The New Tunisian Crochet

February 4, 2013
Tunisian crochet has been lurking on the fringes of crafters' interest for decades, after its heyday in the 19th century, and this lovely book should do much to bring it front and center again. A "hybrid between knitting and crochet," Tunisian crochet uses a special hook and stitches are picked up in one direction for one row, then worked with the fabric facing back to finish off the row. The resulting fabric has stretch and is highly textured. The first part of this book, designed with Interweave's usual clean, rich style, gives a complete, albeit somewhat overwhelming, overview of needed stitching techniques, and then forty pages of inspiring stitch patterns follow. The instructions are clear and precise, and all of the stitches are show in full-color photographs. The book closes with a handful of patterns with a contemporary style. Whether a reader's eye is caught by the lovely, relatively uncomplicated Marisol Cardigan or the stunning, complex Sierra Bag, one of the included designs will have her or him hunting around at the local craft shop for a Tunisian crochet needle. Full color photos.