Stitchboard Admin message #2
Re: Tunisian Crochet
September 14, 2013 at 7:06:33 PM  (in response to BetwixtTheStitch message #1)
 
Sherry,

Oooh, can't wait to see what you're doing...sounds so neat! 

The TKS is my favorite of the Tunisian stitches.  I once made a scarf with just that stitch...such a lovely, warm garment it turned out to be! 

I'm glad the cables turned out well!

Kim Guzman has some great reference materials.  I've been following her work for years! 

---

Stitchboard Admin message #4
Re: Tunisian Crochet
September 15, 2013 at 2:25:45 PM  (in response to BetwixtTheStitch message #3)
 
Sherry,

I would call Kim Guzman the guru of Tunisian crochet!  I don't know how far her books go back, but in this industry, pretty far. 

LOL, believe it or not, my own knowledge of Tunisian predates ever having seen a single Kim Guzman book or being aware of her name at all.  When I first learned Tunisian...probably about the time the Earth's crust was still cooling , there were such limited materials.  What I had was a book called the Reader's Digest Guide to Needlework.  I'm sure it's still available...for at least 30 years, they hadn't changed it in the slightest, but sometime in the '90s or early '00s, they did update it, gave it a new cover, and likely newer, more updated materials.  What they changed, I have no idea.  It's kind of a pricey book, so I figured my elderly copy works perfectly fine. 

The book is more of a general stitching book (knitting, crochet, etc), though, not a strictly Tunisian reference like you're looking for.    I guess my suggestion would be to check it out if you have a Michael's near you before you consider buying it...I know for a fact my local Michael's store used to sell it and would be very surprised to find they've stopped.

Going by memory, they had a small section where they mentioned a number of different Tunisian stitches.  That's where I got the idea to make a scarf in Tunisian stockinette.  Literally, I chained whatever number of stitches I thought would work and then kept stitching until it was long enough!  LOL, not a very inventive thing.  But it worked!  It looked like it was a knit scarf and it was much thicker.

If you want a strictly Tunisian reference, I would suggest checking the various books at a craft store or bookstore.  You could also try the Amazon "Look Inside" feature if there's a book they sell that you think might be what you want.  I'm a big believer in trying before you buy...nobody wants to get stuck with a useless book, particularly on such a complex subject!  And as much as I do like the Amazon "Look Inside" feature, I much prefer hands-on, especially for anything related to crafts.  Looking at it on the computer is very difficult for me.  I like to be able to flip through a book and see what's in it, not just the pages the publisher or Amazon has decided they would like to show.

When you do find something, please post your recommendation...knowing what to get when there are so many choices is always helpful! 

---

Stitchboard Admin message #6
Re: Tunisian Crochet
September 16, 2013 at 5:23:02 PM  (in response to BetwixtTheStitch message #5)
 
Sherry,

I look forward to hearing what you have to say...you're like a trailblazer sorting through everything!    I find it's very helpful to have someone else forging ahead and testing what works and what doesn't. 

The nice thing about Amazon is I believe they have a good return policy (I've only heard about it...never tried it personally).  So I think if you find a book is not what you want, you can simply send it back and they refund your money.

I do the same thing re: buying many books on a subject, so whether that's OCD or just curiosity, I'm not sure.  LOL, I call it curiosity (sounds better!).    Seriously, people who aren't crafters don't generally understand that sometimes you need to get knowledge from more than one source...no one source has it all, IMO!  When I first learned crochet and knitting, I didn't get info from only one book...I bought many books and learned many different stitches.  So why should you do any different with Tunisian crochet? 

---

Stitchboard Admin message #8
Re: Tunisian Crochet
September 17, 2013 at 11:02:59 PM  (in response to BetwixtTheStitch message #7)
 
Sherry,

Thank you for all of the helpful info! 

It's probably a good thing that one source doesn't have everything we need...when would we have the chance to indulge our "curiosity"?    (And what a nice story to stick to, huh?!)

It's interesting how you found your technique is pretty close on the cables...perhaps you'd want to publish your version, then, maybe write up a short tutorial for people to do Tunisian cables.    As a technique junkie, it's the kind of thing I would find interesting, because even if it's something I might never use, it's parked in the back of my mind, and often, it becomes something I end up needing!

