Clover Double-Ended Tunisian Crochet Hook 1307 / I

Using technique from Lily Chin’s “Circular Tunisian Tapestry Crochet” class from 2014 CGOA conference.

Started with Vanna’s with 8 sc in magic ring, increase to 32 sc over 4 rounds for base.

’Cast on’ in BLO of last round of base and work tss Pick up with Vanna’s on forward pass, back pass (work Off) with Marble. Instead of using stitch holders to hold unworked sts, just need to not pick them up until ready to work the branch.

Cut a round of Plastic Canvas to fit inside the bottom and keep it flat. Put about a half-inch layer Poly Pellets to weight the bottom, then stuffed with Poly-Fill from the bottom up as I worked each branch.

Worked tree as:
32 sts for 24 rounds.
16 sts for 12 rounds (work 4 sts at a time).
8 sts for 6 rounds (work 2 sts at a time). Oops, did 7 rounds on one branch, oh well, nature isn’t perfect either :)
4 sts for 3 rounds… this is a beast! Keeping only one loop of each color on hook, putting stitch markers in every stitch (different color for first st), and working off each stitch as i make it.
2 sts for 2 rounds (even beastier!!).
1 sts for 2 rounds.

At the top of the first branch off of the 8 st rnds, cut yarn leaving 60” tail of each yarn to weave down and work up each of the next parts for the rest of the child branches or the branch. (This reduced the number of ends to weave in, and the yarn wasted for weaving in.) Then attached yarn from the skein again for the next 8 st branch and did the same.

Worked base (or skirt) as:
Used regular I hook. Worked into the unused front loops of the base with sc as for pseudosphere with increase of one in every 4.
First 7 rows in Vanna’s, 8th row in Marble:
8 rounds: (40, 50, 62, 78, 97, 122, 152, 190)

Folded pseudosphere into 8 pleats and folded flat.

Last picture is after the first branch was completed 9/6/2014.

13” tall, 3” diam of main trunk, 9” circumference of main trunk, 6” diam with base
32cm tall, 7cm diam of main trunk, 24cm circumference of main trunk, 14.5 cm diam with base

Yay, the trees made it in time to be displayed as part of the Botamica Mathematica exhibit at the Dundee Science Festival 8 Nov - 16 Nov, 2014:
Dundee exhibit pic 1
Dundee exhibit pic 2
And I love Madeliene’s note in the Botanica Mathematica Thank you thread:
Thank you to abjCrochet for two spectacular trees in Tunisian Crochet (our first) now centre stage in Taypark House, Dundee