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A lesson in Cochet

By Khadijah Ameena HamidahPublished 3 years ago 6 min read
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Good Morning ladies and gentlemen.

In today's class we are going to crochet tunsian graphcan pattern.

The first thing to know about crocheting is that patterns are designed for different levels of expertise. There are beginner patterns which is like the granny square used to make blankets or ponchos and there intermediate level and expert levels. This pattern can be determined as either intermediate or expert (difficult). Like the corner-to-corner crochet pattern and the Graphgan. The corner-to-corner crochet is a lesson for a different day and personally I find it a little more challenging.

What is a Graphgan? You say. Well it is a type of way crocheting an Afghan (blanket). When crocheting this style it can be done in two ways. You can use the single, double crochet stitch or you can use the Tunisian stitch. The Tunisian stitch is done with a long crochet hook (pictured below).

tunsian crochet hook

As you can see it is quite longer than the traditional crochet hook.

this is row one

The reason for this is that your stitches stay on the hook for one entire row. It also has what I call a back stop at the end of the hook to keep your work from falling off. This style of crochet is called Tunisian crochet.

Our goal is to make the following Graphgan (see picture)

actual pattern/project I am currently working on

The picture above is what your completed project should look like. It consists of 250 stitches and 250 rows. Completion time is approximately 30 days. You can personalize it with a name at the top. I will explain how to do this later. You can also add borders to your creation.

You will need the following supplies to complete this project?

  1. Your Tunisian hook
  2. Your yarn colours (red, gold, black and gray, and white)
  3. Your hook is size J

4.Yarn bobbins

5.Stitch markers

What on earth is a yarn bobbin you say!

yarn bobbin

markers they look like little safety pin

It’s a yarn holder usually plastic that comes in two sizes. To use the bobbins you would wrap your different coulur yarn around them to fill them up but don’t overdo or the yarn will start to come off. You can also use plastic clothes pins. The purpose to the bobbins is to keep your yarn from getting tangled. It doesn’t prevent complete tangles but it’s easier to untangle in this manner than if you had balls or yarn knotted up. Believe me I know. The purpose of the markers are many. You can use them for stich counting or for marking the front of your work. I use them to make the front of my project and alsso when i firdt start my letter formation to mark the spaces between each letter.

When doing a pattern where you have to have so many stitches in between the colours it’s best to use a maker until your pattern is established.

Now you have gathered all of your materials and are ready to begin.

To start cast on 250 stitches to your hook. To cast on you just wrap your yarn around you index finger and put it on your hook. After you have done this take them off again. Your work will look like the 2nd picture on the first page.

Here comes the fun part. To make the bottom your follow the colour pattern. you can either sit there and count every square on every row throughout or you can just follow the pattern written directions (much easier).

Your pattern tells you to chance colours hmm! How do I do this? Easy whichever colour you are asked to add just insert your hook into the stitch and add new colour to it. The new stitch will have the new colour. Continue doing this throughout the project as directed. This pattern is really easy the hardest part of the pattern is remembering to count. You must count your stiches all along the way or your pattern with not be correct.

When doing the Redskins word I took it apart 6 times! Because the letters were not coming out right. So you see the importance of counting. It can be a headache and sometimes will have to count and recount.

Now you have completed the first 8-10 rows of your pattern. Time to start the main design. Don’t panic you got this. I have complete confidence in you.

Fast forward…..it’s time to do your name part again just follow the instructions for the name you wish to incorporate into your Afghan.

By now you are wondering where to get this type of pattern. You have several options. You can pay for someone to make it for you, or you can do it yourself. Omg! What did I just say? Yes ladies and gentlemen you can do it. You will need to go to your computer and download a graph maker program if you don’t already have one. Type in the measurements of your intended project and the words you want it to say and any picture. Easy peasy right? Not so fast. You also have to tell it the placement of where you want it to be. Top left right center etc.

Therefore when searching for a Graphgan maker program be diligent for there are many and some are not free.

So why crocheting or knitting or even sewing for that matter? PEACE! When doing any of these your point of concentration pushes aside the tensions of daily living, and in actuality relaxes you. You may say how but think about it when you are doing something you love it takes away all the pain from the day. I find myself doing this sometimes when I can’t sleep at night. Due to the fact that the day has me tied up in knots and I need to unwind. So instead of lying-in bed tossing and turning mulling over the events of the day that I can’t go back and change, I pick up my crochet and get to work. Especially if I have an ongoing project that I would like or need to finish. I tell you crocheting for 2-3 hours will soothe you to the point where you forget everything.

And not to mention if you are angry my goodness the wonders it does for reliving frustration. Instead of taking that frustration out on hubby or kids grab your project and go to work. You will feel much better for it. Don't have a project start one it's easy and fun....

ONE FINISHED PROJECT

my finished project

Yes I did this all by myself!!! Yea me! So until next time

Let’s get creative!!!

crafts
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