Tunisian Crochet is a special technique that seems like you are knitting when you are actually crocheting. For a beginner that might seem very complicated, but it’s actually very easy to learn. This Ultimate Guide for beginners will help you with that. Each tutorial or pattern comes with a video tutorial.
When I learn a new skill, I typically make sure I find a resource that allows me to learn everything there is know about from the most basic to the more advanced. All done step by step. I understand that it can be confusing to find the right information all neatly organized, explained well, and helpful in any way.
This is why I created this Ultimate Beginner Guide for Tunisian Crochet (get the ad-free and printer-friendly version as an Ebook HERE). I’ve noticed that this technique seems challenging for some, but not all. I will lead you through the most basic information about Tunisian Crochet to the more advanced information.
If you are brand new to crochet, you should check out my guide to learn how to crochet for a beginner and then learn a few stitches after that before trying Tunisian Crochet.
Table of contents
I’ll start out with which materials are needed in order to crochet in Tunisian and then show and explain to you the most basic crochet stitches plus a more advanced stitch.
Next, finally, I will show you a few free Tunisian Crochet patterns that I designed myself that you can try out once you understand the basics. I want to make this process as easy and clear as possible for you.
As I have most of the photo and video tutorials and patterns links to another part of my website, I also decided to create a neat and organized ebook for this Ultimate Beginner Guide.
Materials needed for Tunisian Crochet
Let’s start by talking about what you will actually need in order to learn how to do Tunisian Crochet. It’s actually much simpler than you might think.
You’ll need some yarn and a crochet hook. But unless you are crocheting every small project, you’ll need a special Crochet Hook.
There are many different kinds of Tunisian Crochet Hooks on the market right now:
- Straight Tunisian Hooks (typically metal or wood/bamboo)
- Tunisian Crochet Hooks with an extended cord (removable or not)
- double ended straight Tunisian Crochet Hooks (typically used for rounds)
I prefer the Tunisian Crochet Hooks with an extension cord that is removable. It provides me with the option to make a small, medium or large project as with the same hook. Furthermore, I can easily increase while working on my project without having to worry that my cord is not long enough.
I wrote a very detailed review about the Clover Tunisian Crochet Hook set and why I love it so much. In my opinion, it’s the best Tunisian Crochet Hook set on the market right now.
As you can see it comes with many crochet hooks and lots of cords to switch out and interchange when a project becomes too small or too large while working with it.
Now, that you know what you’ll need in order to crochet this style, let’s talk about its most basic stitches.
Basic Tunisian Crochet Stitches
In order to crochet any Tunisian stitch one needs to understand that you’ll crochet the forward pass first – picking up all the stitches according to the stitch type. And then work the way backward during the reverse pass to release the stitches again.
Tunisian Simple Stitch
The most basic Tunisian Crochet stitch is the Tunisian Simple Stitch (tss) with the symbol “I” in a graph that some Tunisian Crochet Books show. This stitch sure is the easiest to understand.
Tunisian Knit Stitch
Once you understand the Tunisian Simple Stitch, I would highly suggest you’ll learn the Tunisian Knit Stitch (tks). It has a symbol that looks like an “O”. It is a very cool way to make a crochet project look like it was knitted when it really was not.
Tunisian Purl Stitch
I must say that once you understand the Tunisian Knit Stitch, you’ll probably also want to learn the reversed version of it. That is the Tunisian Purl Stitch (tps) with the symbol “-“. I love combining the last 2 stitches in a project and show off the beauty of them without having to actually knit.
Advanced Tunisian Crochet Stitches
Tunisian Full Stitch
Now, you’ve learned the most basic 3 Tunisian Crochet stitches. Next, check out this beautiful stitch which is a more advanced stitch for sure. It’s called the Tunisian Full Stitch (tfs) with the symbol that is a crossed-out O. It has the most amazing texture when it comes to Tunisian Crochet. I love how it feels on my hands when crocheting it and wearing it.
Tunisian Smock Stitch
The Tunisian Smock Stitch is also known as the Tunisian Honeycomb 2 stitch. It has such a beautiful texture and is simple so incredibly beautiful. It’s ideal for blankets, pillows, and even pouches and hats.
Tunisian Cables
Cables are always beautiful and have the most amazing texture. But they can also be a bit tricky. I broke them down slowly and easily for you in this Tunisian Cable Tutorial.
Be aware that Tunisian Crochet projects typically curl a bit as they are worked on one side only. That is very similar to knitting. You can easily prevent and reduce the curl by trying out a few techniques.
If you would like to learn more Tunisian Crochet stitches, I would highly recommend checking out over 100+ stitch tutorials made by the queen of Tunisian Crochet CrochetKim.
Free Tunisian Crochet Patterns
Now that you’ve learned a few Tunisian Crochet stitches, you can actually start on a few projects already. Yes, you can start crocheting beautiful accessories or blankets and so much more. I will expand the below list, once I publish a few more crochet patterns using Tunisian Crochet.
Tri-Color Tunisian Crochet Scarf
The first project, I would recommend is the Tri-Color Tunisian Scarf as it starts with a foundation round of Tunisian Simple Stitch. It then follows a beautiful pattern of just Tunisian Knit and Purl Stitches. It’s the perfect beginner project to learn this technique.
Tunisian Crochet Block Scarf
Next, I would recommend the Tunisian Block Scarf as it has a row of Tunisian Simple Stitch. Then it uses only the Tunisian Full Stitch for the rest of the pattern. While making this and the previous pattern you’ll easily learn how to change colors in Tunisian Crochet as well.
Tunisian Crochet Smock Pouch
This Tunisian Smock Pouch is easy to crochet once you practiced the Tunisian Smock stitch a bit. It also includes a zipper and a lining making this a very versatile crochet pouch.
Tunisian Cable Square
This detailed Tunisian Cable Square was part of the Travel Afghan project. It is 10×10 inches and can be part of any blanket or project you want to use it for.
Tunisian Crochet Pumpkin
Yes, you can make a Tunisian Crochet Pumpkin. It’s simply made from a rectangle using Tunisian Knit and Purl Stitches. Try it for this fall and be amazed.
Christmas Advent Calendar Pillow with Tunisian Crochet Santa Belt
This cute Advent Calendar Pillow is perfect for the Christmas time. Tunisian Crochet is featured on the red belt with numbers that can be pulled around the pillow and through the golden Santa belt buckle.
Holiday Blanket with Tunisian Squares
This incredible Holiday Blanket has normal crochet squares and Tunisian Smock stitch squares. A lacy crochet border around the squares connects them together beautifully. The blanket is finished off with the candy border. This is a paid pattern, not free.
WOW! What a list. This Ultimate Guide of Tunisian Crochet for beginners gave you everything you need in order to get started learning it and learn even more advanced stitches and patterns.
As mentioned before, you can easily find all the tutorials and patterns on my website by clicking the corresponding links above OR get the ad-free printer-friendly video ebook below.
Furthermore, if you subscribe to my Newsletter. You will get notified anytime I have a new free crochet pattern, tutorial, or amazing announcement. Trust me you can’t find them anywhere else.
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