Stitchboard Admin message #2
Re: Tunisian gauge
September 23, 2013 at 2:05:20 PM  (in response to BetwixtTheStitch message #1)
 
Sherry,

Excellent!    Do you have any ideas in particular for a first project?  I'd suggest something fairly simple and straightforward to start with...always time to get more complex down the line.    Maybe a simple neck scarf or something?

How are you getting such wonderfully "square" crochet stitches?  I've never been able to master that!

Okay, so I'm not understanding the gauge you're getting...at 18 sts x 20 rows, wouldn't the stitches be wider than tall?  If they're shorter than a knit stitch, I would guess they're wider than tall?  LOL, please forgive me...it's very hard to picture!

Argh, I went searching through my needles/hooks to see what survived of my Tunisian hooks, and not a single one did...apparently they all bit it in the flood.    So I can't do any swatching until I replace at least one.

Not surprising news, but in the back of my mind, there was a small hope that one measly Tunisian hook survived.  The main problem with the things that got flooded was how the caps of the hooks rusted, as they're probably made of stainless steel, not aluminum.  (Guessing steel needles and hooks are made of aluminum...who would ever think to ask what they're made of?  LOL, you get a hook or needle, you work with it, that's that!)

I had a really great setup with my hooks/needles.  They were in one of those decorative popcorn tins (being about the only thing that was tall enough to hold those longer Tunisian hooks and knitting needles!) and the flood waters seeped in through the bottom...those things are definitely not made to get wet, sigh.  So the hooks/needles were sitting in 2-3" of rusty popcorn tin water.

If the local Walmart or JoAnn Fabrics don't carry Tunisian hooks, I'm not sure what I'll do.  Our only LYS closed up a few years ago. 

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Stitchboard Admin message #4
Re: Tunisian gauge
September 24, 2013 at 4:42:24 PM  (in response to BetwixtTheStitch message #3)
 
Sherry,

Thank you...I know you understand...things like crochet hooks should last pretty much forever, so a one-time purchase is all one really expects to buy...argh, not so in this case. 

I'm glad your hooks have survived all of those moves!  And I'm sorry some got lost on the way...groan. 

I also mentioned in my other response what happened at JoAnn's...not a single afghan hook to be found at all, and Michael's had a selection of one size H afghan hook...one hook in the entire store!  Either they keep selling out of that one size hook or they only keep one on hand at a time!  So disappointing. 

I haven't tried mail order at all...it's the shipping that's so daunting.

No worries...I'm the same about math!  Bleh, I never like to figure things, and making patterns can require a lot of math...I'd rather swatch then crunch numbers...and I hate swatching!

Whenever you're ready would be fantastic...I have one hook now, so I can't go smaller or larger with hook/gauge sizes, though I'm going to do a little experimenting with gauge/stitches once I buy a skein of yarn.  Anyway, take your time...I'm not going anywhere!    Your WIPs are more important!

For working written patterns, I can see where your square stitches might be a problem.    Can you basically adjust the row counts and work by the pattern's stitch count instead?  At least the advantage there is many crochet (and knitting) patterns say to work until a piece measures X inches, so as long as your stitch width is correct, you can simply work to the correct length for the piece, knowing you'll have a different number of rows than other people who might make the pattern with the exact gauge.  Stitch gauges aren't an exact science, anyway (though we treat them as such!).

At least you measure and make swatches!  When I first started crocheting, I didn't know anything about gauges.  I'm surprised most of the things I made fit!  It was an absolute coincidence.  And many people make that same mistake when they start out...they don't realize how important gauge is and think if they use the recommended hook and yarn, everything will be fine.

It's a shame you can't teach your square stich "technique"...but it sounds like it's more of a way of crocheting than an actual technique.  I wonder, though...maybe there's some way of using what you do for...something different...detailed afghans, perhaps?  Not sure...just a thought! 

