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 Brown with 5 sc in magic ring, increase to 16 sc over 4 rounds for base. Yes, had to cheat on the last row and do two 2sc in a row in two places.
3rd Row: IVVIVIVVIV

‘Cast on’ in BLO of last round of base and work tss Pick up with Brown on forward pass, back pass (work Off) with Green. 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 black felt and one of Plastic Canvas to fit inside the bottom and keep it flat. Put about a half-inch strip of felt around the sides to keep the pellets from escaping between the stitches, and a layer Poly Pellets to weight the bottom, then stuffed with Poly-Fill from the bottom up as I worked each branch.

Worked tree as:
16 sts for 16 rounds (work 4 sts at a time).
8 sts for 8 rounds (work 2 sts at a time).
4 sts for 4 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.

Base uses H hook and is as: 7 rows brown of increase 1 in every 3, 1 row green of increase 1 in every 4.