In the past few weeks, I’ve done a bit of slip stitch crochet. Now, I haven’t explored it quite as much as others like Bendy Carter and David Burchall. But, it’s a technique all on its own that I’ve successfully tried in four projects and it’s producing good results for those projects, albeit I didn’t use the technique for the entire projects. Just parts of them.
A shining example of what can be done with slip stitch crochet is here in David Burchall’s work. Stunning! (Click on the photo for his Flickr photostream.)
What I want to mention is that slip stitch crochet, something that really should be in a technique all its own, much like Tunisian crochet, can be a little fiddly. It’s not as easy to crochet into slip stitches as with regular crochet…until now!
You see, like Tunisian crochet, slip stitch crochet benefits from the use of a larger hook. This week, I was desperately searching my crochet hooks and knitting needles for an L hook. L hooks are harder to come by and I knew I wasn’t going to find one. But, I really, really NEEDED an L hook. After a 40-minute search turning up no results, it occurred to me that I had a Denise Interchangeable Hook Set! And, sure enough, there IS an L hook in the set!
These hooks are well suited for both regular Tunisian and double-ended Tunisian. The set comes with the hook heads and cables for Tunisian work. Additional hook heads need to be purchased for use in double-ended Tunisian crochet.
So, I removed the cable from the hook and proceeded to give it a try. I hadn’t liked the gauge I was getting with the K hook. Just too tight. I started with the L and not only did I get the results I wanted, but it was easier to do! What a discovery!
You see, the Denise hooks are pointy. This makes them ideal for slip stitch crochet! I could hardly believe my luck. Not only did I find the hook I needed, but it was almost as though it was made for the project I was working on.
If you find yourself interested in slip stitch crochet, I highly recommend these hooks. And, you don’t have to purchase the entire set. You can purchase all pieces separately, if you just want to try them out. What makes them ideal for slip stitch also makes them ideal for Tunisian crochet. This will make it a breeze doing that initial foundation row into the back horizontal bar! Enjoy!
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January 10, 2010 at 5:11 pm
Thanks for the review on these hooks. They are on my wish list. Another hook that works well are the ChiaoGoo Bamboo Hooks. I have L in regular, 9 in and 13 in, and they are a joy to work with! They also have a bit of a pointy end that I have loved. I bought a whole set when they were at discounted prices at Bargain Yarns online. They have since gone up a bit, but not that bad. I personally love the warmth and feel of the bamboo, and the ease of working with them!
January 14, 2010 at 8:27 pm
I am really liking my Denise hooks. I’m using them on the TCAL denim ripple.
I never cared much for the Bates hooks, preferring the Boyd. And I still like them for narrower projects. But the buttons on the end are small and I find I’m having problems with some of my projects slipping off the butt end. The Denise hooks have a much larger button and I’m not having that problem.
And with the cables, I don’t have to crochet in panels. I can covert my afghan patterns to make it all in one piece. A bit unwieldy. But the Denise hooks don’t put pressure on my right hand like the long, straight hooks do.
All in all I’m very pleased to have these hooks as an addition to the collection.
The advantage of wooden hooks is that you can customize the hook to your liking. I took some sandpaper to a Jenkins hook to make it “just right”. No need to do that to my Denise hooks, although I suspect I could given the plastic they are made from.
January 19, 2010 at 10:05 pm
Do you know whatever happened to David Burchall? His blog and his slip stitch site both have disappeared from the net.
January 19, 2010 at 10:10 pm
I wish I could tell you. I’ve contacted one of his good friends and asked that she tell him that I was concerned about him and hoped that everything was okay. That was a couple of months’ ago. For all we know, he could be working on a book and was too distracted by the internet. I do hope he’s okay and hope to hear from him.
January 26, 2010 at 11:08 am
Kim, you’ve convinced me. I’m going to break down and purchase a set of Denise hooks.
January 26, 2010 at 11:10 am
The enabler strikes again!
March 26, 2010 at 11:33 am
Re David Burchall – I recently contacted him re slip stitch blog and info. Try this site
http://beta.bloglines.com/b/preview?siteid=21638635
His reply for info on slip stitch as follows
“Crochet has been on the back burner for a while for me. There isn’t much out there on slip stitching. Check Annie’s Attic. They have two books on slip stitch. Also check the Slip Stitch Crochet group on Ravelry. A few people were inspired to put up some patterns. One person is duplicating my work on a website of her own – with my permission.
I’m glad I had a chance to get some of this out there. There wasn’t really any instruction on slip stitching before. It seems my work spurred some to publish some slip stitching too.
Hope this helps!
David”
March 26, 2010 at 2:28 pm
Thank you, Isa! I’m glad you were able to get in touch with David. I had to remove some of the information above because it wouldn’t be a good idea to divulge information on future publications. But, I will make a comment about it once it’s published. Thank you for the link!
December 16, 2010 at 3:26 am
I am very interested in learning to make sweaters and vests using the slip stitch patterns. Has David, or anyone, done any designing in this area? I am burned on making blankets an afghans…not interested in the “crafty” things…just garments and perhaps shawls and ponchos. I don’t like to knit..I always drop a stitch. The slip stitch crochet looks like knitting with the ease of crochet.
December 16, 2010 at 5:08 am
More slip stitch crochet for you:
http://www.anniesattic.com/detail.html?prod_id=77758
http://www.designingvashti.com/stitches/slip-stitches.html
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