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Stitchboard Admin message #6
Re: Tunisian gauge
September 25, 2013 at 6:56:15 PM  (in response to BetwixtTheStitch message #5)
 
Sherry,

Thanks for letting me know about Simplicity and Herschnerr's...their shipping policies are definitely reasonable!    Reminds me of our wonderful friend, Cindy, of http://beadlady.biz - she also charges exact shipping. 

It only makes sense not to soak customers for shipping!  It alienates people and is so unnecessary. 

I'm going to have to tough through worsted weight acrylic...I don't have access to sport weight yarns anymore.  Walmart used to carry them, but no longer.    They're doing a store remodel at the moment.  I just missed the clearance sale on acrylic.  They've also limited the number of colors.  They used to have a lot of them, but they decided to bring back the fabric area.  ARGH.  They had a fabric area, but a number of years ago, you may remember when there was a big petition to Walmart not to cut down their craft departments.  For a while, it looked like they were listening.  Then the other shoe dropped.  They got rid of the fabrics from our Walmart...increased some of the other areas, decreased the yarn tools, increased the supply of Red Heart and Vanna's Choice yarns.  It may have been back then that they got rid of the sport yarn. 

I guess they ultimately realized the things they were trying to sell weren't as popular as the things they used to sell (such as the fabrics)!

I love the idea of patterns where gauge isn't important!  Great idea!

Please let me know if you're having any difficulty with the Free Pattern Wizard patterns...LOL, I have a bit of pull with the programmer and can make some recommendations. 

Ooh, Celtic knotwork is amazing...done with cabling, that's going to be stunning!  Can't wait to see what you accomplish!  

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Stitchboard Admin message #8
Re: Tunisian gauge
September 26, 2013 at 6:10:49 PM  (in response to BetwixtTheStitch message #7)
 
Sherry,

We could try the same pattern with different yarns/hook sizes...I'm kind of guessing that even if we were to both use worsted weight and you were to use your K hook and I used my H hook, we'd probably get far different results!  I'm also thinking it should be a neck scarf or small cowl.  Maybe if it's a neck scarf, it could be something that buttons (?) so we're dealing with a one-to-one conversion of an actual knitting pattern, a straightforward one, where we don't have to do any fancy stitches (just straight TKS).  Your thoughts?    The way I'm thinking of it, we can always get fancier down the line.

It's awful with the big box stores.  Walmart at least used to be somewhat competitive, even with the limited amount of space they had.  Then they sized down the more competitive needlework items (or got rid of them altogether) and most of their stores were left with limited choices.  For instance, I tried to find a certain size circular knitting needle at Walmart a few months ago, before they started the latest remodel...they had two sizes...that was it. 

I haven't really checked out the "new" section closely, but I'm guessing there's even less selection of tools now.  The yarn was definitely downsized...and to that was added a lot of specialty stuff, which I will probably never buy.  Why would I?  If I want it, I can get it from Michael's or JoAnn's with a 40% off coupon, instead of full price at Walmart.  I wonder if they've even thought of that.  How can they expect to compete?  I would think they'd stick with the things they can offer at reasonable prices, not the things they can sell at premium prices, with which they're competing with other big box stores.  The only time they're not competing is when someone might need something in a pinch, at midnight or 2am or sometime when a big box store isn't open.

I guess it depends on the store's buyer.  I don't know what they're thinking.  I remember several years ago, I complained to my local store because the grocery buyer chose to get rid of all of the packages of only low-fat chocolate ice cream sandwiches and replace them with all vanilla in the one brand and an all-vanilla plus a vanilla/chocolate combo pack in another brand.  So if you wanted vanilla...you could have your choice of two brands.  If you wanted all chocolate...sorry, either buy the combo pack and suffer through the vanilla if you don't like it, or don't buy it at all. 

If I were the buyer, I would have replaced the vanilla in one of the brands with all chocolate.

Anyway, that's kind of the idea I'm getting now from the "new" craft department.  Just a guess that the buyer has decided to offer more interesting yarn choices, without thinking of how they're competing with the big box stores and those 40% off coupons.

