A Guide to Creating Your Own Unique Wall Art 

Tapestry crochet, and crochet in general, is making a massive comeback, and for good reason – it’s super addictive with amazing results. If you’re a seasoned crocheter and want to try out something new, or a complete beginner looking to fill some time, tapestry crochet could be your answer. Here’s a guide to tapestry crochet.  

Tapestry crochet is a captivating and colourful technique that combines elements of regular crochet with a bit of colour-work to create intricate and visually stunning designs. You can, in theory, create whatever design your heart desires, with a few simple steps.

Step 1: Creating Your Design

The act of deciding what to crochet is probably the most fun. Your designs can range from a simple heart, or an intricate landscape. However, remember, the more complicated the design, the more you’re going to have to crochet!

To actually design the tapestry project, think of pixel art. Every single square you put on the graph will be a stitch, so if you have a graph that is 15×15 blocks, your finished piece will be 15 stitches by 15 rows!

Below is an example of a relatively simple tapestry crochet project, followed by a more complex project.

To create your own designs, you can use the following resources:

• https://www.braceletbook.com/
• stitchfiddle.com
• Plain graph paper

Step 2: Materials

Now that you have the design you wish to crochet, you will need to get your supplies. Start by finding yarn that best matches the colours on your grap.  Keep a copy handy at the yarn store, so you can easily reference the image.

When it comes to the type of yarn to go for, the choice is yours. Cotton yarn is most often used with tapestry crochet as it holds the stitches nicely, doesn’t fluff out, and has a solid matt finish. In South Africa, the Vinnis Colour 100% cotton yarn has a great thickness and colour range. This cotton is hand-dyed, environmentally friendly, and relatively low in price.

It’s important to take into consideration the weight of the yarn as well.  The thickness of your yarn greatly impacts the finished size of your project. For example, if your graph is 10 stitches long, the final size may vary greatly depending if you use four-ply, double knit (DK), light worsted, aran, chunky, or super chunky yarn.

Tip: The thinner the yarn, the smaller the project will turn out.

For the size crochet hook to use, the label on the ball of yarn will recommend the hook size.  In South Africa our hook sizes are indicated in millimeters.

Tip:  With tapestry crochet go one hook size down, this will keep your stitches nice and tight. So, if your yarn brand suggests using a 4mm hook, you use a 3mm or a 3.5mm hook – but remember to always do a tester swatch first.

Step 3: Get Crocheting

For tapestries, you will need to know three techniques: how to chain, how to single crochet, and how to change colours. It’s recommended to start a project with only two varying colours, so you can get used to managing more than one ball of yarn at a time.

For your foundation chain, work up the total amount of horizontal blocks on your grid + 1. For example, if you have a graph design that is 10 stitches long, chain 11 (this does not count as a row). You can then work single crochets in each chain second from the hook, meaning you’ll be left with 10 single crochets after your first row. To make sure your design is easy to follow, it’s best not to have any colour changes in your first row.

When you’re ready for your second row, chain one, and start with your single crochets. You now start using your graph. Wherever the colour changes, you’ll need to add that colour in.

Using our above plant example (see image of plant above), you can see that in the 4th row, there are 6 orange stitches, you will need to work in.  Continue working up your rows, until the last stitch. There’re a myriad of different methods you can follow with tapestry crochet.  Remember that there is no wrong or right way, as long as the project looks good to you!

For more in-depth guides on colour changing techniques, following your grid, and how to make sure your piece looks good, you can have a look at this tutorial!

Step 5: Finishing Your Piece

If your project looks a bit wonky in the end. Don’t panic!  This too is  normal! This could be for many reasons and is easy to fix. 

1. Weave in any ends that will clearly hang from your piece. It is not necessary to weave in every single end, as it’ll take you a lifetime.  Any strand of yarn that shows from the front should get weaved in.
2. Steam, block, or iron your piece. Ironing is a fan favourite as most households have one. You’ll easily even your stitches out if you spray some water down and keep the heat low.
3. Attach your piece to a dowel rod. You can make it look even nicer by painting it if you wish, but a simple wooden rod will do.

Some Closing Tips:

If you’re a beginner at tapestry, remember to keep it simple. Embarking on a 200×200 piece as your first project might confuse and discourage you.  So small and simple is the best way forward. And don’t forget that tapestry crochet is 100% customisable to what you want, so don’t be afraid to experiment with different yarn weights, hook sizes, and techniques. Adapt and refine your process as you gain experience and discover what works best for you.

With tapestry crochet, the result is worth the effort. It may be frustrating at first, but you’ll soon learn the nuances and have beautifully unique pieces to put on your walls!

Here are two cool free tapestry crochet patterns from Love & Stitche Design and Crochetpedia.

Also read: Get Hooked on Easy and Fun Crochet Projects