Stitchboard Admin message #226
Re: Tunisian gauge
January 10, 2014 at 11:39:30 PM
 
Sherry,

I agree...I haven't seen the decorative tea towels in a long time, other than the friend who would get them made by a relative.  Obviously an older relative. 

I've only ever made embroidered hankies...they were supposed to be a gift for someone who actually used hankies (hard to believe in this day and age, huh?!  Definitely an anachronism), but there were other factors that caused me to abandon the project.

Oh, lucky you!  I'm jealous...but happy you only have one spa set left.  I still have a mountain of dishcloths left, sigh. 

So what do you think will be first on the agenda for your "playing"?  I'm not even close, but keep thinking about the bottom of that sweater in TKS...also am thinking of some of those bracelets.  Waaaah, I want to be done with dishcloths!    Sigh.

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Stitchboard Admin message #228
Re: Tunisian gauge
January 11, 2014 at 7:36:07 PM  (in response to BetwixtTheStitch message #2)
 
Sherry,

LOL, you're so fickle!    LOL, me too.  It's so boring to work on the same thing all the time!

Maybe we call it "CADD" - Crocheter's ADD. 

Awww, I'm sure your hubby will really love having a Cowboys throw, and I'm glad you found the right color for it! 

Cables done as squares?  I can't picture it, but it sure sounds interesting!    And two different colors will make it pop so nicely!  Deep gray and maroon are soooooooooo beautiful together.    What a lovely contrast with two colors that complement each other perfectly!

Oooh, so you're going to work the hat in the round, then?    Love that!  Bleh, there's enough of seaming in way too many projects.  I would work it in the round, too.

Is it me, or does TKS tend to work up very, very tight?  And I'm not a tight crocheter, either...just the opposite!  But anytime I look at TKS that I've done, it looks sooo tight.  And that's using worsted, not something light weight.

So you're using wool, then?

I do like wool, but not the prices.    I also worry about the upkeep, since (unlike acrylic) you can't just throw it in the washer (unless it's superwash). 

Argh, isn't that always the way...people always want changes!  I can't blame your friends in a way, though...I don't usually make something up exactly as written.  I almost always change something about it...did that with the dishcloths (and am still doing that, sigh).  Nothing is ever "exactly" right!  My mind's eye always sees things differently, though it's a far cry from doing it myself and being asked to change something... 

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Stitchboard Admin message #230
Re: Tunisian gauge
January 12, 2014 at 6:54:48 PM  (in response to BetwixtTheStitch message #4)
 
Sherry,

LOL, somehow, I don't mind being a CADD sufferer...and I'm guessing you don't, either!    At least it's fun! 

True...I totally agree with you.  Hats really don't look right when seamed.  There's always something "off," no matter how carefully you work.    And I know you hate seaming as much as I do...meh, why add something more (and tedious) to the job?!

Oh, good question!  I never thought of the wool v acrylic question from quite that angle!  Can you get wools in the right colors, and are they costly?

LOL, "bullet proof" scarf!  Sigh, that's it.  When I was figuring out my TKS gauge for the sweatshirt, with the idea of pulling the stitches from the bottom of the shirt, I didn't realize that 4 stitches to the inch actually was quite tight in Tunisian.  Because really, despite its looks, it's not like a knit stitch.  It's a very thick stitch.  And it really needs to be worked on a far bigger hook than "normal" crochet.  Plus, it also has that "extra" thread running through it, so to speak.  Which helps make it thick and a tighter stitch.

I once used a size 3 cotton to knit a tiny doll cape...this is it:
/circles/pg/photos/view/1058/little-red-riding-hood-cape-as-worn-by-my-kelly-doll
/circles/pg/photos/view/1057
Talk about bullet proof!  It was like knitting cardboard!    Which is exactly how I felt, now that I think about it, when I started using that H afghan hook with knitting worsted.  It just wasn't fun...and TKS should be fun!  But the stitches were so tight and the yarn may as well have been cardboard. 

That's a great idea...don't show your patterns around until you know you'll be able to commit some time to the requested projects!  Sigh, I do the same thing...I get so excited about something I've seen and I show it around when I'm not ready. 

The thing is...how can one not change a pattern?  There's always something, some small detail, that needs changing.  Something where the mind's eye says, "I'd like this instead of that."  

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Stitchboard Admin message #232
Re: Tunisian gauge
January 13, 2014 at 7:29:21 PM  (in response to BetwixtTheStitch message #6)
 
Sherry,

I, too, get overwhelmed when there are too many things to do.    Especially around the holidays.

I never had a problem with wools, but then, I didn't have access to them for quite some time after I learned to crochet and knit.  The ones I used were soft and didn't make me itch.

