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, ...

A very, very quick post to wish all my readers Happy Holidays! My Holiday gift for you this year is a new free TC pattern, named " Cheiron ". As you can see it's for a neckwarmer that suits both men and women, worked in the round in two different colors. If you wish to try your hand at TC in the round, this might be the item for you. Besides this small present, I wish you all a marvelous time these next days, and a bright 2017! Un post velocissimo per augurare Buone Feste a tutti i miei lettori! Il mio regalo per voi quest'anno è un nuovo modello ad uncinetto tunisino, " Cheiron ". Come potete vedere si tratta di uno scaldacollo adatto sia agli uomini che alle donne, lavorato in tondo con due colori. Se volete cimentarvi con l'uncinetto tunisino in tondo, potrebbe fare per voi. A parte questo regalino, vi auguro di passare giorni stupendi in queste feste, ed un buon 2017!

Our " TC Pfeilraupe " pattern has become incredibly popular: it's now in the Top 10 Hot Right Now Tunisian crochet patterns on Ravelry, and Brunella and I are so proud of our little one, and so so glad all these fellow crocheters enjoy it this much. I've been busy making some of these scarves for friends these last weeks, and I thought it'd be nice to show them all in a roll to you. So, there you go, all my "TC Pfeilraupe" scarves: What do you think? Are they pretty enough? :)

Who would've thought? It's December already, typically a month for presents, either for beloved ones or for ourselves. I've been writing about Tunisian crochet almost all year long, so of course now I have to make another post on the subject, and more specifically on TC-related presents. If you think it's time to purchase some long hooks and books to study and make practice, allow me to help you through the many choices out there. As I mentioned in a previous post, I'm enjoying a collaboration with Italian blog " Maglia-Uncinetto.it " with my reviews and opinions about TC books and such (and in the future I'll write about other crafty subjects, too), but I still haven't been able to translate my reviews in English. Though, since there are many English reviews about these books, so far I'll tell you briefly about the ones I really like, and I suggest you go and search for other reviews on the web. Now, about the presents. Let't th...

Well, if you do, don't miss my brand new free pattern for a Tunisian crochet scarf, " Mushroom Risotto ": I made this scarf with one skein of bulky yarn and a 15 mm hook, so as you can imagine it grows quickly. It's the perfect project for beginners because I haven't used the simple stitch but other stitches that combined together create an interesting fabric; depending on how you block it the fabric can be dense or airy, almost lacey, without efforts. Also, it's perfect for both women and men, so it might be a nice idea for some Xmas gifts! If you're waiting for the right project to try this technique, think about this scarf: it won't disappoint you.

Well, hello readers! Thanks for all your nice comments about my article that's been published: I still haven't had time to translate it in good English, but I'm working on it and on the other ones, so I hope to post them here soon. Today I'd like to show you a new project instead, a cowl called "November Shades", whose pattern is available both on Etsy  and Ravelry . It's made once more with Tunisian crochet but this item is worked in the round! TC in the round is lots of fun: you have to work with two strands of yarn and a double-ended hook, so if you're an absolute beginner it can get tricky, but after a bit of practice it gets really enjoyable. Plus, if you take advantage of the double-ended hook to use two contrasting colors it creates a marvelous effect with pretty little effort. I'd really like to hear your opinions about this item: I'll be honest, I'm quite proud of it and how it turned out, so I hope y'all like it as much...

Now that's some title, isn't it? Well, to tell the truth I *have* had an article, a review about TC book "Tunisian Crochet Stitch Guide" by Kim Guzman, published on one of the most famous Italian websites about knitting and crochet, Maglia-Uncinetto.it . I'm so sorry my readers from other countries won't be able to read it due to language issues, but don't worry: I'm translating this (and the other articles that will follow!) in English to publish on my blogs, so if you're interested you'll have your chance to read them anyway! =D Dopo tanto, torno a scrivere un post in italiano: segnalo ai miei lettori che una mia recensione su un famoso libro ad argomento uncinetto tunisino, "Tunisian Crochet Stitch Guide" di Kim Guzman, è stata pubblicata sul famosissimo sito Maglia-Uncinetto.it . Non so descrivervi l'emozione, anche l'onore, di vedere un mio articolo comparire su questo sito: un sito che ho seguito fin da quando mi ...

So, I've finally managed to publish my latest pattern, a nice Tunisian crochet cowl named "Pumpkin Skin". Since it's worked flat then sewn and it uses only one stitch besides the simple stitch it's an ideal project for beginners, for people who've tried TC, found it interesting and would like to try something different but not too hard. I rate it as an easy pattern, from an advanced beginner level on. You can download a digital copy of it from both my Ravelry  and Etsy  stores (so far only English is available, Italian version will be there soon!). Besides working on my own patterns I've also followed others' to make something: I've been asked for a couple of ladies beanies, and though the pattern's title suggests otherwise I've chosen Kim Guzman's " Favorite Beanie for Men ". I've never enjoyed making hats and such, I get bored easily and I'm almost never satisfied by how they turn out, but Kim's patter...

Hi folks! Here's a small adventure that happened to me that I'm gonna tell you about, mainly because it brought me to a really interesting discovery. Some days ago I received a message on Ravelry from a lady who's made her own Tunisian crochet version of the "Pfeilraupe" scarf. She sent me a picture to show me her work, which was simply stunning: she managed to recreate the exact shape of the knitted one, with marvelous use of short rows, plus in honeycomb stitch, which I love (you can check out her project page here ). We exchanged a few messages, and by checking her profile I discovered that I was talking to Dela Wilkins! When the sudden feeling of being a complete idiot for not recognizing her before was gone, I felt (and still feel!) SO privileged: a famous teacher, a published author, took time to write ME about an item we both tried to make in TC. Wow!! Well, of course I did some more searching and found that Dela's book on TC, "Railway Kn...