100 Crochet Tiles
If you’re looking for a new crochet book that’s choc full with inspiration and new ideas, then David and Charles‘ new book 100 Crochet Tiles could be just the book for you.
I’m especially excited about this book because six of the tiles in it were designed by me!
Read on to find out more about the tiles and what else is in this fabulous new crochet book.
How it all began…
About a year ago I was approached (right out of the blue!) by the publishers David and Charles, who asked me if I’d like to contribute some crochet tile designs for their new book. Of course, I was over the moon to have been asked as crochet “tiles” are right up my street, so I said “yes” straight away.
I then went off to mull over my designs. I wanted to create tiles that were true to my own style but also a bit different to anything I had previously come up with…
My tile designs
I designed six tiles for the book: three squares and three hexagons.
Some of them, like “Wildflower”, “Clematis” and “Floral Burst” are inspired by flowers.
Other designs, like “Deep Space” and “Starburst” have a more cosmic or starry feel to them.
Finally, “Iridescent”, is inspired by light and the amazing optical effects that can be created.
Compared to my previous tile-like designs, I’ve introduced some new stitches into these motifs.
For example, some of my tiles involve crocheting in the back loops only, rather than through both loops. This gives a subtly different look and feel to how the colourwork pattern appears, and is one I rather like.
In some tiles, I have used front post stitches to add texture to the designs, along petals, for example. I love this extra feature.
Although these details may seem small, they make such a difference to the final result and I’m really pleased with how they all turned out.
What to make with your tiles
Crochet squares and hexagons can of course be used in numerous different projects. However, I think that blankets in particular show off this kind of crochet tile brilliantly. Repeating a pattern over a large area can create a striking and beautiful result.
Cushions also look amazing when covered in an array of crochet tiles, and you can have fun choosing colours to suit your decor.
However, there is also a plethora of other items that can be made with crochet tiles. From wall hangings and table runners, to even garments and bags, there’s really no end to the projects you could make with these tiles.
As well as the crochet tile patterns, the book itself also contains eight gorgeous projects to make with some of the tile designs.
A little extra help
The book contains written instructions and a chart for making each of the crochet tiles.
My tiles all use the tapestry crochet technique. The written instructions specify which stitches (e.g. which kind of stitch) to make where, but do not specify which colour yarn to use to make each stitch. For that you refer to the chart , which shows which colour yarn to use for each stitch.
The book has a great “Techniques” section, which explains how to do tapestry crochet. However, if you’d like a little more guidance, I have lots of helpful information and video tutorials at these links:
- Tapestry crochet video tutorials. A great place to start if you’re a fan of learning from videos.
- A step-by-step guide to tapestry crochet. This guide has photos as well as a written explanation and is a very handy reference to get you started.
- How to crochet a tapestry crochet square. All you need to know to make a tapestry crochet square (or hexagon!).
- How to read a tapestry crochet chart. This covers how to understand and follow a tapestry crochet chart.
- How to keep yarn from tangling in tapestry crochet. Essential reading if you’ve ever experienced this issue. There is a very simple way to avoid it – I promise!
- How to hide yarn in tapestry crochet. This question comes up quite a bit but here I explain several different tips and tricks to keep your carried yarn hidden.
What else is in 100 Crochet Tiles?
As its name would suggest, there are 100 crochet tile patterns in the book. These range from strikingly modern to beautiful traditional designs, and involve many different kinds of stitches and techniques.
Fifteen different designers have contributed to the book, each with their own unique style and preferred techniques. This leads to a wonderful variety in the book’s offering.
As well as mine, there are also several other tiles that use tapestry crochet. Mosaic crochet (another technique I love!) is used in many of the squares and produces some wonderful designs.
Most of the tiles are square but there are a good number of hexagons in the book too.
The majority of the designs are worked in the round although some are worked in rows.
Some tiles are full of stitches but some are very open and lacy.
In short, there really is something for every taste in this book and a whole range of new stitches and techniques to try. It’s a real treasure trove of fun new designs and crochet inspiration.
Where to get 100 Crochet Tiles
You can buy 100 Crochet Tiles from any good book store or order it online from all the usual places.