You’re probably here because you’ve just discovered a new fiber craft called Tunisian Crochet, and you’re now completely mesmerized by it… right? That was true for me! I had never heard of Tunisian Crochet before, but once I did, I knew I had to learn everything about it!
The best way to describe Tunisian Crochet is if crochet and knitting had a baby. You use one crochet hook (like crochet), but rather than working one stitch at a time, you hold all the stitches of a row on your hook at once (similar to knitting). It’s such a fun crossover, and a nice refresh from traditional crochet.
The most basic Tunisian stitch is called the Tunisian Simple Stitch (TSS). It is the very foundation of knowing how to Tunisian crochet – kind of like how learning single crochet is the first step in traditional crochet.
Let’s walk through Tunisian Simple Stitch together – I promise it will open up a whole new world of possibilities for you!
Let’s Begin
TUNISIAN BASICS
- For Tunisian Simple Stitch, you will always be looking at the right side of the work – do not turn.
- Each row has a forward pass and a return pass. On the forward pass, you will work across the row. When you get to the end of the row, you will start the return pass and work your hook back to the beginning.
MATERIALS
For this stitch, you may use any yarn that you are comfortable using, plus a hook size that is 2 sizes larger than the size you would normally use for that yarn. In the photos, I am some scrap worsted weight yarn. With traditional crochet, I would usually use a 5.0mm hook with worsted weight yarn, so for this swatch in Tunisian, I am using a 6.0mm hook.
You DO NOT need a special Tunisian hook for this practice swatch. A standard crochet hook will do, as long as it is not an ergonomic hook. You want a straight hook like in the photo below.
ABBREVIATIONS
Ch: chain
TSS: Tunisian simple stitch
RetP: return pass
Begin The Stitch Pattern
Start a foundation chain. You may chain any amount – I recommend keeping it to 15 chains or less so that your stitches can stay on your hook. Make a mental note of the number you have chained!
Row 1 Forward Pass: Turn your chain and find the back bumps – this is where you will work into. Skip the first chain and insert your hook into the second chain. Yarn over and pull up a loop. *Insert your hook into the next chain, yarn over and pull up a loop* continue repeating until you have worked through all chains. Each time you insert, yarn over, and pull through counts as one Tunisian Simple Stitch.
After working through all of the chains, you should have the same number of loops on your hook as the amount of your foundation chain. For example, I started with a foundation chain of 15, and I now have 15 loops on my hook.
Row 1 Return Pass: Yarn over and pull through the first loop – this acts as a chain 1. Yarn over and pull through two loops. *Yarn over and pull through two loops* continue repeating until only one loop remains.
Row 2 Forward Pass: We will now be working into the vertical bars that you see across your work. Each vertical bar is a stitch. The loop currently on your hook counts as your first stitch, so we will skip the first vertical bar on the very edge of your work.
Insert your hook through the second vertical bar, yarn over and pull up a loop. *Insert your hook through the next vertical bar, yarn over and pull up a loop* repeat across until the vertical bar at the very end remains. On the very end of your work, you’ll notice a “v” with two vertical bars. Insert your hook through both bars at the end, yarn over and pull through.
This last stitch is known as the “Last Tunisian Stitch” and will always be worked in this manner.
Row 2 Return Pass: Yarn over and pull through the first loop – this acts as a chain 1. *Yarn over and pull through two loops* continue repeating until only one loop remains.
The most recent row you work will always look looser than the rest – this is normal! The next row will tighten up the previous row.
Continue repeating Row 2 until you are satisfied with the length of your swatch. Afterwards, proceed to the bind off.
Bind off: Insert your hook through the second vertical bar, yarn over and pull through both loops on your hook. This acts as a slip stitch. Keep this stitch loose. *Insert your hook through the next vertical bar, yarn over and pull through both loops* repeat across, including through the Last Tunisian Stitch.
Fasten off and weave in your ends.
Need the video tutorial? Tap below to watch the full video of everything described in the blog post.
And there you have it! You have just learned your first Tunisian crochet stitch. Aren’t you just in love with the crisp stitch texture?! What will you make with Tunisian crochet next?
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