Day 24: A Tour Through Crochet Country

Note: This is really Day 25, but I posted early and got my days mixed up. Pay no attention to the woman behind the curtain!

If you’ve been following “A Tour Through Crochet Country”, welcome to Day 24! If not, jump over to this link here and you’ll see all the links to all the wonderful posts in celebration of crochet during National Crochet Month. This event was organized by Amy and Donna of Crochetville and it’s been such a success. Next year’s event is already being planned.

All blog participants are Associate or Professional members of the Crochet Guild of America (CGOA). I am a member of the CGOA and I have been for a very long time. There are a lot of fun benefits to being a member of the guild, but I have to admit that I am a member mostly because I like the idea of there being a guild for my favorite activity. I like the idea of a guild devoted to the furtherance of crochet. I like that there are so many members who, like me, love all things crochet and there are opportunities to meet so many people of like minds, altogether in one place. And, just recently, I’ve been helping even more by becoming the editor of the member-only newsletter, Chain Link. CGOA means a lot to me and has done so much for so many. I wanted to give something back.

As a group, the participating designers selected a very special charity to support this month: Project Night Night, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that provides over 25,000 Night Night Packages each year to homeless children. Each package consists of a new sturdy tote bag with a new security blanket, an age-appropriate children’s book, and a stuffed animal. These comfort objects help to reduce the trauma of homelessness for the children served by Project Night Night. Both the handmade blankets and stuffed animals provide the children with objects of love and security. Please click here to find out how you can help.

Tunisian Mock Cable Scarf

In honor of this event, I am introducing a new project video. The project is a free pattern, originally seen in the third season of Knit and Crochet Now!, a PBS television program owned by Annie’s. The free pattern for the Tunisian Crochet Mock Cable Scarf is available on the website here. And, here is my own video to accompany this project. This scarf is made in two colors of Berroco Vintage Chunky, a wonderful yarn and I love all weights of Berroco Vintage. If you follow me on Facebook, you may already know about my love of this yarn.

This is a unique Tunisian crochet project. Because it is made in narrow Tunisian join-as-you-go strips, you won’t need a long Tunisian hook (afghan hook). You can use a standard hook throughout. This is your chance to learn to do Tunisian crochet with a fun project. Then once you are “hooked”, you’ll certainly want a copy of my latest book, Tunisian Crochet Stitch Guide.

And, here’s your chance for a signed copy of the book!

To be entered into a drawing for a signed copy of my book, please browse my Portfolio on Ravelry and post a comment below about the design you would like to try. That’s it. That’s the only rule. Just a comment about your favorite design.

On April 5, a name will be randomly drawn and I will email that person (so it would really be helpful if you included your email address). And, should your name be drawn, please do not take offense to my requesting your mailing address. If you don’t want to give me your address, please don’t enter, k?

ETA: Although I appreciate the lovely comments made on the Ravelry pattern database pages, in order to be entered into the drawing, please comment below. This is where the random generator will take the numbers for the drawing.

ETA2: Thank you to everyone participating! A name has been chosen by the random generator. Regina, I will send you an email for further information. Congratulations!

Short Rows, You Say?

A couple of days’ ago, I posted about one of my new books, just released by Leisure Arts, Short Row Tunisian Fashion.

This new book is available in hard copy here and in e-book download here.

Yesterday, the question was brought up in the Tunisian Crochet YahooGroup. What is a short row?

In this instance, the use of “short rows” is a technique. It is a shaping technique, most commonly seen and discussed around the subject of bust shaping of garments. But, the short row technique can also be used in other applications.

Here are the “bare bones” of it. You start making a row as usual. On the next row, you stop slightly before reaching the end of the row. On each subsequent row, you stop short of the end. With each subsequent row, the stitch number decreases. This produces a triangle, or wedge. You can see the wedges clearly in the cover shot of the scarf above.

I love using short rows. Working one wedge at a time makes the project move quickly. I never get bored because each row is different and it gives me a feeling of accomplishment as the rows get shorter and shorter. Here are a few of my short row projects.

The Sapphire Wrap from Short Row Tunisian Fashion uses short rows to create a long crescent shape in this shawl.

The ever popular Geo Scarf, available here, is made in short rows which is lovely with a self-striping yarn.

The Crescent Bag, available here, is made of short row wedges then felted.

This is the Swirls Baby Afghan, from Learn to Do Tunisian Lace Stitches, my book which includes the interactive DVD.