Now they have superwash wools, which are made to be washed!  Unfortunately, it's not something I can get locally.  Our LYS went away many years ago.  All that are left around here are the big box stores, and I've never seen superwash in any of them, other than Wool Ease.    Which is fine, I guess, but I don't know that the wool content is very high!

Oooh, thanks for letting me know about the stitch count deal with TKS!  I'm so glad the number doesn't change drastically with a bigger hook.  All I know is that it was soooooo difficult to work with, and that stupid H hook being way too small was obviously the reason. 

Is the P hook simply much too big?    I really haven't found much that works with the P hook...just once in a great while.  So it's definitely nice to have, but it seems to mostly be the right size for the chunky yarns, not WW or smaller.

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Stitchboard Admin message #234
Re: Tunisian gauge
January 14, 2014 at 7:09:02 PM  (in response to BetwixtTheStitch message #8)
 
Sherry,

Oooh, I love how that turned out!  It really does look like knitting!  Also love the ribbing on the ends.    No doubt your granddaughter's hubby adores it...who wouldn't?! 

So does the ribbing counteract the curl?  Is that TKS and TPS?

How did you do the sides, because those look really nice!  I can never get my sides to look so perfectly even in TKS.    You must have some amazing secret! 

I bet the Cowboys throw will go sooooooo nice and quickly with the P hook...and it will look just as great as the scarf! 

BTW, did you use a regular P hook for that, or a P afghan hook?  I don't think I ever had a P afghan hook that size in the hooks that got damaged.  I had a regular P hook (think it made it, but don't remember), maybe about 6" long, and though it wasn't (or isn't) long and doesn't have a cap on the end, it would probably be able to work small pieces of Tunisian.

I actually had two such hooks...but lost one years ago.    Bought the two back when it was a choice of Woolworth's or yarn shops.  I had found a hole-in-the-wall yarn shop on my way somewhere, and I was so elated to find the P crochet hooks, I bought two of them, knowing they would ultimately come in handy - and they did! 

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Stitchboard Admin message #236
Re: Tunisian gauge
January 15, 2014 at 7:12:29 PM  (in response to BetwixtTheStitch message #10)
 
Sherry,

Genius!  Because the whole thing - including the ribbing - looks knitted!    It's simple enough for a beginner, yet interesting enough for someone who has been crocheting a long time. 

Love the sides...they don't even look like sc.    And they look much straighter and more "finished" than my TKS ever has!    And the color changes are smooth - they don't "step."

That's an excellent tip, to switch to a smaller hook, because it looks like you found the perfect equivalent to the P hook for TKS. 

I've never seen a P afghan hook in any store, not even when I used to occasionally go to my now-long-gone LYS.    So I wonder if it's very, very new?

Wow, that's a fantastic size!  I haven't had occasion to use them, but flexible hooks sound really good to me. 

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Stitchboard Admin message #238
Re: Tunisian gauge
January 16, 2014 at 4:46:14 PM  (in response to BetwixtTheStitch message #12)
 
Sherry,

And you succeed! 

That's the only way I know of to change a color in crochet with the least amount of "stepping," to pull the last loop through with the new color.    And you're right, it's not a dramatic step, and I don't think it's noticeable...really, crochet isn't a totally smooth thing, anyway...stitches will be inherently lumpy, so you can't get 100% smooth from lumpy!  The thing I always remember is crochet is made up of knots, unlike knitting, so there's a reason for the lumpiness...which is certainly an advantage in many ways...doesn't unravel easily, and it's nice and toasty warm for garments, particularly winter ones. 

Yes, the first loop of the row is the one that has traditionally given me fits!    I love your solution to that. 

I hate to ask...how pricey on that hook?  I'm not sure they'd have it at our JoAnn's (sigh, not a superstore, just an old-timey small JoAnn's), but I might take a look next time we're there, see if they stock either size (guessing not, sigh).

Of course, I "need" both the P and the Q flexible afghan hooks, yanno?    I may never use them...but I "need" them! 

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Stitchboard Admin message #240
Re: Tunisian gauge
January 17, 2014 at 10:18:44 PM  (in response to BetwixtTheStitch message #14)
 
Sherry,

Ah, I see...you suffer from the same "needs" I do! 

Ouch, that's a lot.    Sigh.  Going to have to save up for this one.  Where did you find the L hook?

Isn't that nice?  You might miscount crochet, but even if you don't leave out a stitch without counting, there's not going to be a "run" like in a pair of pantyhose!

I love knitting, but not that part of it, sigh. 

I was in JoAnn's and totally forgot to look at the hooks to see if there were any P or Q hooks.    Of course, I had someone complaining at me the whole time. 

Oh, and isn't this nice...sounds like we're going to have another Arctic Vortex, and while it won't get quite as cold, it's going to be here for a longer time.    I'm so done with this winter.

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