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?

Amigurumi / Crochet Doll

I finished this doll some time ago. Just didn't get around to photographing her until now.

Meet Emily - my latest Free Spirit Crochet Doll

Posing in her rainbow dress, pink purse and pink mary janes

As with my other dolls, she is based on Beth Webber's Free Spirit Doll pattern, with some adjustments - a smaller, rounder head with Bleuette's face, eyebrows and mascara. The pattern for the head is here.

She likes pink, even has pink streaks in her hair :) The dress is my own pattern. It is made from variegated rainbow cotton yarn from Daiso. It is constructed top down with just single crochets, with a slit and buttons at the back. 

She has pink streaks in her hair

Crochet Lace Doily

I'm into crochet lace at the moment. The variety of stitches it employs makes the crafting process fun and interesting.

This is a Crochet Lace Doily that I made recently.

Crochet Lace Doily

The pattern chart for this star-centered pineapple net doily is from www.dcrochet.com

Pattern chart for star-centered pineapple net doily

Crochet Lace Doily

Crochet Lace Motif Bolero

This is my very first Crochet Lace Motif Bolero, made with Bendigo Woollen Mills Cotton 4-ply in Blush.

Crochet Lace Motif Bolero (Front)

Crochet Lace Motif Bolero (Back)

I wanted something light, loose and airy, ideal to wear over a tank top in hot weather, and this bolero is perfect. The BWM cotton 4-ply is great for crochet - it produces a soft, wearable fabric with a nice drape.

This site www.jessica-tromp.nl, and this page in particular, show you different ways to construct a bolero out of motifs. At first, it looked complex and intimidating, but after a closer look, I learned that motifs are just shapes - squares, rounds, triangles etc., and lace in crochet is simply a combination of chains and basic crochet stitches. The easiest version is probably Bolero Type 5, which is what I went with for my bolero.

For the motif, I found this beautiful, elegant lace motif pattern from this site.

Crochet Lace Motif Pattern

The pieces are joined-as-you-go, so there is no need for seaming or extra stitches to join the squares.

For the edging, I used this lovely, intricate pattern from Fatima Crochet.

Crochet Lace Edging

Here is a close-up view of one of my motifs.

Crochet Lace Motif Square

Two joined motif squares

Each square measures approximately 12 cm x 12 cm. The finished bolero is 36 cm wide, and 28 cm from top to bottom.

Crochet Mini Shell Tote

Crochet Mini Shoulder Tote

This bag was based loosely on Tangled Happy's Spring Inspired Boutique Bags pattern. I started out with the pattern but made quite a few changes along the way. I wanted a bag that can hold things, and be carried on the shoulder - like a mini shoulder tote. So I made it bigger, added a base, and made the strap longer.

About The Pattern

The bag is crocheted in a tube, with the bottom sewn or stitched together at the at end. The shell pattern is basically constructed from multiples of 3 stitches. That forms the basis of the foundation chain - any multiple of 3. For example, a foundation chain of 99 stitches will give you 33 shells. The length of the foundation chain will form the circumference of the bag. So if you want your bag to measure 6 inches in width, the foundation chain should be at least 12 inches.

An alternative is to crochet around the foundation chain, forming the circle right from the base, thus eliminating the need to sew. Make sure the foundation chain is the length of the desired width of the bag, not the circumference.

The instructions for Round 2 of the original pattern is especially confusing.

Rnd 2: Sl St in each dc of shell into sp between first two shells. Work Beginning Shell. {Work Shell in space between next shell.} Repeat between {} to end. Join in top of ch 3. (17 Shells)

After several attempts, I think I finally decoded it. This is what I did:

*Slip stitch in the top of ch3 (of the Beginning Shell) to join the round. Then slip stitch in the next 2 dcs (of the Beginning Shell) until you reach the space between the Beginning Shell and the next Shell. Work Beginning Shell in this space --> this is the beginning shell of the new round. Then work Shell in the space between the next 2 shells, to end* At the end of round, repeat from *.

Normally when you sl st to join stitches in the round, the "seam" is formed on the same stitch column, i.e. the sl st sits on top on the sl st of the previous round. With the method above, the "seam" is more diagonal than straight as the stitches for the new round starts at the space between the first 2 shells rather than directly above the first shell.

For the base, I simply made an oblong piece of single crochets, and sc it to the bottom of the body piece.

Added an oblong-shaped base

Shell stitches

About The Yarn
The yarn I used for this bag is Bendigo Woollen Mills Harmony in Carnation which is a cotton-wool-lycra blend. I had knitted up a top/vest with it, but frogged the whole thing soon after because I didn't like it and would never wear it. The knitted fabric was very thick and heavy, and felt rough on the skin. It didn't have the squishiness of wool nor the smoothness of cotton. Instincts led me to try Harmony on a this bag, and I loved the result! For me, this yarn is perfect for making crochet bags because it produces a thick, sturdy fabric that is essential for bags.

Love the bag!

From the foundation chain of 99 stitches (33 shells around), my bag measures approximately 9.5 inches wide and 8 inches from the bottom to the top center point (excluding the strap).