Short rows can also be used to shape garments as seen in the Puff Sleeve Cardigan and Riding Cape from Short Row Tunisian Fashion.

According to my search on Ravelry, it looks like I have close to 20 designs which use the short row technique. You can tell it’s definitely a favorite of mine.

How Do You Like To Learn?

Learn Tunisian Crochet from Books

I’ve noticed a lot of emails and posts about people wanting to learn Tunisian crochet in the new year. How would you like to learn? No matter how you’d like to learn, I’ve got you covered.

If you like a more traditional style of learning from books, I’ve got four great books that can take you from the beginner level through the more intermediate level.

The Ultimate Beginner’s Guide to Tunisian Crochet takes you through all the common stitches and then you progress to higher levels with projects sorted in order of learning. You can learn all those little extras like how to seam, how to change colors and more.

Learn to Do Tunisian Lace Stitches first takes you through all the basic stitches then combines them to make lace stitch patterns. Practice the stitches with some beautiful lace projects. And, it comes with a DVD which you can pop into your computer or DVD player so that you get one-on-one video lessons on all the stitches and complete videos of the lace stitch patterns.

Tunisian Cables to Crochet is a step-by-step guide on learning to make beautiful cables that look like hand-knit and can be made in 1/3 the time of hand-knit projects. Although I knit as well, when it comes to gift-giving crunch time, I would rather pick a Tunisian cabled project over a hand-knit project.

Lastly, a stitch dictionary. Tunisian Crochet Stitch Guide is a new, one-of-a-kind stitch dictionary which includes many never-before-seen stitch patterns. Just flipping through the book, you will see its uniqueness in the pineapple stitch patterns you can create with Tunisian crochet, something that I’ve read cannot be done. I apparently have a problem with being told I can’t do something! ha! This book is scheduled for release in March, but is available for pre-order now.

Read more about all of these books on my Amazon author page here.

Learn Tunisian Crochet from Online Video Classes

Now, if you like to learn from classes, but you’re unable to attend one of my live classes, how about a video class? I have two fabulous online classes at Annie’s. And, with online classes, you can watch the videos over and over, as many times as you would like. And, there are wonderful patterns to go with them!

Hard to believe that you can get this fabulous hat from a beginner class, right? But, it’s true! Read more about my online Annie’s classes here. I have two classes at Annie’s. One is a beginner level with 4 great projects. The second expands upon that knowledge with cables and lace. Here is the lovely cabled project. I enjoyed this project so much that I couldn’t make a firm decision with what project I wanted to do. So, I’ve included instructions for making a scarf, shawl, baby blanket, wrap AND and throw.

With so many Tunisian crochet patterns now available, now is the perfect time to learn. If you’re still unsure about Tunisian crochet, browse my Pinterest page here with some Tunisian crochet eye candy. And, if you need some research on the hooks, have a look at my Hooks page here. Enjoy!

New Tunisian Crochet Stitch Pattern Book

Yes, I have been clicking on Amazon and checking the book listings every Monday night for as long as I can remember in order to get a first glimpse at one of the two books which will soon be available. And, this Monday night, I finally hit the jackpot!

This book is tremendously exciting for me. I’ve never done a stitch pattern book before. But, I was so excited about it that I couldn’t resist. As many of you know, in a Getting Loopy interview with MaryBeth Temple, when asked about stitch pattern books available in the United States, I told the world on live radio to just give me a chance; I have Tunisian crochet stitch patterns falling out of my ears. Leisure Arts must have heard that and this book was born.

I’m a bit timid to say the exact number of stitch patterns in the book without seeing it first. There’s always the possibility that something could have been dropped due to publishing. So, I will wait until later to give you more specific information. Some of the book covers classic Tunisian crochet stitch patterns. But most of them are straight out of my head. All new stitch patterns, most never-before-seen. I say “most” because, although they came out of my head, it’s always possible that they could have come out of someone else’s head at some other time as well. You just never know. But, I can safely say that I created almost every stitch pattern in the book. It’s not a compilation of stitch patterns which I pooled together from other sources. It’s all me. And, seriously, if you were to see only the pineapple stitch patterns in Tunisian crochet, it will leave you with no doubt that this is something very new to the Tunisian crochet world.

I have written about a dozen books on Tunisian crochet over my career and this is the biggest and best accomplishment for me. I’m so excited about it and I can’t wait until it’s available. But, wait, we must do. The book, although listed on Amazon here, will not be available until March 2013. Yes, yes, I know. Three months is a long time. But, don’t forget! I’ve been waiting since 2011. ha! Three months doesn’t sound as long now, does it?

