More Tunisian Crochet Phone Cases

Birthday season is finally over in our household. It gets kicked off right after Christmas with my son’s birthday, followed by my husbands birthday. Then immediately after (now February) by my birthday, and lastly, my daughter’s birthday a week later. This year, we had a party for my daughter and celebrated with friends and family. This is where I gave away the tunisian roses case to my sis-in-law.

My other friend had requested a phone case as well, so I modified a different tunisian crochet case I already had. I was going to make her a new one, but she liked that one, so I fixed it for her by adding more rows so it would fit her phone.

My sister saw that I was handing out phone cases and wanted one too. She liked the stitch on the tunisian one, so I worked on hers during the gathering. I finished just before she left.

Tunisian crochet simple stitch phone case

My other sister didn’t want to be left out so she picked out some yarn and I promised to make her a case.

Finished after the party using Tunisian knit stitch.

I started it before the party was over and my other sister (yep, the one who got one already) liked the new stitch and wanted another one. She told me to pick some nice colors and make her another one. We settled on purple and whatever looked good with purple.

Made after, after the party using Tunisian knit stitch.

It was a busy night (and next couple of days) but I always feel good when I make something useful for my family.

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Tunisian Crochet Dolls

I love doing Tunisian crochet. I fell in love with it when I was trying to follow a pattern for a cell phone case. It said crochet but it looked like knitting. I was intrigued enough to look into it for several reasons. One, I wanted to make that phone case and two, I didn’t like knitting but liked the look of knitting. So I could pretend to knit while crocheting? I definitely needed to do that.

So after I learned how to do it and finished my phone case, I was hooked. It became a permanent part of my repertoire. But I like making dolls and I had to figure out how to make them using this method. I didn’t know at the time you could do Tunisian crochet in the round so I looked at it as cloth and what shapes I would need in order to sew them together to make a doll. I got to work and created these dolls.

I used Tunisian Knit stitch on this one. The top of her dress was Tunisian simple stitch. My hubby said she looked like a peanut.

I used Tunisian simple stitch to make this one. My son said she looked like a Nutter Butter cookie before I put clothes on her. 

Freebie Friday – Tunisian Crochet Phone Case

I haven’t done a Freebie Friday in a while, mainly because I haven’t had as much time to dig around the internet for cool patterns (or write up my own). But since I was tasked (forced) to make something for CYC course, it seemed like a no brainer to share it. Ok, no one tasked (forced) me. Making your own pattern was optional, but since I went ahead and wrote up my own pattern, here it is. 🙂

Tunisian crochet mobile-phone case

Tunisian Crochet Cell Phone Case

I’m trying to come up with items for our ultimate-prize-box at work. I already have a few items in there but I need more. I recently asked the kids for ideas on things they’d like to see in there and the answers I got ranged from the doable to the impossible. I heard ’emoji’ this or that a lot. Surprisingly, they say they want items that represent our program. The name of our after-school program is World Academy and our logo features the world. We brainstormed about bracelets, jewelry, hats, bags, and cases with our logo.

So in that spirit, I decided to make a cell-phone case using our colors and a depiction of the world in cross-stitch.

Loosely based on our logo. Very Loosely!

Tunisian crochet lends itself well to cross-stitch so I went with that. The kids were fascinated when they saw me cross-stitching on the case and almost all of them were excited it was going into the box. But the more I look at it, the more I want to keep it to represent! I guess I’ll just have to make another one for me. 🙂

I’m thinking I should make some type of yarn/hook/accessory carry bags/cases for those students who have gotten really good at crocheting. I think they would love to have something to carry their stuff around and having it in our colors would be an added bonus. I’m starting to get excited here.When I presented the idea to one of my 4th grade girls, she sat down right in front of me and said we needed to talk about design ideas. We didn’t have much time so we’ll have to do it later. She also asked if I could get it done by the time she reached the ultimate prize box. She’s reaching that milestone pretty fast. I don’t know if I can! The pressure! Sure I can. I got this. 🙂 I think I’ll have to have a brainstorm session soon with my ‘master’ crocheters on designing something that would work. It always makes them feel good when I take their input and they often surprise me with their ideas. Can’t wait to get started!

Craft Yarn Council Teacher Certification Level 2 Passed!

It took a while but I finally received my pin and certificate for level 1. I had already sent in my level two swathes and was waiting to hear about my exit call for level 2 to go over my work. This time around, I didn’t pass right away. Overall, my master teacher had good things to say. She commented on how good my weaving in of the tails was. I was glad because I was a bit obsessive about it. She said it was obvious I loved tunisian crochet because that swatch was great and my lesson plans were based around a tunisian crochet phone case of my own design that she liked.

She asked if I published my designs and I replied that I don’t. She said I should publish my tunisian designs. Was that my heart skipping a beat? I think it was. I was floating.

Then came the crash to earth. She said most of my swatches were excellent but she did have a few comments about some of them.

