Learn to Crochet Tunisian Style: Tunisian Simple Stitch

In this lesson I am going to show you the foundation row, the Tunisian Simple Stitch and closing row.
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The Tunisian Simple stitch is the most basic stitch used in Tunisian Crochet. With Tunisian crochet you do not work single stitches on and off your hook. You pick up stitches along a row or round with a forward pass  by working in the bars you are creating and after you picked up all your stitches you work them off your hook with a return pass. It is more like knitting, but with a crochet twist and a woven feel.

The fabric that is made with the Tunisian simple stitch is quite thick and has little stretch. But because of the way you pick up stitches you get a nice grid like structure on the right side of your project. You can even use it to embroider on!

How does Tunisian Crochet works?

In this first practical part of the course I am going to explain the basic stitches/pass you will always use a foundation for a new Tunisian project. I will refer to this part in future lessons to help you out.

In Tunisian crochet you work with forward passes and return passes. In the forward pass you pick up stitches along a crochet chain or a row/round. You will add stitches by puling up loops along your work. If you get to the end of your row or round, you will have to do a return pass to finish off your stitches and go back to the beginning and start a new row.

Foundation row
First off we start with a foundation row. This is a set up you will always use in Tunisian Crochet, no matter what stitch or stitch repeats you use. The foundation row is made of a forward pass and a return pass.

Foundation row 
Forward pass

 

Make a chain of a certain amount of stitches. Count them. I made a chain of 10 stitches. Turn your chain over so you can see the back bumps. These are easier to work into.

 

Insert hook into first back bump.

 

Yarn over.

 

Pull up loop. Leave loop on hook!

 

Repeat the same process for your whole row. You will have x amount of loops on your hook plus 1. That is the loop that always stays on your hook. I started off with 10 chain stitches so I have 11 loops on my hook.

Foundation row 

Return pass

 

We have to go back to our starting point in order to make more rows. Here's how a return pass starts.

Chain 1 (this gives height and doesn't eat last stitch!)

 

Yarn over hook, pull through two loops.

 

Here is how you do it in a more detailed pic: Yarn over, and pull them through two loops (I have shifted them a bit and am holding them with my thumb).

 

Here you can see that your yarn over went through those two loops.

 

Repeat the * yarn over, pull through two loops* for all of your stitches until you have one loop left.

You have finished a foundation row. After this you can do any stitch.

And now, ladies and gentleman, we are goint to do our first stitch, the Tunisian Simple Stitch. 

Tunisian Simple Stitch 

Forward pass

 

We are going to work into the vertical bars to make the TSS. Start at the second stitch. We leave the most right vertical bars unworked. Always!

 

Insert your hook behind the front vertical bar from right to left, yarn over, pull up loop.

 

Here's a finished stitch. You can see the yarn going from left to right behind the front vertical bar.

 

Repeat the process for all of your bars until you get to the last stitch.

You can see that you have a flat loop and that the left part is sticking out a bit.

 

Insert your hook into that left part of the stitch.

 

Pull up loop.

 

Here ya go! A forward pass with the Tunisian Simple Stitch.

Tunisian Simple Stitch 

Return pass

 

Chain 1

 

*Yarn over, pull through two loops*   repeat for the whole row.

 

Here are two rows of Tunisian Simple Stitch. You can see the square form of these stitches.

All you need to remember is to work the forward pass and return pass to add new rows.

When you are done with your project you need to know how to finish off your work.

Finishing row

 

To finish off, you need to work all of your stitches off with a slip stitch. You are going to work from right to left. Insert your hook the same as the used stitch/stitch indicated in the pattern (for this tutorial we used the TSS so we are going to insert the needle from right to left under front vertical bar)

 

 Yarn over

 

Pull through vertical bar AND loop on hook

 

Here is a more detailed pic, you pull the yarn both behind the bar and the loop on the hook.

Repeat this for all of your stitches. You can finish off in the left hand corner.

Would you like to practice? Here is the link to the first practice pattern of this course: Perfect potholders!