For those of you asking about e-reader availability, it is still too early for me to know whether the book will be available for e-readers. Chances are good since the last book with this publisher is available in that format. But, it’s simply too early to be certain.

I recently wrote a post on Ravelry about my love for Tunisian crochet and I want to share it here with you here because it’s so appropriate to the introduction of this book.

I am having a love affair with Tunisian crochet. But, my love affair isn’t a short one. It’s not at all a flighty affair. I’ve been writing books on Tunisian crochet since 1998. I’ve got 11 books so far, in amongst the others in regular crochet.

The current trend toward Tunisian crochet is a direct result of tool manufacture. When I first started, we had only the 14” regular afghan hook. With the manufacture of different hooks in all different materials and even interchangeable hooks, the craft has grown by leaps and bounds over the last 5 years. (Be sure to check my Tunisian crochet pages here to research the advances made in Tunisian crochet hooks.)

This has always happened in our crafting history. If there are no readily-available tools, there are no designs. You can directly map out the transitions in crafting solely due to the availability of tools.

I remember specifically looking at a Crochet Fantasy magazine and seeing a few extraordinary pieces. But, I was so disappointed when I read the materials list and saw that it included the long afghan hook. I was scared of it. I thought I would have to learn something new. But, those projects always crept into my mind and I yearned for the knowledge of it. I was just scared.

Then, in 1998, I was given some swivel hooks by Annie’s Attic and I was asked to design with them. I was forced to sit down and learn. Imagine my surprise when I discovered that it was so easy! Naturally, because I am me, I stuck with Tunisian crochet instead of double-ended which they requested. But, it was all good. I sold three books in one sit-down meeting.

Since then, I’ve worked and worked on Tunisian crochet along with my regular crochet. I love its versatility. I love that I can use yarns that don’t always work in regular crochet. I love that it’s such a baby and hasn’t been fully explored. I love that stitch patterns just fall out of my ears. I don’t need stitch pattern books for it. I create the stitch patterns myself. I create so many stitch patterns in Tunisian that I even wrote an entire book on stitch patterns alone. Not stitch patterns copied from another book and re-written and re-charted. Stitch patterns right out of my head.

What do I like most about Tunisian crochet? I can get the look of regular crochet, hand-knitting or woven. I can get all those things out of it. I don’t consider Tunisian crochet to be an evil step-child of the crafts, or someone’s attempt to get the look of knitting from regular crochet. I don’t consider it the worst of both crafts together in one. On the contrary, I think it’s the perfect craft. One craft can look like all those three crafts and more. It can look like hairpin lace, broomstick lace, macrame. If I were to choose only one craft, it would certainly be Tunisian.

TCAL: Tunisian Cabled Mitts Starts November 15

I will be hosting a crochet-along for the Tunisian Cabled Fingerless Mitts shown above in my YahooGroup here, beginning November 15. These are cute little gifts, just in time for the holiday season. Read more about fingerless mitts here.

You will need to purchase the book, if you haven’t already, in order to participate in this crochet-along. The Ultimate Beginner’s Guide to Tunisian Crochet, published by Leisure Arts, can be purchased by hard copy here or by e-book download here. It is also available at off-line shops and other online vendors, if you prefer not to purchase directly from the publisher.

I have created the following YouTube video for purposes of this crochet-along:

Other videos which you may need are:

Foundation Row
Tunisian Knit Stitch
Binding Off

See you there!

Tunisian Crochet Meets Laceweight

Tunisian crochet has that very popular myth attached that says that all projects created are stiff and dense and like a bullet-proof vest. Surely you can’t create something soft and airy and light, right? Welcome to Tunisian crochet and yummy laceweight yarn.

How about a lightweight vest made in JaggerSpun Zephyr. This cute little vest weighs only three ounces. I don’t think you can get much lighter than that. The design is available in my new book Ultimate Beginners Guide to Tunisian Crochet in both hard copy here and PDF download here.

Mariposa, available exclusively from Kimane Designs here, is one of those amazingly wonderful and unusual shawls that you don’t often see. You see triangle, rectangle and square shawls. And, more recently, crescent-shaped shawls. But, one shaped like the wings of a butterfly? Extraordinary! Another lovely example of Tunisian crochet in laceweight, using Ivy Brambles Romantica.

