When I rediscovered my love for Tunisian crochet at the beginning of the year I also wanted to learn a bit about its history – so I searched the internet. BUT … I guess the exact origins of Tunisian crochet are somewhat obscure.
The fact that Tunisian crochet is also known as Afghan crochet or Tunisian knit implies that it originally comes from this area. Some historians suggest that it may have been practiced in ancient Egypt, as there are artifacts depicting fabric resembling Tunisian crochet stitches. Others speculate that it may have been influenced by the craft traditions of the Middle East and North Africa, where similar techniques were used to create dense and warm fabrics. But I also found articles stating that it had its origin in the 19th century in Europe (some argue in favor of Sweden, others rather for France and Great Britain). I therefore assume that no one knows the exact origin.
Some people consider Tunisian crochet to be a combination of crochet and knitting. And yes, it may have elements of both, but to me, it’s a unique and fascinating technique. The basic stitches can be used on their own or slightly modified. In combination with each other, many different patterns can be created. The different fabrics sometimes will look more like crochet, sometimes more like knitted, and sometimes woven.
If you are interested in learning Tunisian crochet or need a little refresher, here is a brief overview.
Equipment
Yarn
As for traditional crochet and knitting you can use nearly any yarn for Tunisian crochet. If you are just starting out with this technique, I would suggest that you use your favourite yarn or at least yarn weight to begin with. As with traditional crochet, you may find it difficult to work with thinner yarn as long as you are not used to it. It also can be hard to work with a yarn that tends to split. Both will work with a bit of practice though!
Just a side note: I have some variegated yarns in my stash that I bought at some point just because I liked them. Unfortunately, I later realised that they were more suitable for knitting. When crocheting, all I got were colourful patches that disturbed the stitch pattern. I have now realised that they are perfect for Tunisian crochet. So if you are familiar with this ‚yarni problem’, just try a few Tunisian stitches. It’s worth it!
Hooks and Hook sizes
As the name suggests, Tunisian Crochet is worked with a crochet hook.
For some projects you can simply use a normal crochet hook, that you would also use for traditional crochet, others require a special Tunisian crochet hook. These are available in many different styles. Some of them are just longer than a regular crochet hook and often have a stopper at the end to prevent the stitches from slipping down. Others have a long cable that is either fix or attachable . Theses are perfect for wider projects. Still others have a hook on both sides. They are needed to work in the rounds or for certain colour effects.
I started with some Knit Pro Symfonie Hooks with attachable cables in different lengths. And I just got myself some Addi hooks where you can either attach a stopper or a cable. I don‘t have the stopper yet, but I help myself with a little stopper for double pointed knitting needles. Well, a simple rubber band serves the same purpose.
Tunisian crochet creates a dense fabric, therefore the hook size should be larger than normal. The rule of thumb is to go up at least one size. But of course, this will also depend on your project. A light shawl will need a larger hook to make it fall nicely than, for example, a dishcloth. Mostly, the pattern states what size to use. Nevertheless, I would advise making a small swatch just to see what hook size works best to create the desired look.
The Basics
Tunisian crochet offers a wide range of stitches and patterns. The basic stitches in Tunisian crochet can either be used alone or can be combined to a lot of different patterns. Even though each of the stitches has a unique look, they have a few things in common:
Unlike crochet or knitting, the stitches in Tunisian crochet are not made in a single operation. Instead, all the stitches are created in two steps. First, all stitches of a row are picked up and kept on the hook. This is the so-called forward pass. In the following return pass, the stitches are finished and worked off the hook.
The forward pass is always worked from right to left (at least if you are right-handed) and the return pass is worked from left to right. The work is never turned; you only work with the right side of the fabric facing you (unless the pattern says something else).
At the end of a forward pass you will always have as many loops on your hook as your pattern has stitches in this row. So, if you want to count your stitches it is easiest to do this directly after a forward pass before you start the return pass.
In Tunisian crochet each pattern starts with a Foundation or Base Row.
Foundation Row
The standard Foundation Row in Tunisian Crochet starts with a
Starting Chain
Just like in traditional crochet cast on the desired number of chains. The length of the foundation chain will determine the width of your Tunisian crochet piece.
The number of chains should also be equal to the number of stitches needed for the pattern. Unlike with normal crochet, no turning chains are required.
