DesigKnit

A few months ago, Ellen published a pattern using Tunisian crochet. Though I used to crochet a lot – and, in fact, for many years preferred crochet to knitting (that was before I discovered that knitting involved more than garter and stockinette rectangles), I have never tried Tunisian crochet. I’m always intrigued by a new technique, so I put it on the list of back-burner things to try someday. I figured I’d add some Tunisian crochet hooks to my Christmas list.

Christmas came and went, and I got some itty bitty needles, but no double-ended hooks. So, I made a trip to Amazon, and found a multi-pack.

They only came in bamboo, which is not usually my first choice for fiber work, but the price was right and I figured it would be enough to tell me whether or not I like the technique…I can always purchase fancier hooks later on when I know more about what sizes I’ll want and what features I’m looking for. In the meantime, I have a full set of crochet hooks for the first time in years, and they can be used either as single or double pointed.

Also just before Christmas, my friend Teresa showed me some of her bead crochet jewelry. This was another use for crochet that I’d never seen before…I was intrigued. A few weeks ago, she gave me a bracelet that she’d made.

Then she agreed to show me how to do it. Off to Amazon I went, in search of a tiny crochet hook for bead work. I found a multi-pack of itty bitty crochet hooks (to go with my itty bitty knitting needles). I will certainly never be limited for sizes.

Teresa came over on Saturday, and we made a glorious mess on the dining room table for a few hours while the snow fell outside.

This morning, I finished this:

(Here’s a link to a video showing the basic technique, for the curious among you:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oXpXqde-PKY)

Branden, ever the enabler, convinced me to go to a bead store today to get supplies for more projects. I knew that this was a dangerous idea from the start: that the first days of any new hobby are when I am most vulnerable to stash enhancement. (Observant enabler that he is, Branden knows this, too. He played his cards well.) I thought that a couple more projects wouldn’t hurt, so off we went.

I knew I was in deep trouble the moment we walked into the store. They had their winter clearance sale this weekend, and the whole seed bead wall was more than 60% off. And it was arranged in rainbows. (I am a sucker for rainbows.) I still can’t quite believe how much of that bead wall came home.

I don’t think I’ll be running out of colors any time soon.