I really like unusual shawl shapes and this one is no different. It’s a triangle, but it’s not a right angle triangle. It’s more like a l-o-n-g rectangle. It gives you an opportunity to wear it in all manner of different stylings and is such a nice lightweight accessory, made in the Plymouth Baby Alpaca Lace. This design is one of the designs available in my class at Annie’s Online Classes here.

Don’t ever be shy about busting myths! With the evolution of Tunisian crochet, you never know what wonderful discovery may be right around the corner!

New Crochet-Along: Tunisian Cabled Mitts

I will be hosting a crochet-along for the Tunisian Cabled Fingerless Mitts shown above in my YahooGroup here, beginning November 15. These are cute little gifts, just in time for the holiday season. Read more about fingerless mitts here.

You will need to purchase the book, if you haven’t already, in order to participate in this crochet-along. The Ultimate Beginner’s Guide to Tunisian Crochet, published by Leisure Arts, can be purchased by hard copy here or by e-book download here. It is also available at off-line shops and other online vendors, if you prefer not to purchase directly from the publisher.

Please feel free to join the YahooGroup anytime. We are currently in the middle of the crochet-along for the Cape Sleeved Cardi. So, if you like, you can join and change your mail to a “no mail” setting until the start of the new crochet-along. Then, you can change it to mail later.

I hope to see you there!

Join Me in New Braunfels!

Since I’ve signed up for the Lucky Ewe newsletter, I received the announcement in an email tonight that I’ll be there on November 3.

Check out the Lucky Ewe website here for address, phone number and email. Be sure to reserve your spot by calling or emailing. More details to come, but for now, let’s just say book signings, Tunisian crochet demonstrations, trunk shows! Oh, my!

Kenzie Cowl

The Kenzie cowl available here showcases two different weights and types of yarns for a truly unique look. It introduces the use of a double-ended hook to learn Tunisian crochet in-the-round in a spiraling technique. It is worked in continuous rounds and there are no seams.

The unique look is made using Blue Sky Alpaca’s Alpaca Silk (292 yards required) and Rowan Kidsilk Haze Stripe (330 yards required). Size L-11 (8mm) double-ended Tunisian afghan hook used. Finished size is 12″ x 40″ circumference. Finished piece is very stretchy and will accommodate sizes small-large. Differences in gauge or yarn may not produce the same stretchiness which may require more yarn and/or adjustments to the starting chain. Adjustments for size can be made by increasing starting chain length and will require additional yarn.

This pattern was previously available only in an online class. The class includes: 2 PDFs, 3 12-minute videos and live help during the pendency of the class (1 week). Due to popular demand, I am also making the individual pattern available. The other class materials are not included.

Next Stop, New Braunfels Texas!

During the weekend of November 3, I’ll be in that very special spot in Texas called New Braunfels. I’ll be at the Lucky Ewe Yarn Shop.

We are in the planning stages, but the date is officially set and I’ll be flying into Texas for a weekend of crocheterly fun. We’re considering a book signing, a book discussion, a Tunisian crochet demonstration, a trunk show and one or two classes. It will be so much fun!

And, to top it off, you could actually make an entire weekend of the event, just like I intend to do (except I plan on a 4-day weekend, but who’s counting? LOL). The New Braunfels Wurstfest is at the same time! How exciting is that?

And, here’s the thing, you could make it a family weekend! Those crocheterly types can be at Lucky Ewe Yarns for a day of crochet fun while the rest of the family can enjoy Wurstfest. Seriously, can you get better than that?

Mark the date! November 3! And, stay tuned for further information.

Why So Much Tunisian Crochet Lately?

I’ve been designing in Tunisian crochet since I first learned my first foundation row in 1998 or so. And, I’ve written about a dozen books on Tunisian crochet in that time. I’ve had two books published this year and, in just a couple of months, I’ll have two more. So, why this amazing resurgence of Tunisian crochet? It’s been around for over a century, but only now are we seeing a tremendous number of patterns. Check out my Pinterest page for the recent patterns I’ve seen on the internet.

When I first started creating projects in Tunisian crochet, I was very limited. There weren’t sufficient tools available. We don’t get patterns if the designers don’t have sufficient tools available to design and write patterns. No one will publish patterns if the customers can’t buy the hooks.

But, now? Now, we have so many choices. There are manufacturers of hooks. There are individuals making custom hooks. There are even several manufacturers making interchangeable hooks. There are Denise hooks, Dreamz hooks, Tulip hooks. There are hooks in abundance, everywhere I look on the internet. There are bamboo hooks, there are dyed hooks, there are metal hooks, there are acrylic hooks.

