First Adventures in Tapestry Crochet

Tapestry Crochet is a crochet technique where one or more yarns are carried while one is crocheted. The resulting fabric looks woven and is very thick and sturdy; and stitches are compact and strong. The craft is so versatile with endless design possibilities. Many intricate and complex patterns belie the simplicity of their execution. Often, and at its most basic, the only stitch involved is the single crochet stitch (there are variations as well). Carol Ventura's Tapestry Crochet site has history, discoveries, tutorials and everything you need to know about the art.

First Tapestry Crochet Project - The Coin Purse

As with many first time Tapestry Crocheters, I started out with the tutorials on www.tapestrycrochet.com. I find small coin purses ideal as first projects - they can be completed in a short time, and if you make a mistake, it's quick enough to unravel and redo without losing your mind :) Plus, at the end of it, you have a purse that you can use.

My first coin purse projects.

Tapestry Crochet Coin Purses

The Green and White Purse was done in the standard single crochet stitch, i.e. through both loops. This technique produces stitches that slant or lean slightly, hence the resulting pattern also slants. As I am right handed, my stitches slant to the right.

The Red and White Hearts Purse was done mostly in single crochets through the back loop only (BLO). This technique produces straight stitches but the resulting fabric has a different look and feel - if you look closely, there is a horizontal "line" that runs along every row, which also gives the fabric a rougher feel. This is because stitches are done through the back loop only, which leaves the front loop unworked - this unworked loop forms the "line".

On the heart motifs, I also experimented with a combination of the standard single crochet and single crochet through BLO. I had read about this simple yet brilliant technique here. It truly is a clever way to produce smoother outlines for motifs.

Standard Single Crochet v Single Crochet Through Back Loop Only

When I first started doing tapestry crochet, I had a hard time accepting the BLO pieces. They seemed to lack the smoothness and uniformity of the standard SC pieces. But I hated that the patterns in my SC pieces always slant, which is a problem especially with geometric/symmetrical patterns.

Purses made in standard single crochet - the patterns lean/slant 

Over time, I learned to crochet the BLO very tightly and using smaller needles. The result has been encouraging. My BLO pieces are now uniform and straight, and I love them!

Sample piece made in single crochet through back loop only

Still, I think some patterns look better in the standard single crochet while others look better in the BLO. It's really a matter of preference and taste.

Wayuu Mochila Bags

Wayuu Mochila Bags

My venture into the world of tapestry crochet led me to these beautiful Wayuu Mochila bags. These vibrant and colorful tapestry crochet bags are handmade by the Wayuu people of Colombia and Venezuela. There are usually 3 distinctive parts/patterns of the bag - the bottom, the body and the strap.

Here's a YouTube video about the Wayuu Mochila Bags and how they are made: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pV1mjpWjugs.

Aren't they gorgeous?