Tunisian Crochet – Introduction

Tunisian crochet, also called Afghan crochet, can be described as a cross between crocheting and knitting.

Unlike “traditional” crochet it is worked on one side only. The process consists of a forward row which builds up the stitches on the hook and a return row when they are worked back off. This means the hook needs to be elongated like a knitting needle and has a stopper on the end.

There are also hooks which are double-ended and these can be used not only for Tunisian Crochet but also double-ended crochet. The main difference is that technique uses 2 balls of yarn at the same time allowing the crocheter to complete rows in section. This means the width of the project is not dependent on the length of hook. A king-sized blanket can be worked on a 30cm hook. This is a technique I hope to learn and blog about this year.

Tunisian crochet produces a very dense fabric which has a tendency to curl. I’ve found that I can compensate for this when working with DK by increasing my hook size from 4mm to 6mm.

On a standard DK, 10 cm2
- 4mm 18 sts x 17 rows
- 5mm 16 sts x 15 rows
- 6mm 14 sts x 13 rows

Foundation Row

All Tunisian crochet starts with the same foundation row, this consists of a chain, a forward row and a return row.

Foundation chain – is worked the same as for traditional crochet.

Foundation forward row – insert your hook into the second chain from your hook and pull a loop through.

Repeat along the rest of the chain, pulling a loop through each chain

Return row. This is the same no matter what stitch is being worked

Yarn over and pull through 1 loop, then yarn over and through 2 loops. Continue with yarn over and through 2 loops until end of the row.

Tunisian Simple Stitch (TSS)

Frony
Rear

Start bu working a foundation row .

Tunisian Simple Stitch is similar to the foundation row however this time we work through the vertical bars on the front of the work

Continue working along all the loops until you get to the last one. We need to add stability to the left hand edge, to do this insert the hook under the last vertical bar AND the horizontal bar just to the right of it, pull loop through.

Next work a return row

Continue repeating forward & return rows until the required length.

Finishing off

The work could be left as is at the end of section 3 above. This leaves a loose edge which is fine if it is going to be gathered up for the crown of a hat.

To get a firmer edge an additional row must be worked. It is very similar to working a double crochet row

Insert hook through 2^nd post and pull a loop through, yarn over and pull through both loops. Repeat this for the remainder of the row

This gives a much firmer edge and a standard crochet finish.

During the first Tunisian Crochet Class I tried out changing colours in the work. I proved quite effective, so when I got home I tried variations as shown below

Changing colours between the Forward &Return Rows