Crochet guide
Shaping and finishing Tunisian crochet
Tunisian crochet is shaped on the forward pass or on the return pass. An increase is one extra loop picked up on the way out. A decrease takes two stitches as one. The piece ends with a bind off row, which closes the open stitches along the top.
On this page 9 parts
Increases
An increase is one extra loop picked up during the forward pass. The return pass does not change.
Within a row. Look between two vertical bars. A horizontal strand runs from one to the other, and there is a space under it. Slip the hook into that space and draw up a loop.
At the edges. The same increase can be placed just after the first stitch or just before the last one. One more loop in each row makes a piece that widens steadily, such as a triangle.
Stitch names on this page are United States terms, with the United Kingdom name in brackets where it differs.
Decreases
A decrease can be made on either pass.
On the forward pass. Slide the hook under two vertical bars at once, then yarn over and pull up one loop. Two stitches have become one. The return pass is worked as usual. This decrease leans to one side: to the left for a right-handed maker.
On the return pass. Work the loops off as usual until the place for the decrease. Then yarn over and pull through three loops in place of two.
The last row: binding off
After the last return pass, the top row of stitches is still open. A bind off row closes it. There are two common ways.
| Bind off | How each stitch is worked | What it leaves |
|---|---|---|
| Slip stitch | Put the hook in as for a stitch, yarn over, and pull the new loop through the loop on the hook as well | A closed top edge |
| Single crochet (UK double crochet) | Put the hook in, pull up a loop, then yarn over and pull through both loops | A row of single crochet along the top |
A bind off row has no return pass. Each stitch is finished as it is made.
- In pattern. Put the hook in the way the stitch pattern does: under the bar for the simple stitch, between the bars for the knit stitch.
- The last stitch. Work it under both strands at the edge, as in every other row.
- Tension. A slip stitch row can come out tighter than the fabric below it. Work it loosely.
Then cut the yarn and fasten off as in ordinary crochet, and weave in the ends.
Joining panels
A wide piece can be made as several narrow panels. The panels can be joined as they are made.
- Finish the first panel.
- Start the next panel beside it. At the end of each forward pass, pick up one more loop from the edge of the finished panel.
- Work the return pass. The two panels are now joined at that row. In entrelac crochet, where blocks are joined in the same way, the return pass after a join starts by pulling through two loops, with no first pull through one.
The join grows row by row, and nothing is sewn afterward. For finished pieces, see joining and seaming pieces.
Edge stitches
- The first stitch. The loop on the hook is the first stitch. Skip the bar at the edge and start the forward pass at the second bar. Working into the edge bar by mistake adds a stitch.
- The last stitch. Put the hook under both strands at the edge.
Common mistakes
| What goes wrong | Why | What helps |
|---|---|---|
| The edges are uneven, or the stitch count falls | The last stitch of the forward pass was missed | Count the loops before each return pass, and put a marker in the last stitch |
| The first stitch of each row looks loose | Its loop stretches while the other loops are picked up | Keep that loop snug |
| The top edge pulls in | The bind off row is tighter than the fabric | Bind off more loosely |
Working left-handed
A left-handed maker works the mirror image. The hook moves from left to right on the forward pass, and a decrease leans to the right.
Cross stitch on the simple stitch
Tunisian simple stitch makes a fabric like a grid. That makes it a good ground for cross stitch. The stitches are used as the squares of a chart, and pictures or letters are stitched on top with a yarn needle. See adding embroidery to crochet.
Where to go next
- Tunisian crochet teaches the hook, the foundation row and the simple stitch.
- Tunisian crochet stitches sets the stitches side by side.
- Changing colors in Tunisian crochet covers stripes and blocks of color.
- Entrelac crochet joins small blocks of Tunisian crochet as they are made.