I needed to make some potholders for the kitchen at my church because I may have inadvertently set one of theirs on fire back in December. Umm, anyway… I thought to myself, I know a technique for good dense textile: tunisian crochet!
It’s also an opportunity to try out the tri-color method my mother-in-law introduced me to.
Tunisian crochet–or Tunisian carpet stitch, as I first heard it called–uses a long crocheting hook. It’s like a knitting needle, but hooked. You start with just one loop on the hook, and you go along the base chain or previous row, picking up loops. Then you make a return journey, basically doing a single crochet through each loop from last to first. At the end, you have one loop left on the hook, and you start over again. (For more detailed instructions, see my later post: Tunisian Crochet Tutorial.)
I’d say it’s even simpler than regular crocheting, though it is more time-consuming.
It makes a tough fabric that curls on itself a lot like stockinette stitch, but it has a neat almost woven texture.
The pair of potholders I’m making are double-sided for extra thickness and anti-curling. I secured the front and back together with a round of slip stitches.
Think I’ll finish by this coming Sunday?
Update: See the finished potholders in a later post. Completed Tunisian Potholders
