worsted as opposed to fingering weight for a blanket for your husband.  Fingering weight would take...f-o-r-e-v-e-r!    Better to use light worsted or even worsted.  I'm sure the pattern will look just fine with a larger yarn.

On the baby blankets, I figure (and am guessing you agree) as long as I'm making something, if I make it too small, it's less of a gift and more of a frustration, because if it's too small, it won't last.  It really doesn't take that much extra time to make it bigger...but also, these days I don't use fingering yarn...I use worsted or light worsted weight.  That's where the handy Simply Soft comes in (I consider it a light ww).  Last two or three baby blankets were all made with Simply Soft.  It still took time, but not as long as that fingering weight...bleah!  At least the Simply Soft took about a week or two, IIRC...it was a few years ago, so I don't remember anymore, but compared to that fingering weight blanket, it was such a relief to have it done in a relatively short amount of time!  LOL, I'm getting too old to spend years and years on a project. 

It's hard to take a good, sharp picture!  Especially of anything stitched.  LOL, the stuff must be squirming, knowing it's being photographed. 

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