Tunisian Crochet does not seem to be very common
for sweaters. This is unfortunate because the fabric can be made
very quickly -faster, even, than crochet. There is, however, one
possible drawback. Some Tunisian Crochet stitches take more yarn
than crochet. On the bright side, the "flat rib" pattern is really
ALL BOY. It is the only crochet stitch-pattern I have found that
consistently gets the comment, "I could see a boy in that!" Of
course, the first question is always, "Is that knitted?"
Where do you find a pattern for a Tunisian Crochet Sweater? There
is an easy answer -make your own!
Start with an easy drop shoulder crew neck pullover. This has very
little shaping, and the neck opening is square.
Do a test swatch at least 6" square so you get a good feel for the
yarn, hook, and technique.
Now, "merely" substitute the new stitch gauge and pattern and work
to the dimensions of the pullover.
I started with a 26" finished chest crewneck pullover. This
means I need 13" for the front and the back. I used Red Heart
'Comfort' yarn on an 8 mm hook to get a soft fabric. For me, this
meant casting on 50 loops.
I did the body and sleeve ribbing with a 6 mm hook in Back Loop
Only Sc (24 rows for the sleeves then a foundation row of 34 sc
along the side of the ribbing before starting the pattern, and 42
rows of Back Loop Only Sc and a foundation row of 50 sc along the
side of the ribbing before starting the pattern.
This link gives a more complete explanation of Single Crochet Ribbing.
There are tutorials on the 'Net and some instructions in Crochet
books so I won't pursue that.
However, here are 3 stitch patterns that I find very
effective.
- TUNISIAN FLAT RIB -a real BOY stitch
- Multiple of 4 plus 2
- Forward half:2 Tunisian stockinette stitches, 2 purl stitches
-repeat to end of row and finish with 2 stockinette stitches.
Return row as for basic afghan stitch. Increases for the sleeve are
done on the forward part of every other row.
- MOSS STITCH -odd number of stitches. Use Basic Afghan
Stitch for the "knit" stitches.
- Row 1 -Knit 1, Purl 1, across the row ending with Knit 1.
- Row 2 -Purl 1, Knit 1, across the row ending with Purl 1.
- Repeat row 1 and 2 for pattern.
- DOUBLE MOSS STITCH -All instructions for Moss Stitch
apply but there are 4 rows to the pattern.
- Row 1 as for R.1 of Moss stitch
- Row 2 and 3 as for R.2 of Moss Stitch
- Row 4: repeat Row 1.
Check the
Handyman Page for instructions to make your own
flexible afghan hook and
straight hook using
materials found in most home workshops and the hardware or lumber
store.
Check the Tips/Techniques link in the "Crochet Directory" for
instructions for a quick and easy ribbing for Tunisian
Crochet Sweaters and some suggestions for starting to learn
Tunisian Crochet.
Check my Web Page Links for
Crochet Cabana and Cindy's Crochet Pages. They both
include excellent, clear, easy to follow, tutorials for Tunisian
Crochet (sometimes called afghan stitch).
(and an e-mail to say hi and thanks is always appreciated!)