Trying Tunisian

Indulging in a little browsing after my class at the Sheep Shop in Cambridge, I decided to treat myself to a Tunisian hook so that I could have a go.

Tunisian hooks are similar to a normal crochet but have a long stem or wire attached so that stitches can be held on them like in knitting.

Tunisian fabric is created by picking up a row of stitches which remain on the hook and are then closed off on the return row so at the end of a pass and return you have just one loop on the hook.

Luckily knit pro sell interchangeable Tunisian hooks which I can connect to my existing knit pro cables making it easy and not too expensive to try Tunisian crochet and also to work it flat or in the round if I get to like it. (working in the round involves a hook at either end of the cable)

I had a play around with a variety of different stitches that I had in various stitch dictionaries to create a little sampler and learn the basics. 

I have to say I am quite taken with it. The fabric has a nice drape like knitting, the range of stitches lends itself well to a lot of texture and interesting stitch patterns with different degrees of stretch and thickness. I will definitely be playing more and hope to run a class in the technique soon and maybe write a pattern.

There are some utterly beautiful Tunisian patterns out there. Amy Depew and Aoibhe Ni both specialise in Tunisian patterns and have produced wonderful pieces. My absolute favourite I have seen is Aoibhe's Venus shawl. Its going on my 'to make' list - isn't it stunning?

image from Aoibe Ni's Ravelry page

In other news, I have a new pattern out in this month's Yarnwise with an accompanying article about the process behind the design.

image copyright Tailor Made Publishing

And while we are at it I don't think I blogged about the design in last month's yarnwise

image copyright Tailor Made Publishing

I am sooooo looking forward to getting the sample back and wrapping myself up in the lovely soft pea green squidginess! 

I'll also be in next month with one of my favourite designs so far. A really quick knit you'll want to wear - watch this space.

Another thing to watch out for is a little project I'm doing in collaboration with Elly of Magpielly.co.uk, it should be released very soon - as soon as I can get some decent light to take the final photographs! Initially it will be available only in kit form from Elly. It makes a nice quick Christmas gift. Full update as soon as it is released.

And the winner is...

Knitnrun4sanity! Congratulations!
The PDF of Boys' Knits should be in your Ravelry library very soon.

Boys Knits - book review and giveaway

I have two boys - I don't think I have ever knit either a garment. They've both had soft toys, hats, a soaker for washable nappies but never a jumper. Why? Lack of choice mostly. Designs for boys tend to be either very dull to knit (acres of stocking stitch) , too cabled to be practical on a small body or featuring dated intarsia.

So it is very refreshing to be able to introduce you to a wonderful book full of knits by talented designer Katya Frankel.

Sixteen - yes SIXTEEN designs for the little men in your life. Each features enough detail to keep the knit interesting with subtle but fuss free details. Best of all, they are all seamless - my favourite construction! If you haven't tackled seamless before never fear because the book includes plenty of detail to get you started. 

My very fashion concious seven year old has his name down for a Fractal (below) which perfectly sums up the aesthetic of the book.

My four year old chose Denon possibly because the boy is riding a scooter: activities are way more important than clothing! His main requirements are that clothing is comfy and can't be construed as 'babyish' Denon ticks the boxes there.

My absolute favourite is Spacer - not sure if its the colour or the subtle use of cables that draws me to it :-)

The book is beautifully produced with a full colour photo index (this for me is a must in any pattern book but so rarely included!) and lovely photography throughout. I love how the photos show boys enjoying themselves doing boy things - it makes the patterns so much more appealing than staged and posed shots.

Careful yarn choices are evident - quality yarns but most are reasonably priced ones and will be tough enough to cope with wear on a boy and many are machine washable with care.

Pattern instructions are clear and easy to follow.

The incredibly detailed introduction section is worth the price of the book alone with detailed advice on yarn substitution, sizing, altering to fit and the techniques used in the book. 

Katya and Co-operative press have kindly given me a copy to give away! To be in with a chance of winning a PDF copy of the book pop over to the book's Ravelry patterns page and leave a comment here to tell me which is your favourite of the designs and why. Entries will be open until 19th October. Good luck!

This post is part of a blog tour. Catch up with the other stops on the tour:

21 September - Kat Goldin of Slugs on the Refrigerator
25 September - Julia Vaconsin
28 September - Joeli Caparco of Joeli's Kitchen
2 October - Jacqui Harding of Happymaking Designs
5 October - Michelle Miller of Fickle Knitter
9 October - Carol Feller of Stolen Stitches
12 October - Joanne Scrace of Not So Granny
16 October - Anniken Allis of Confessions of a YarnAddict
19 October - Mari Muinonen of MadeByMyself
24 October - Woolly Wormhead
30 October - Ann Kingstone
2 November - Ella Austin of Bombella
9 November - Jill Zielinski of Knitterella
14 November - Kate Oates of Tot Toppers

and dates to be confirmed for

Petit Purls
Heather Kinne of Highland Handmades

Mrs Spider

This mornings misty start gave us the opportunity to see just how hard Mrs Spider worked last night on her craft

Her designs are beautiful, intricate and practical and allow her to feed her family.

I just hope, unlike me, she doesn't have to rip back everything she did last night. :-(

And the winners are...

image from dlevans18 via photobucket

Winner of the mystery yarn parcel is Cybele.

The two runners up, each winning a pattern of their choice from my Ravelry store, are Evelyn and Fleur.

Thanks to all those who entered. I will post a pic of what Cybele won once she has recieved it - I don't want to spoil the surprise for her.