Forward Pass
Skip the first chain (the loop of this first chain is already on your hook) and start in the second chain from the hook (to identify the second chain see the position of the needle in the picture below). Insert the hook under the back bar of the chain, yarn over, and pull up a loop. Keep the loop on the hook. Repeat this across the row, always keeping the loops on the hook (pic 1 of Return Pass, below). At the end of the row, the number of loops on the hook should be equal to the chain stitches previously cast on.
Note: My preference is to pick up the loops from the back bar of the chains. This way the bottom of the project will look similar to the top. Of course, it is also possible to pick them up from the back or front loop of the chains. Do it just as you like and the way it looks best for your project.
Basic / Standard Return Pass
The return pass is worked from left to right, so don‘t turn your work. Yarn over and pull the yarn through the first loop (see arrow pic 2) on the hook – this creates a chain stitch (pic 3). Yarn over and pull through the next two loops(see arrows pic 3)on the hook. Continue with yarning over and pulling the yarn through two loops (see arrows pic 4) until there is only one loop left on the hook.
The Foundation Row is now completed. The last loop on the hook is also the first stitch of the next row.
Regardless of which stitches or patterns are to be worked later, the foundation normally always is the same.
Anatomy of Stitches
Now let us have a look at the structure of a stitch and the corresponding terminology. This will help to better understand how a stitch is worked.
Each Tunisian stitch has two vertical and three horizontal bars. Unfortunately, the names often differ a bit depending on the designer.
The front vertical bar is the vertical strand of yarn that is visible on the front side of the fabric. The back vertical bar lies directly behind it. They are created when the loops are picked up in the forward pass and are nothing else than the front and back of the loop.
The horizontal bars are created by the chains that are worked in the return pass. They either are called horizontal chains or horizontal bars. They consist of the top strand of the horizontal chain (top horizontal bar) the or bottom strand of the horizontal chain (bottom horizontal bar) and the or back ridge (or back bump) of the horizontal chain (back horizontal bar).
The first and last stitch of a row
First stitch / start of a row
As explained above, the first stitch of a Tunisian crochet row is the loop that stays on the hook when the return pass of the previous row is finished.
That means you don’t have to pick up a loop in this place. You always skip the very first vertical bar when starting a row.
Last stitch / End stitch
The last stitch of the forward pass is worked in the stitch that is equal to the first stitch of the return pass of the previous row – the one created by pulling the yarn through 1 loop (chain 1) when starting the return pass. So it looks a bit different and there are different ways to work it.
In some projects you might want to work it just in the same way as you work all the other stitches of the row. This can look quite nice for a shawl or similar project, but it also might make your edge look a bit ‚loopy’.
My favourite way is to insert the hook under both loops of the last stitch and pull up a loop. Regardless of which stitches were previously worked. This creates a nice and sturdy edge. But here, too, just try it out and see what you like best.
Tunisian Stitches
Tunisian crochet offers a range of basic stitches and also a lot of special stitches. But with just the basic stitches you can create beautiful and varied patterns.
Some basic stitches are the Tunisian Simple Stitch (TSS), Tunisian Knit Stitch (TKS), Tunisian Purl Stitch (TPS), Tunisian Full Stitch (TFS) and the Tunisian Reverse Stitch (TRS).
Please click here for instructions on how to work these stitches.
Binding Off
Even though your work won’t unravel if you just stop crocheting after the last row, it will create a nicer edge if you bind off the stitches.
To do so, just work the stitch that you would work in your pattern as normal. Only don’t keep the loop on your hook, but slip it through the loop on the hook as you would do for a slip stitch.
Some Common Abbreviations
| Forward Pass | FwP / FowP / / FW |
| Return Pass | RetP / RtnP / RP |
| Tunisian Double Crochet | Tdc / tdc |
| Tunisian Full Stitch | TFS / tfs |
| Tunisian Half Double Crochet | Thdc / thdc |
| Tunisian Knit Stitch | TKS / Tks / tks |
| Tunisian Purl Stitch | TPS / Tps / tps |
| Tunisian Reverse Stitch | TRS / Trs / trs |
| Tunisian Simple Stitch | TSS / Tss / tss |
| Tunisian Slip-stitch | tslst |
I hope this will help you to get started with Tunisian crochet and that you enjoy it as much as I do.
Hooked on Häkelmaschen 