Tunisian Crochet

 The concept of Tunisian Crochet sounds and looks kinda scary, not gonna lie. However, this is one of the simplest things you can do in crochet!

But this post isn't going to be a How To on this technique. It's basically just going to be an introduction and convince you to try it. Yay learning new things!

It's done with a straight hook that has some kind of stopper on the end so you don't lose all your stitches. Cause that would be very sad. It resembles knitting in a couple of ways. The stitches you pick up stay on your hook and there's a stitch called the Knit Stitch. And that's exactly what it looks like, a knit stitch from knitting. This can give your material a very nice drape if needed and it has a nice two way stretch. You will however have to get used to holding the hook over your stitches since they stay on the hook half the time.

Like every other hook, these come in all kinds of sizes and materials. There's straight, circular (has a cable connecting a hook on both ends), cabled and double ended. The picture below is of two standard straight hooks. Blue is metal and purple is plastic. These are two of the easiest to find Tunisian hooks and should be readily available at stores like Joann, Michael's or even Walmart.

YouTube has plenty of tutorials and I'm thinking of making one in the future. It's super easy to get the hang of and I hope you try it out in the new year!

My Current Project

 Ok, so here's the story of my massive undertaking. I found a box of my childhood books a couple weeks ago. It got me thinking of how important the library was to me growing up and how important it still is to me. Also how important it is to get kids to read. I have 3 local libraries to outfit!

This will be a set of Keifer, Torch and Celeste from OvertonFancies on Etsy for each libraries little kid section. I've been working on my first Keifer The Baby Dragon for about 6 days now and this is how far I've gotten. I've had to use vet wrap on my fingers to keep from getting blisters, this is a heavy project! I'm having so much fun though. He started out as a giant mutant pickle. And the front paws are bigger than my hands!

 

 

 

Sale Post

 I think I'll make this my little perma-sale post. Whatever I make to sell will be put here and I can share the link in my nail chip or Facebook groups or something. 

Right now, I'm working on a sapphire blue cross body dragon bag. Stay tuned!

New Year, New....Stuff?

 I think I'm going to try out selling some things this year. I'm not trying to support myself with my crochet but maybe I can make some extra money for fun stuff like vacations.

It's so hard to make any significant money from a craft. People just don't want to pay for your skill and time, let alone even covering your supplies. What I plan to do is make what I want to make and not what's "popular" right now and put it up. If it sells it sells, if not I can give the items to shelters or first responders. Not needing to make money off crochet allows me the luxury of doing what I want when I want and not taking a hit if it doesn't sell. 

I am waffling on where to sell though. I'll put a perma-post here on my blog to link to but other than that I have no idea. eBay is a no-go for handmade items, I'll just lost on Etsy and Mercari wants 30%+. I also have no idea how to get a booth at a craft fair. These are all things I'm going to look into this year.

Seems a bit ambitious but we'll see what happens. 

Here's to a new year! May all your yarny dreams be achieved!

Let's Try This Again

 I'm baaaaaaack!

 

I'm going to try to keep up my blog and maybe sell a few things! Instead of trying to review a bunch of things, I'm going to post projects, progress and things that strike me as worth my time here.

 

There will be reviews of items but let's face it, I'm not good at that. I feel like I can't really tell you how you are going to like something. I can give general ideas though. Maybe I'll do a few "How Tos" on stitches, that might help.

I Don't Get It (Pet Peeve)!!

Having been a member of Ravelry for years, I noticed something I don't like. Swap groups that claim to be active but are really ghost towns. A lot of the time it's the owner that doesn't keep up with listing the swaps but it's also that no one wants to do it.

I really don't get why people sign up for a swap group and then never participate. I belong to several and participate in every one of them (that are still active). Not every one every month, but enough to keep active in the groups. Mostly what I see from other members of the groups is how they would love to but can't. And while I understand it can be tough, especially if you're like me and joined several groups, do one a year, geez.

In most of the groups I'm in there are only about 4 people each who say yes in any given month. The groups have 200 members but only 4 ever do anything? All the others are quick to say they'll pass though, so you know they read the posts.

If I ever get around to it and get approved to start my own swap group, I'm kicking out "members" who never participate.

I'm Just Getting Started, What Do I Do?

If you're just getting started, the hardest thing you're going to have to learn is how to hold your hook and yarn. There is no right or wrong way to hold them. If someone tells you otherwise, they're lying.

My advice to you would be to get a skein of yarn and an I (5.5MM) or J (6MM) hook. Watch some Youtube videos on how to make a slipknot and chain. Then just chain. Chain the whole skein if you have to. Get comfortable with holding everything and the movements to make the stitch.

A lot of times the foundation chain can be the hardest part of starting a project, so you want to be comfortable with it. If you find your starting chain is smaller than the rows you crochet into it, try using a larger hook to make the chain, then switch back to the hook you need.

If you have any tips to add, please comment!