Sträkeln

Hi everyone, I read in a forum post that someone was doing some “sträkeln.” I can’t find the post anymore, but I’d like to ask the author to show the finished piece and say a few words about the technique. What are the advantages of this knitting-crochet technique? Maybe it’s something worth learning (like Tunisian crochet)?

Hello ChristinaE,
as far as I know, and Google says so too, “Sträkeln” is just another name for Tunisian crochet, but feel free to correct me if there are any differences.

Learn Tunisian crochet for free - Part 2

Hi Josefa,

there’s actually another technique where both knitting and crocheting are combined. This “Sträkeln,” however, is done with knitting needles. I happened to see a video about it recently. I hadn’t heard of it before either.

Best regards, Michaela

OK. You never stop learning. :-)

Does anyone have any info on this?
Please don’t post links in the posts.

I thought “sträkeln” meant knitting with a crochet hook that has a cord attached to it.
Instead of being on knitting needles, the stitches are on the cord.
The advantage is that you can easily do without a set of double-pointed needles.
But maybe I’m misinformed.

Christina, that might have been me—I used the term in the thread about the May projects—see here:
https://www.crazypatterns.net/de/forum/topic/81609/mai-projekte-ufo-woche-22-mai-bis-4-juni-reste-beste-wolldiaet-wollkaiserin-mauerbluemchen-retten-alle-mai-handarbeiten-neues-lernen-tunesisches

It’s interesting to see the various possibilities associated with this term here—some of which I’m not even familiar with yet. Knitting with crochet hooks—now that’s an idea I’ll definitely try out.

For me, “Sträkeln” is a term I use (humorously) when I have parts in a knitted piece that I crochet. For example, I knitted the baby pants, but the top part has crocheted sections.

My current idea is to crochet straps onto knitted pieces, for example. The advantage is that the knitted part is nice and stretchy, but the straps are sturdier...

The baby socks or booties I’m currently “sträkling,” for instance, are knitted, but the cuff is crocheted. They look great! I came up with this because it was too tedious for me to knit the cuff on.

Of course, I’m always happy to learn something new. If anyone here has more to say about (possibly proper) “Sträkeln,” feel free to share. ;-)

I know the term “sträkeln” from Tunisian crochet, since it’s a combination of KNITting and cROCHET, which is how the word is put together.

However, I’ve also heard of the version Mupfelbea mentioned, where there’s an eyelet at the end of a long crochet hook, though I haven’t tried this technique yet.

I remembered it again:
“Sträkeln” or “knooking” (a portmanteau of “knit” and “crochet,” meaning knitting and crocheting combined).
You can find more detailed instructions in the helpful video collection.

So, just for a bit of fun:
I screwed a crochet hook onto one end of my circular knitting needle, and the other end is the regular knitting needle. It works wonderfully for knitting in the round. I can knit for much longer because I make fewer hand movements. 

Sounds fun ... I really have to try it sometime ... *grin*.

Have fun with it ;)
By the way, I’ve also crocheted straps onto bags and little skirts. Works great!

I saw the video about the technique I was referring to on YouTube (MPsStrickTrixx). But I ruled it out right away. It’s too fiddly for me. Plus, you have to bind off stitches all the time, and I don’t really like doing that, haha.

Best regards, Michaela

Thanks so much for your insights! I’ve heard of “knooking” before, but I’ve never tried it—I’ll check out some videos.
It’s funny—I keep picking up new words like “frickelig” along the way. Maybe we could collect a few of these terms here sometime?
I wish everyone a wonderful Sunday evening (I’m knitting and watching TV; I just spent an hour weeding—yes, I know, on a Sunday...)

Should this thread become the project thread so you can make this technique one of the possible themes in June?
Please post informative answers here. :-)