Ah, I see what you're saying!    I haven't managed to get to your post about the Free Pattern Wizard yet, but I'll also mention it to that person with whom I might have a bit of pull.    Seriously, we want to do whatever is best for everyone...though we also want to be sure the patterns will be readable, of course! 

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Stitchboard Support message #9
Re: Tunisian gauge
September 26, 2013 at 10:20:45 PM  (in response to BetwixtTheStitch message #7)
 
Sherry,



I'll think about this.  I can certainly have the PatternWizard output the .pdf in landscape and can adjust the number of stitches per page.  Give me a bit of time and I'll see if it's a function I can add when I have time.  Just not sure how soon I'll get to it.  Probably sometime in October once the new Stitchboard area is enabled.

Terry

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Stitchboard Admin message #12
Re: Tunisian gauge
September 27, 2013 at 2:25:38 PM  (in response to BetwixtTheStitch message #10)
 
Sherry,

GMTA (Great Minds Think Alike)!    Do you think you can get close to a one-to-one stitch?  I'm hoping I can!

I'll take a look and see what's available.  Probably will look for something free online, maybe a beginner knitted scarf/neck warmer/whatever, LOL.  I have a few favorite sites for freebies...someone should have something!    I'm also keeping my mind open for something unexpected that looks simple, such as a one-piece purse. 

On the bright side, JoAnn's and Michael's are pretty close to each other (and to Walmart).  But I only go to those stores when I have a coupon or a great need for something, like a certain kind of needle/hook.  The not-so-good part is that even though they're all near each other, they're not very close by, so it's a hassle just to get there.  And with the price of gas being so expensive, we try to do everything at once.  So when we do our grocery shopping, we go to Walmart, because it's the least expensive.  I admit, Walmart has come in handy here and there for craft items, like a month or two ago, when I needed to make some coasters for a wedding gift.  I also like that if we were to be there during odd hours (2am, LOL), I can technically grab what I need from Walmart, like a skein of yarn or some crochet hook/knitting needle.

I do wish there were other options, though.

Just a thought...I've seen patterns for fingerless gloves and there's also a pattern for a bunny (and perhaps also a teddy bear), which make use of a pretty straightforward simple straight knitted piece.  If I can find one of them, what would you think of something like that?    Or do you think that would kind of defeat the purpose, since they'd be "joined" together?

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Stitchboard Admin message #14
Re: Tunisian gauge
September 28, 2013 at 6:28:25 PM  (in response to BetwixtTheStitch message #13)
 
Sherry,

I think adding rows is going to have to naturally occur no matter what.  I simply don't see how we'll be able to get a realistic "knit" sized stitch.  And like you said, this is an art, not a science, so let's not be bothered about it, okay?    Let's simply enjoy!

I have to find the fingerless glove pattern (and any of the patterns I mentioned) again.  Hopefully can remember where to find them (or will find them with a simple search!).  In all cases, they were simple knit squares or rectangles.  The way I see it, starting with the simplest thing of all can then lead to patterns with increases, decreases, perhaps lace patterns...I would say even if what's out there isn't stockinette in knitting, pfft, do we really care?  It's the end result that counts...as long as we're happy with it, like a substitute of TKS for a fancy lace stitch or whatever!    Anyway, I'm guessing the simple patterns will be a no-brainer, just stitching to width with gauge and to size with measurements, but IMO, better to start small than to start too discouraginginly large. 

I understand...I like the idea of working in the round!  LOL, question...how do you work in the round with an afghan hook?  Is it possible?

The only way I can think to do that is to "catch" a joining stitch on the end, where it wouldn't actually be a stitch on the needle.  But then...how would that work?  The "fabric" has to be kept flat.  That would require a flexible needle (I don't have one, nor can I get one in this yarn shop desert!).  Yeesh.  Guessing anything I'd want to do in the round would have to be done as a couple of flat pieces.  (Yes, I prefer anything in the round, too.  I despise seaming!)

You're right...we'd have to have conversions done before joining! 

Okay, I'll start looking for those patterns now...but keep in mind that when I actually find any of them, it will be perfectly fine to wait until you have time for working on this...it's definitely not a priority! 

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