We can’t have patterns without proper tools for a craft. But, now that we have those hooks available, there is really no telling where this craft will go and I love seeing its entire evolution process as it transitions from the stiff, dense blankets of the past to the lovely garments and accessories of the present.

To learn more about this design, click here.

Book Confessions

For those of you who follow me around the internet (I really get around!), you may have read what I’ve said in the past about taking photos of your work. If you’re feeling critical about your work, before ripping it out, take a photo first. For some reason, this seems to give you a new perspective on your project and sometimes it convinces you that you have perhaps been too critical.

The same thing goes for color work. If you’re not really loving the colors you’ve chosen, taking a photo and viewing it on your computer screen could give you an entirely new perspective.

So, now for the confession. I hated this project. Not the making. I loved making it. I can hardly believe that I’m about to divulge to you that I thought it was ugly. I almost didn’t send it in with the rest of the book.

But, if I hadn’t, I wouldn’t have seen this:

You see what I’m seeing, right? It’s positively stunning! It’s now my favorite project from the entire book. It was chosen as the cover, for goodness’ sakes! This project is going to be very difficult for me to top in future publications. Truly amazing with three different kinds of cables. My mouth dropped when I saw it in print the first time.

And, here’s the proof of there being something about seeing a photo and changing your mind. If I had decided not to send it in with the other projects, I never would have known the true beauty of this piece.

This project is the Limerick Wrap from my new book, Tunisian Cables to Crochet, currently available in hard copy and PDF download here.

Cape Sleeved Cardi: Linked Double Treble

This will be my final post of the day regarding the Cape Sleeved Cardi. This is a free pattern, available from Caron yarns here. It has sparked a lot of interest and we are currently doing a crochet-along in my crochet-along group because it’s been so popular.

Unfortunately, in the past three weeks, there has been a YouTube video (which is now a series of 3 videos) and I was unaware of it (them). Yolanda has gone to a lot of work to make the entire garment on video. I respect that level of dedication and appreciate that she likes my design well enough to do something that labor intensive. However, without my knowledge of the videos, I was bombarded by emails for the last three weeks which made absolutely no sense to me. Communications were necessary, back and forth, between people who were experiencing trouble with the pattern and I couldn’t figure out why.

If I had known about these videos, I could have handled this from the very beginning. I would have known what these people were talking about and I would have been able to answer their questions much more quickly. But, instead, I have been receiving huge numbers of emails which have required enormous amounts of time. It’s kept me from my work, from my sleep and from my life.

What Yolanda has done is actually one of the beautiful things about the internet. Imagine someone doing an entire garment right before your very eyes. No more questions! But, alas, parts of her video are completely incorrect and therein lies the problems I’ve been facing.

Now that I’ve discovered what has been going on, I’ve decided to make a video about linked stitches. This video starts off with an explanation about linked stitches. Then it moves on to a demonstration of the linked double treble which is used in the Cape Sleeved Cardi. I intend to make videos of all the linked stitches in my swatch in the video, but I wanted to get this one up for you immediately.

I have also included a presentation of linked stitches at the beginning. If you prefer to jump directly to the linked double treble instruction, it is approximately at mile marker 7. Note that the actual video is in HD. If it’s too far over to the left because I couldn’t find the center this first time of using this camera, please click the YouTube link to view it there. And, the video is currently jumping all over the place. I think it’s because something has been “fixed” by YouTube. I will try to get the original back and, if I’m unsuccessful, I will upload it again. It’s all a learning experience as I try to use a different camera.

Please feel free to use Yolanda’s videos (except that it seems that the videos are not currently available as of the time of this posting which is going to make the rest of my blog post moot, but I’ll post it anyway just in case the videos come back up). Perhaps she will post them again at some point. Click here for her YouTube channel. There is a lot of useful information in the videos. But, realize that the yarn used is not the recommended yarn and is in an entirely different weight category. Without changing the hook size and adjusting the pattern, you will end with a very bulky, stiff garment.

Also, the stitch she is demonstrating is a linked treble, not a linked double treble. You may think there isn’t that much of a difference. But, it’s the difference between a pattern saying to use a double crochet and you use a single crochet instead. That is a lot of height difference once you’ve repeated it 10 times.

And, on a more cosmetic level, the insertion points Yolanda has used for her linked treble are not the same I used for the pattern. Again, this is purely cosmetic and only affects the actual look of the linked stitch.