Tunisian Swatch – CYC Level 2

I was diligently working on my swatch of Tunisian crochet for level two (Craft Yarn Council teacher certification). It wasn’t hard. I know how to do Tunisian crochet. I LOVE Tunisian crochet. Then why did it take me so many tries to get it right?! The square itself was easy enough. I had that down and had my perfect five inch square. The trouble was the second part of the the instructions. I needed to cross-stitch my initial on the square. Again, I know how to cross-stitch on Tunisian crochet.

The problem was trying to do it the way they had it in the manual. Personally, I like going from the back to the front of the fabric but the instructions had you doing it under the loops or something. I’d seen this before and always just did it my way. So I needed to practice. Luckily, I had a reject square that didn’t come out the right size the first time around.

First, I had to decide on the shape and size my initial would be and then I had to practice it their way. I’m not sure why, but I ended up with a huge ‘Y’. It didn’t say the letter had to be big but I went BIG. I practiced the cross-stitching and placement on that reject square. I undid the cross stitch a few times but I was finally satisfied and was ready to do the cross stitching on my good square. The size was good and the stitches looked good and I had the cross-stitch down and then I noticed it was off-center! 

Crochet Hook Cases and Holders

Today  I wanted to share my favorite hook cases that are stashed all around my house. I have them in craft bags, in nooks and crannies, and who knows where else. I say ‘my favorite’ because I have more hidden around somewhere, but those are empty and got set aside for some reason or another.

So this first one is THE favorite. It holds everything I need in one easy and convenient place. I initially made this one at my daughter’s request. She wanted something she could store her pen’s and a sketchbook all together. I made it to her specifications and then she decided the sketchbook was bigger than what she told me so I repurposed it for my own use as a hook case. It ended up being my favorite one. It holds my hooks easily and the pouch holds my gauge tool and measuring tape and anything else that’s an awkward size.

I love the star stitch so I led with that.

Everything fits!

See that pouch? It’s holding my case of steel hooks, which I never use because I don’t often do thread crochet. Come to think of it, why am I lugging that around?

Crochet Fail – Bavarian Sweater/Coat

I normally have no qualms about ripping back work when it isn’t right, but this time, this time, I have a lot of qualms about it. I had set aside my Bavarian square sweater in lieu of other projects. Why? Because it got hot! Who needs a thick and cozy sweater when it’s bloody hot outside! Plus, I couldn’t figure out what to do with the sleeves, so it was easily abandoned.

All my other projects are complete and there aren’t any crochet fires I need to put out, sooo… I picked up the sweater and continued work on the sleeves. One of the problems of working off-the-seat-of-your-pants, on-the-fly, make-up-as-you-go type of creation, is that you don’t always get what you envision in your mind (or is it only me?). I’ve been working the sleeves separately from the main coat in Tunisian Crochet. I ran out of black awhile back and was too busy (lazy) to go buy more. PLUS, I had so much of the grey yarn I’d already used on the sweater (and spent good money on already), I thought it would be good enough. The panels themselves I like. Once I finished them (after trying out different solutions), I sewed one of the sleeves onto the sweater last night and tried it on to see my handy work. Yuck! I didn’t like it.

Doesn’t look so bad here, but trust me, it’s no good! 

First of all, the sleeve didn’t drape right. I  was still going to make a few rounds of half double crochet with deeper decreases for the cuffs, but after trying it on and not liking the drape, I didn’t proceed with that. No matter how much I tugged and pulled on it, it still looked bad. The problem was that I needed more decreases further up on the sleeves. The sleeves were too big. Second of all, the color just didn’t work. I kept squinting and looking at it from different angles, but I couldn’t make myself like it. Fail!

The only good thing was that I only attached one sleeve. Now I needed to take the sleeve off and rip back both sleeves. That’s when the qualms hit me. I didn’t want to rip back all that work! I don’t usually struggle so much with frogging my work. I’ve ripped back entire queen-size blankets. But I just couldn’t do it. In the grand scheme of things, they are tiny panels that no one would miss (except me apparently).

I suppose it could be a skirt or top instead.

And yet…

Instead, I played with the unattached sleeve (I hadn’t removed the other one yet). I held it up to my chest to see if I could turn it into a top of some sort. I held it like a skirt. Hmmm… nope. Maybe.

I’m trying real hard to turn those panels into something else so I don’t feel like I wasted my time. I’ll probably just set the panels aside and think about them later. That way I’ll have some distance from all the work and I won’t be so torn about undoing them. In the meantime, I’ll start some new sleeves. This time, I’ll might start them straight on the arm holes, in black. I have black now. I probably should just make more granny squares for the sleeves. I was resistant to do that because the coat is already so dense. I thought it would be granny square overload. Maybe I’m over-thinking this. I’m most definitely over-thinking this.

