Like many of you, I have begun exploring a series of
Tunisian stitches I had never before believed existed. I played with the
Twisted Tunisian Simple Stitch when the Aubrey Jacket pattern arrived. The V
pattern formed by the stitches is an intriguing texture. Recently I have begun
hearing two questions about this classic jacket: where can I can I find a size
O (11 mm) hook, and why don't my stitches don't look the same as those in the jacket. So,
I am going to try to answer those questions.
1. Where can I find a size O (11 mm) hook?
An online search turned up handcrafted maple Tunisian hook
from Stitch Diva. When I contacted Tram Nguyen (the designer), she confirmed
that this was where she purchased her hook. It is a beautiful hook! But I
understand if the price point is unworkable for some of you.
So, I pulled out my Denise interchangeable crochet hooks. I
made swatches using both the N/15 (10 mm) and the 17 (12 mm) hooks. When
working this stitch, I crochet loosely so the N/15 (10 mm) hook gave me gauge. Especially
since this is a new technique for me, my work was very loose. So take a look at
your own stitch tension. Every person crochet differently, and you may need to
play to get tension anyway.
2. Why don't my stitches don't look the same as those in the jacket?
If you weren't able to create the "V" in your
stitches when working the Tunisian rib pattern, don't worry, you're probably
close. To work the Twisted Tunisian Simple Stitch, Tram rotated the hook
counterclockwise after inserting it from left to right behind the horizontal
bar of the next stitch. After a bit of research I discovered that many people
twist their hook clockwise. This produces an interestingly textured stitch but
when used in this pattern does not create a V. I took a couple of pictures and
attempted to draw on them to help illustrate this stitch.
Insert your hook from left to right behind the vertical bar
of the next stitch. Now rotate the handle of your crochet hook counterclockwise
(the direction the arrow is pointing; see above).
In this picture I partially withdrew the hook from the
stitch to make the angle of the stitch more visible. You can see that, now that
you have rotated the hook clockwise, the stitch you worked into slants to the
right (the black line illustrates the angle of the stitch before it was worked
into). Yarn over and pull up a hook like normal.
I worked the first part of this stitch in the Tunisian rib pattern
but rotated the hook the wrong directions when working the Twisted Tunisian
Simple Stitch (the black line separates the two ways of working the stitch). As
you can see, the V is not created when the stitch is worked this way. This may
be what you are getting.
The second half of the swatch is worked rotated the hook
clockwise. The V's are now prominently raised.
I hope I have been able to answer your questions. Remember,
if you are working on this, or any other projects, we would all love to see how
they are coming in the in progress gallery.