You know, it's strange, but many times I've also found that a book I've bought for learning a technique has "meh" patterns made with that technique.  Several years back I bought a crochet book I'd been coveting, forget what it was called, and the patterns in it were "okay," but after all, it was learning the technique itself that was important.

Wow, over $200 for a book?!  Insane!  Actually, I have an idea for you...this was what I did when I found a book was over (ready for this?) $400 used.  It was a book I actually owned in more of a "manuscript" form, but I wanted to know if there were any differences.  I checked it out of the library.  My library got it through Interlibrary Loan, I had a chance to peruse the book (checked my manuscripts and found they were practically identical), and then I returned it and wasn't out a penny.    So you might try to see if you can get it from your local library.    I'm sure you're only looking for specific stitches, anyway, so if the book gives you the knowledge you need, you'll be ahead of the game! 

You may also be able to find general crochet books with a few Tunisian stitches in them, although those are usually the most generic stitches, unfortunately.  Also, if a particular crochet book allows searching on Amazon, you could try looking at a table of contents or index to see if they have more than just the generic stitches. 

Hope some of that helps! 

---

Stitchboard Admin message #10
Re: Tunisian Crochet
September 18, 2013 at 3:23:06 PM  (in response to BetwixtTheStitch message #9)
 
Sherry,

Glad I could help re: the library!    It's really been a great resource whenever I've been in a bind, wanting to borrow a book that was long out of print and way out of my budget.

Argh, I've seen that tactic, too, of using a book to sell a product. 

I can't wait to hear more of your thoughts about Kim's book!

So glad to hear you've been thinking of teaching others how to work the cables.

You could write up a simple tutorial on your technique for people who aren't lucky enough to attend a class that you'd give.  Isn't that the beauty of all of this online stuff...being able to hand the knowledge off to others?!    Oh, and I think it would be wonderful if you developed your own patterns from your techniques, as well.

---

Stitchboard Admin message #12
Re: Tunisian Crochet
September 20, 2013 at 2:26:04 PM  (in response to BetwixtTheStitch message #11)
 
Sherry,

Can't wait to see your tut...thank you for being willing to post it! 

It's such a pain to do swatch after swatch...but the end result is worth it, IMO. 

Where in TX are you, if you don't mind me asking?  My oldest, dearest female friend is right outside of Austin.

So glad you got the cooler temps!  I dislike summer and winter and only like it "in between," like what you're describing.  I don't like sweating or freezing, especially now that I suffer from bad hot flashes.  Ugh.  It sounds like it would be better for hot flashes in the winter, but that only follows when I happen to be outside during a hot flash.  At night, I get under the covers, shivering, and then when I finally warm up and start to fall asleep...hot flash.  As son as the hot flash is over...back to shivering, only worse, because then I'm sweaty and shivering.

Though the cooler weather is definitely better for working with yarn! 

---

Stitchboard Admin message #14
Re: Tunisian Crochet
September 21, 2013 at 5:00:17 PM  (in response to BetwixtTheStitch message #13)
 
Sherry,

You're so right.  There is no other way to learn than to try!  As much as I hate making things only to rip them out (or throw them into the scrap bin), it's the only way to learn.  Trial and error can be annoying and tedious, but you have to do what works! 

I located where you are on a map...you're some distance from my friend, then.  Much farther north.  I hope you don't get the hot, hot humid weather that she talks about in the summer!  I'd like to visit her someday, but she already knows I'm not going to be there in the summer or the winter.

Wow, that is lucky, not to have hot flashes!  They drive me nuts.  I find probably the worst times are when I'm sound asleep and am awakened by a really bad hot flash, but I'm too tired to move, so I lay there half-awake and sweat.  Ugh.  These horrid things can't go away fast enough!

I also like temps in the 60's with sun.  I especially like it because then there's no need to run heat or air conditioning!    And it's not totally unpleasant outside.  You're right about temps in the 60's on a cloudy wet day...ugh, much too cold!  I find that chill goes right through me, even though it's not really a terribly cold temperature.

It's so nice to cuddle up with yarn in colder weather! 

---