All of these items are in the pattern itself. Please read through your pattern. You should be able to discover the inaccuracies and fix them. The instructions in the pattern were not followed for these videos. Some things were simply made up without trying to figure it out first. Other things are spot on.

I apologize that some of you may have been working on this cardigan pattern and have suddenly run into problems which require ripping out. But, this is what happens on the internet. You should not always trust every resource available. And, YouTube is a perfect example of inaccuracies. It would be impossible for me to somehow monitor the internet so that I can find instances where people are giving bad advice on my designs and patterns. Thankfully, I have now discovered it and can respond to questions easier and quicker now.

I really think this is such a cute design. And, it’s really easy and quick once you get the hang of working in linked stitches. I encourage you to give it a try. Be sure to review and practice the stitch, using my video. Use Yolanda’s videos for other elements. And, feel free to join my crochet-along. There is also a wee bit of errata which you should review as well.

Please be aware that it’s possible that Caron yarns may request that the inaccurate videos be removed. There is a slight issue of a copyright violation, although it’s kind of a gray area whether or not someone can demo a free pattern without permission. But, more significantly, Caron paid for the pattern, yarn, completed garment, photography, modeling, makeup, styling, tech editor, layout and web design. All that to give you a free pattern for your use. Demo-ing an entire garment pattern owned by Caron with a competitor’s yarn would be, at minimum, a faux pas.

All in all, I feel like a mountain has been created out of a mole hill. But, hopefully this blog post will resolve all issues. This cute little design shouldn’t have ever caused these kinds of problems. But, I can only hope that now that you’ve found me, the designer and pattern writer, you can go forth and conquer this design without further issues.

Tunisian Crochet, How Do I Love Thee?

Tunisian crochet, how do I love thee? Let me count the ways….

1. Tunisian crochet is quick and easy to learn. Even someone with no crocheting experience can pick it up in as little as 15 minutes.

2. Tunisian crochet can look like crochet, knitting or even weaving; all with ONE hook!

3. Tunisian crochet can easily be made into a firm fabric for some applications or a soft, drapey fabric for elegant lace.

4. You can work flat, in-the-round and even in a join-as-you-go method.

5. You can create projects that look like knit in far less time.

6. It’s truly the best medium if you like felted projects. And, felted projects are perfect for beginners because it hides any inconsistencies in gauge.

Intrigued yet? Click on my recent blog post here to see the online classes I have available and you could be on your way to making a Tunisian crochet project right now. Today!

I Felt Tunisian

Felting. I love it! Have you heard of it? If there’s one thing I’ve noticed about felting it’s that it strikes fear in some people. People who have unintentionally shrunken clothing items in the wash are a bit timid about the idea of intentionally shrinking something.

This is the Felted Duffel from my book, The Ultimate Beginner’s Guide to Tunisian Crochet.

My experience with felting is that Tunisian crochet is the best possible medium for the intentional shrinkage. I’ve tried knitting and I’ve tried traditional crochet. But, Tunisian crochet produces by far the superior product for me. I love the way it looks and I can achieve things with it that I won’t find anywhere else.

You can felt items by hand, in your kitchen sink or bathtub. Or, you can felt them in your machine. Either way produces a wonderful end product. And, here’s the kicker. Felting hides any inconsistencies in tension. It’s perfect for a newbie who may have a few “highs and lows” in their work in the beginning. Everything felts down to the size of the yarn itself. And, guess what? No matter what your skill level, you end with a project that looks incredibly professional. Yes, even a newbie to Tunisian can produce results which look better than store-bought.

I added a felted project to my Learn to Tunisian Crochet class with Annie’s Online Classes. With this rolled brim hat from my class, imagine the thrill of making something that looks that good as someone just learning the craft! When you take my Learn to Tunisian Crochet class, I wanted to ensure that you could make something in which you could be proud, even as a newbie. And, I think this one really fits the bill.

Like I said, you can felt by hand or machine. Both the book and the class teach you how to go about the felting. And, seriously, it’s easy. If you can do it unintentionally, you can do it with purpose as well! And, just look at what you can get when you finish!

My favorite yarn to use for a felted project is Cascade 220 by Cascade Yarns. It felts like a dream and is reasonably priced. And, it comes in bucket loads of colors! Take a look at this Tunisian Crescent Bag I made in a gorgeous aqua. There is a veritable plethora of colors available!

It’s high time you started felting your projects, don’t you think? And, if you’re suffering from seasonal allergies, might I suggest that you felt by hand. The steam from the hot water may just help open up your sinuses. Ask me how I know.