The Knitters Thread

Churchmouse

Olliebeak, I think you're describing *Tunisian crochet* which I don't think was a k-tel invention, but a long established tradition:D

Olliebeak

Ooooooh you are right, Churchmouse! Thanks for that.

So sorry for the false info, pcg.

I wonder what sort of garments/items this craft is useful for - I just remember it being one of things that Mum had a go at but struggled with. It finished up behind 'the chair in the corner' for so many years that it got thrown out when she moved house in 1984!

Just had a google - lol - and found this:

http://www.nexstitch.com/v_Tutorials.html


Actually I rather like this site - never seen it before - thanks again Churchmouse. I'd never have found it if you hadn't mentioned Tunisian Crochet :T .

Churchmouse

Thanks for the link, Olliebeak!

I remember trying this and finding it terminally boring:rotfl: I really couldn't see how you could achieve anything much other than rectangles, so gave it up too.

bellaquidsin

new_mum_again wrote: »

Thankyou Whatatwit, I can't wait to finish it now!!! Just got 1 hole in it to sew up :rotfl: and it will be put away for my daughter for Christmas.
I'm upset I gave away all my mums wool and needles after she died now, she had quite a collection and enough wool to knit everyone in the world a jumper!!!, but at least now I can start my own collection, I've had a bit of a bad start to the year and find knitting very good for taking my mind off things as I have to concentrate, - Mum however could knit, talk, watch tv and do about 10 other things while knitting lol

You'll soon get the hang of it - just takes practice. At the moment I have my lap top on my lap and am knitting whilst reading these threads - it's great.

By the way, I was about 10 yards from the Queen when she visited a Sheffield football stadium to be 'viewed' by all the school children, sometime around 1954. She was driven round the pitch in a landrover and wore emerald green. We were both a good bit younger in those days.

Bella.

pcg2001

Olliebeak wrote: »

Not quite sure from your posting if you are wanting to get back into knitting or crochet, pcg. From your earlier postings, I gather that it's knitting.

Knitting needles don't have 'hooks' on the end of them but they do have a 'bobbly bump thing' on the other end. Crochet hooks obviously have a 'hook' bit - but are only a few inches long.


There was a craft that 'sort of got going in the early/mid 70's' that appeared to be a combination of the two - one of those darn 'K-tel' things, if I remember rightly! That consisted of a knitting needle with a hook on the end. It started off like a row of crochet, then you worked back along picking up every stitch to the other end of the row; then you worked back again taking each stitch off again. A bit like casting on and then casting off each row as you went. My mother had a go at it - but soon threw it away again. It was very difficult to do proper shaping for sleeves and necklines as everything appeared to be geared towards square shapes. May have been ok for dropped shoulders and slash necklines that became fashionable around that time!

Maybe this is what you remember from when you were younger .

Hi Olliebeak,

I mean Knitting. I remember I wasn't very good at it, but I was even worse at crochet!! I've just called my mum and she says her old knitting needles used to have the small hook at the end. I must have been around 8-10 at the time, so mid 80's, but in Portugal. I remember my mums magazines and books looked very 70's, and in fact I believe they were since they were translations from german originals. I later took up cross stitching and "arraiolos" (which is a portuguese type of rugs making usign needlework and a type of crossstitching - I googled it and it's called long-armed cross stitch. Here is a photo in case anyone is curious - the border is not typical and is quite ugly). Memory lane!!

Olliebeak and Churchmouse, I don't believe my mum was into Tunisian crochet, it was simply that the needle with hook was easier to use to pull the thread. When trying today, I kinda missed the hook, since mine are plastic needles.

Well back to my *cough* *cough* scarf!!

Churchmouse

Olliebeak wrote: »

I really struggled when I first tried to learn to crochet - and the biggest stumbling block for me was how to hold the yarn. After a few failed attempts, I devised a slightly different way of working that works well for me. Many people watch me crochet and ask me 'what the heck I'm doing' and are disbelieving when I say crocheting. Then I tell them to stand behind me and just watch! They have to agree that I am crocheting - just differently! I have now been crocheting for around 35 years, have made items for sale in shops, won prizes in craft shows - so my way does give good results.

I hold my work in my left hand; my hook in my right hand; and the yarn as if I'm knitting with my right hand. This way you are taking the yarn around the hook - instead of the 'proper way of hook around yarn'. I think that it works for me because I was knitting for a few years before starting to crochet and also because of a broken wrist as a child, I don't have a great deal of flexibility in my right wrist. Anyway, give it a go - you've nothing to lose and a host of garments as possibilities to make :j .

Good Luck :T

:T :j

Just reading back on the thread, and spotted this:D You are the only other person I've ever *met* who crochets just like me!!! I used to get so fed up with being told I was doing it *wrong*. I taught myself to crochet from the back of a knitting pattern:rotfl: Does anyone else remember how they'd have that tiny bit at the bottom of the back page?

Churchmouse

pcg2001 wrote: »

I later took up cross stitching and "arraiolos" (which is a portuguese type of rugs making usign needlework and a type of crossstitching - I googled it and it's called long-armed cross stitch. Here is a photo in case anyone is curious - the border is not typical and is quite ugly). Memory lane!!

:T :T I think that is lovely:D Not at all ugly

Olliebeak

Churchmouse wrote: »

:T :j

Just reading back on the thread, and spotted this:D You are the only other person I've ever *met* who crochets just like me!!! I used to get so fed up with being told I was doing it *wrong*. I taught myself to crochet from the back of a knitting pattern:rotfl: Does anyone else remember how they'd have that tiny bit at the bottom of the back page?

hehehe - exactly how I started! I still have some of those patterns with basic crochet instructions on the back - sometimes knitting was finished off with a little bit of crochet. I remember crocheting along the back seam of a sleeve to make an opening with a couple of loops so that buttons could be attached - made the garment easier to get over the head of a struggling toddler that didn't like tight necklines!

Ches

meanmarie wrote: »

Hev...I learnt to read by reading Woman's Weekly and also to follow a pattern...my mother bought it every week from the later 40s until she died in 1994, so we had many garments from the patterns which came every week....could never find the patterns though, as soon as my mother finished one she dumped the pattern, had no interest in knitting the same pattern twice.

Good luck with the knitting...started a hat with ear flaps last night for DD4 but it seems as if it might be too big, will have to do a bit more to check size.

Marie

I loved Womans Weekly dolls patterns. They were why I learned to knit at an early age. I seemed to remember some were for twin dolls (boy and girl) and some were for a Rosebud doll you could actually order from WW. I have looked for old copies of WW for years so I could make these for my GD's dolls but have had no success at all.

whatatwit

Ches, have you tried googling for the patterns? or ebay?