Weaving Olden Patterns

I'll write on my  WordPress blog only, from now on, so if you want to follow me you'll find me there. I won't delete this blog, as I'm attached to it and it reminds me of the road I travelled so far, but at least for now I won't update it anymore.

In 3 past posts I talked about a variety of Tunisian crochet hooks ( part 1 , part 2 , part 3 ), sharing my experiences and opinions with you all. In this post I'm gonna write a very specific kind: BIG hooks. Bulky and super bulky yarns are a reality, these days . If you like these kinds of yarns, you might seriously consider trying them with Tunisian crochet. Especially if you use simple stitches, like Tunisian simple stitch or Tunisian knit stitch, this technique really makes the texture of both stitch's and fabric stand out . I'm not a sucker for gigantic yarns and hooks, normally, but I do think that, a few times a year,  crocheting with big hooks is lots of fun . Question is, where to find those really big Tunisian hooks? Denise sets go up to 15 mm hooks , but what if we want even bigger ones? Well, not to worry: ChiaoGoo makes Tunisian hooks with flexible cords up to 25 mm ! ChiaoGoo's are bamboo hooks, wonderfully smooth, with a nicely pointed tip , and...

In the last few weeks I published two posts ( one  and  two ) in which I talked about my experience with Tunisian crochet hooks.  First post  was about being a beginner and struggling to find decent hooks, and  second post  was about finding some quality one that I'm in love with. In this third post I'll write about some other hooks I have, and hopefully you'll have a bit more information to help you choose your own. The last Tunisian crochet hooks I bought are  Denise Interchangeable Hooks   (which come in  grey  and  Pastel  sets too; Pastel sets cost 5$ more, as  5$ are given to cancer research . You can read more about   Denise's Pink Project here .  The company also joined  Stitch Red campaign to fight heart diseases ). Denise is a very famous brand of knitting needles and crochet hooks,  dating back to 1973  and proudly  producing their tools in the USA  ever sin...

In one of my previous posts  I wrote about my very first experiences with Tunisian crochet hooks and how I struggled to find decent ones that suited a beginner. In this post, I'll go on telling you how  I went from  a cheap but functional bamboo set  to more expensive hooks.  A third post will come, in which I'll finish my personal reviews of the hooks I tried so far and reveal which are my favourite, too. After a few projects, I was convinced that I did love Tunisian crochet, and I decided that I really wanted to try those fabulous  interchangeable hooks  many people sported around the web. Since I liked my bamboo hooks,  I chose wooden  Prym's Natural  for a start . I like these quite a lot, as they're  smooth and very pleasant to work with . Still, I was curious to try something else, too. My crochet friend  Davide  told me he loved  KnitPro's Trendz hooks , so I got 'em and well:  I fell in love wit...

When it comes to Tunisian crochet, one of the first issues people face is: which hooks should I choose? I decided to write about my own experience in 2 or 3 posts, and hopefully help some of you. When I first wanted to try Tunisian crochet, I only had a couple of long hooks at home, and they were definitely too thin for a newbie, like 2,5 mm or such. So I headed to a local store and bought me a nice 5 mm one. It was the classic  long, straight aluminium hook with a plastic stopper at one end and a pretty rounded tip at the other end , branded Pony. I practiced a bit with it, and  I struggled because of the rounded tip . I didn't give up, though: I purchased some bigger sizes by the same brand, which were  double-ended and all plastic .  I couldn't use those to save my life . The yarn didn't glide on them, and using them hurt my wrist terribly. Silly newbie I was, I blamed it all on the technique itself and took a pause from it, even though I did enjoy it...

Do you know  designer  Sheryl Thies ? Last year I purchased both her  books about Tunisian crochet ,  Get Hooked on Tunisian Crochet   and  Tunisian Crochet Encore , and I completely fell in love with her neat, clever designs. Get Hooked on Tunisian Crochet   is, in my opinion, the  ideal book for those who just learnt Tunisian crochet  and want to know the technique better in a stimulating way. It contains  pretty easy patterns  (you can preview 'em  here ), which are  lovely for more expert users who want to relax a bit , too. Tunisian Crochet Encore , Sheryl's second book about Tunisian crochet, contains patterns (preview  here ) that are  a bit more complex , e.g. items that are made working in the round or with short rows. It's very interesting for crocheters who want to try their hand at something new. I think this is the  perfect follow-up to the first book . What I lov...

Lettori italiani! Se cercate un gruppo Facebook dedicato interamente all’uncinetto tunisino , iscrivetevi a “ Tunisino, uncinettodi-vino “, il nuovo gruppo che gestisco insieme a Veruska / Happysloth ! Abbiamo dato al gruppo un’impronta professionale e stimolante , nello stile che ci caratterizza (se ci seguite su Maglia-Uncinetto.it , sapete che cosa intendo). Il gruppo nasce come luogo di confronto tra appassionati, uno spazio virtuale di cui approfittare per chiedere consigli, segnalare modelli, libri, corsi, strumenti… insomma, per parlare di tutto ciò che è uncinetto tunisino. Accorrete numerosi, vi aspettiamo! International readers: me and fellow crocheter Veruska / Happysloth recently opened a Facebook group fully dedicated to Tunisian crochet , “ Tunisino, uncinetto di-vino “. The posts will be written mainly in Italian, but since we forbid the use of SMS-like language and such , if you want to follow us and have the patience to use an authomatic translator you should ...

Last week I’ve been enjoying a week’s holiday by my beloved sea. This, combined with an amazing cotton (Pic-Nic by Miss Tricot Filati), inspired me to create a set of Spring/Summer items, a slim scarf and a headband. This is my very first set of items, and I’m pretty proud of it. They’re both simple, everyday accessories, the ones I love the most as I can wear them, in fact, every day, yet they’re not boring to make and look quite intriguing. I decided to name the set “Like a Wave of the Sea” (more explanations to come); I’m currently writing the instructions for both items, and I’d love to have them tested by 3 of my followers: if you’re interested, write it in the comments here or on my Facebook page , and in a couple of days, as soon as I have all info about gauge and materials, I’ll contact you. La settimana scorsa mi sono goduta una settimana di vacanza al mare, mia grande passione. Questa circostanza, insieme ad un cotone fantastico (Pic-Nic di Miss Tricot Filati), mi ha ...

It's been a while, once again. What have I been up to during all this time away from my blogs? Well, I won't lie, I've been busy. First of all, I've had the honor to join the editorial staff of Italian blog Maglia-Uncinetto.it ! I'm still excited about it: I can't believe these talented ladies asked me to join them! Of course I'll write mainly about my greatest crafty passion, Tunisian crochet, as you might have guessed. I plan to translate at least some of my posts and share 'em on my blogs for my international readers, so keep in touch if you're curious. :) Other news? Well, yes: I tried knitting once again, this time following a great teacher (which is one of my blog colleagues, too), Alice Twain . She's an amazing knitter, and she published a book specifically for knitting beginners, "Ai ferri corti". Thanks to her book, I finally managed to understand how the heck you knit! And not only that: she's had lots of patience, ...