I have until next winter to decide…😀

 

Freebie Friday – Finger Crochet

I’ve been experimenting with finger crochet lately. Mainly, I like a new challenge. I wanted to see how many stitches I could make just by using my fingers. Turns out, it’s a lot! I started with the basics like single, half double, and double crochet. I then moved on the Tunisian crochet trying out the simple stitch and the knit stitch. Those are the Tunisian stitches I use anyway. Then I tired the star stitch and it came out pretty. I only made one round of it but since I’m using my fingers, that round was pretty big. I turned it into a phone case.

Which brings me to my next point. What the heck am I going to do with this technique? I’ve seen people make all sorts of things with finger crochet, but nothing that I would want to make with this method. I feel like I’m in a maze, wondering in which direction to go (I knew I could sneak the word for the daily prompt in there!). Which path will lead me to make the best use of this style of crochet? The phone case is cute and it was fun but what else?

I don’t have much chunky yarn, so I decided to use three strands of regular acrylic yarn (medium weight).  I have plenty of that to work with. Well, after doing a few rows of single crochet with it, my finger started to hurt. What’s going on here? It didn’t hurt when I was using the chunky yarn. It was hurting now, though. It felt like I was irritating my skin. Was all that finger crocheting finally starting to irritate my skin or was it the rougher yarn that was the real culprit. I’m still not sure, but I think it was the rougher yarn coupled with trying to manage three strands of yarn on the finger. I was pulling the strands on the top of my finger versus the side of my finger when I use the chunky yarn. Looks like the top of my finger is more sensitive and more prone to irritation. Either way, it slowed me down a bit. Today I tried it again with the chunky yarn and that’s when I noticed I was pulling the yarn over from the side and there is no pain. I’ll have to consider that before I use the acrylic yarn again.

Single crochet in the back loop done with three strands of yarn

I think I want to make a doll or toy next with finger crochet. That’s my thing so I’m going to brain storm. Until I come up with something, here are my quick videos on how I finger crochet.

Finger Crochet

I have very rarely thought about finger crochet. I know what it is. I’ve seen it around. I considered learning it to show my students who had a hard time with a hook. In fact, it was my more experienced students who reminded me about it’s existence a few years back. I was having trouble teaching my Kinders how to do the chain so I left them tangling the yarn on a hook (they seemed to enjoy that) when lo and behold, I came back and they were using their fingers to make the chain. One of the older kids taught them how to do it. I was very impressed. Since then, when a child has trouble using the hook, I show them how to use their fingers  instead. Once, one of them asked me if they could crochet with their fingers beyond the chain and I said I didn’t think so. I couldn’t imagine how it could be done. Boy, was I wrong!

On my last post, I was asked by a blogger I follow (STROKE(d)) if I knew about finger crochet and if it was easy. Aside from the chain, I didn’t have enough experience about it but I assumed that yes, it was probably fairly easy to do. I was intrigued enough by the question to look it up. I should know about this and how to do it, right? What kind of crocheter am I if I don’t know how to do this? A bad one! Furthermore, I should be teaching the kids how to finger crochet, right?! Especially for those who get frustrated but still want to crochet. I should know this!

So I researched in order answer the question with some knowledge. Here’s what I found:

1. Craftsy has a pretty good tutorial on how to do it.
2. How to arm crochet the right way: If you know me, you know I love Tunisian crochet (I should probably do more posts on it) and this shows how to do it without a hook! Who knew? Not me, but now I do.

My Own Observations

It is so much easier working with chunky yarn. I tried with regular yarn and you get really lacy results. That’s not a bad thing if that’s the look you want but it’s also harder to work with the yarn, at least for me.

I find myself using my fingers in different ways to work the yarn. Sometimes I poke my finger through the fabric, using my finger like a hook and sometimes I push the yarn through the back of the fabric, through the whole and then place the loop on my finger. I haven’t completely found my ‘groove’ yet but all that means is that there are different ways to accomplish the same thing.

I found it very easy to pick up finger crocheting. I think anyone who already crochets will find it easy as well. However, I’m not sure how easy it will be for someone completely new to the craft. As I was doing it, I realized it might seem confusing to someone who has never crocheted before. I shot a video showing what I’m doing and then I watched it and I probably need to shoot it again, keeping in mind that a true beginner needs me to be very clear on what and how I’m doing it. I kept alternating between using my finger as a hook and pushing the yarn form behind. I will shoot it again showing clearly how to do one way and then the other instead of just alternating on a whim.

Examples

Single crochet

Tunisian Crochet

I had to give Tunisian crochet a try. There are obvious limitations to pursuing this style with your fingers. Namely, your finger is only so long so you can’t fit that many loops on it but I was able to fit about seven or eight loops, enough to make small projects.

Yes! I really did this with my fingers!

I hope to have my videos done by the end of the week for my Freebie Friday post. I’m showing how to do all the basic stitches: single crochet, half double crochet and double crochet. I’m really enjoying this and am looking forward to trying more complicated stitches, like shells and bobbles. I wonder if I can do the crocodile stitch or the start stitch?!

Thanks Akuokuo for pointing me in this direction. Hopefully I will be able to help you pursue finger crocheting. 🙂