Help with Tunisian crochet please

[Summerwine]

Hello, I've just discovered this site and am hoping someone will be able to tell me where I'm going wrong.

I'm truly rubbish with regular crochet - nothing ever looks like it should - but then I discovered Tunisian crochet and can actually do it, at least the Tunisian Simple stitch.  I managed a headband which actually wasn't at all bad. 

I like the look of the Tunisian Full stitch but no matter how closely I follow the tuition pictures and videos I always end up with progressively one less stitch than I started with.  Yesterday I started off with 58 and gave up when I got down to 55.  I really can't see what I am doing wrong so would very much appreciate any help, as I really want to master this stitch.

Thanks.

 

SORRY - I've just discovered a section for Tunisian crochet and wonder should I have posted this there?  Shall I re-do it there or can this be moved please?

Edited March 12, 2021 by Summerwine
discovered dedicated section to query

[NCcountrygal]

Maybe, this video from Kim will help. Counting on every row will help. 

 

[NCcountrygal]

40 minutes ago, Summerwine said:

SORRY - I've just discovered a section for Tunisian crochet and wonder should I have posted this there?  Shall I re-do it there or can this be moved please?

It’s ok. You may get answers here. And find answers in that section too 

[Summerwine]

Ok, thanks.

[Summerwine]

5 hours ago, NCcountrygal said:

Maybe, this video from Kim will help. Counting on every row will help. 

 

Thank you - that was actually one of the videos I had watched stitch by stitch, and she explained it well and made it look so easy,  but I still managed to mess it up 🙄

I’ll keep trying.

[bgs]

After I looked at this tutorial

https://hearthookhome.com/tunisian-full-stitch/

I wondered if you are chaining 1 at the beginning of each backward pass.

[Summerwine]

14 minutes ago, bgs said:

After I looked at this tutorial

https://hearthookhome.com/tunisian-full-stitch/

I wondered if you are chaining 1 at the beginning of each backward pass.

Yes, I was.  That’s another tutorial I looked at.   When I got to the end of the forward pass I was either working or skipping the last one, depending upon which row it was, then working into the edge stitch, then a yo and pull through one, followed by yo and pull through 2 all the way back.

I even jotted down a series of 1’s and 2’s on a piece of paper so I didn’t forget whether I was working the first or second stitch.  🤷🏻‍♀️

[bgs]

I have been working on a short swatch and I am having to pay extremely close attention to where my first and last stitches go.  Sometimes I am missing the first real space because the edge and next stitch sort of look like just the edge.  Sometimes having same problem at other end.  Practice doing a short swatch and really focus on hook placement on the ends.

[Summerwine]

5 hours ago, bgs said:

I have been working on a short swatch and I am having to pay extremely close attention to where my first and last stitches go.  Sometimes I am missing the first real space because the edge and next stitch sort of look like just the edge.  Sometimes having same problem at other end.  Practice doing a short swatch and really focus on hook placement on the ends.

Thank you for your help. I will do the small swatch as you suggest and let you know how it goes.

[NCcountrygal]

On 3/12/2021 at 9:11 AM, Summerwine said:

Yesterday I started off with 58 and gave up when I got down to 55.  I really can't see what I am doing wrong so would very much appreciate any help, as I really want to master this stitch.

I’ve done several rows and yes, it’s an easy zen stitch. However, tedious to remember is this the row I skip the first space and work the last space and then work back. Ask myself same question again. If I worked the last space then I skip the first space in the next full stitch row.   After several row repeats and counting I kept the correct number but my brain was feeling like mush.  I can see where it would be easy to gain or lose stitches.  A dishcloth size would be all I could muster with a lot of breaks.   So if it’s frustrating you, step away for awhile then work a few more rows. 

[Granny Square]

I don't do much Tunisian, only ever a couple of entrelac projects really.  I looked at Kim's video yesterday and thought the same thing, "the stitch is easy but it's even easier to lose the plot".  Not sure if stitch markers would help, to mark the first of the 2 rows (or somewhere else) to keep your bearings?

[Summerwine]

1 hour ago, NCcountrygal said:

I’ve done several rows and yes, it’s an easy zen stitch. However, tedious to remember is this the row I skip the first space and work the last space and then work back. Ask myself same question again. If I worked the last space then I skip the first space in the next full stitch row.   After several row repeats and counting I kept the correct number but my brain was feeling like mush.  I can see where it would be easy to gain or lose stitches.  A dishcloth size would be all I could muster with a lot of breaks.   So if it’s frustrating you, step away for awhile then work a few more rows. 

I did have a problem with remembering which row I was on, which is why I jotted a series of 1’s and 2’s on a piece of paper - 1 being where I worked the first stitch and 2 where I worked the second. It helped me remember but I still lost stitches. Ended up ripping the lot out and getting on with the sleeves of a knitted sweater! 

Going to persevere with a smallish swatch and see how I get on. 

[Summerwine]

1 hour ago, Granny Square said:

I don't do much Tunisian, only ever a couple of entrelac projects really.  I looked at Kim's video yesterday and thought the same thing, "the stitch is easy but it's even easier to lose the plot".  Not sure if stitch markers would help, to mark the first of the 2 rows (or somewhere else) to keep your bearings?

Thank you, I hadn’t thought of stitch markers. I might give that a go when I do my practice swatch. 

[NCcountrygal]

4 hours ago, Summerwine said:

I did have a problem with remembering which row I was on, which is why I jotted a series of 1’s and 2’s on a piece of paper - 1 being where I worked the first stitch and 2 where I worked the second. It helped me remember but I still lost stitches. Ended up ripping the lot out and getting on with the sleeves of a knitted sweater! 

Going to persevere with a smallish swatch and see how I get on. 

I unraveled what I did and started over. Making a new apple green dishcloth. Instead of going into spaces I opted to go into the center of stitch like when doing the purl. Go through center, pull up and then onto next center stitch pull up. Across. Work the last stitch the same, ch1. Back pass. To me it looks the same as full stitch, less meshier. 😁

Otherwise, Counting at the end of row and checking that you’ve gone through each space is about all I can think of and checking the count before proceeding 

 

[Summerwine]

Thanks to all for your help and suggestions. I tried them all and let’s just say I’m gonna stick with the TSS for the time being 😂

I don’t think there’s even a name for the weird shape my swatch ended up looking like and I think I may even have invented a few new stitches somewhere along the line! 

I’ve got several things to get to grips with, tension and holding the yarn being the biggest. I knit English style so just having the yarn in my left hand seems alien and it’s either so loose I have no control over it, or it’s so tight it cuts off circulation in my finger. An exaggeration maybe but you get the drift. 

Thank again all, I appreciate your trying to help me.   I will keep at it.