Sunday, July 3, 2011

how to do the tunisian knit stitch.

I have recently been experimenting with Tunisian crochet. It is easy to do and I love the fabric that it can produce. I thought I would share some little hints and tips that I have learned along the way and found helpful.


Tunisian crochet starts out with a traditional chain. For the purpose of this tutorial, we will use a chain of 12. Also, I am only going to concentrate on doing the tunisian knit stitch as this is the stitch that I am so keen on right now.

A few notes before starting – with Tunisian crochet you don't turn your work. You are always working on the front of the work. One row is actually worked in two parts. The first pass is called the “forward”, and the second pass is called the “return”. There are sometimes different terms used depending on the designer. On the forward pass you are working from right to left and the loops are left on the hook. On the return pass you are working from left to right and the loops are removed from the hook.

Now let's tackle the foundation row.

Start by making a chain of 12. 
This is the first part of the row or the “forward” pass - In 2nd chain from hook, insert your hook, yarn over and pull through a loop and leave the loop on your hook. Repeat this for each ch across to the end. (pic 1). Here it is just a few stitches done.




At the end, you should have as many loops on your hook as you had stitches in your beginning chain. Here we have 12 loops on the hook.




Now for the second part of the row or the “return” pass - Yarn over and pull through one loop only on the hook. This would be equivalent to your turning chain in regular crochet. Yarn over and pull through two loops on the hook and continue to yarn over and pull through two loops all the way to the end. You should now only have one loop remaining on your hook.




Now lets turn our attention to the tunisian knit stitch (Tks).

Row 2 (forward): Skip the first stitch as the loop on your hook will count as your first stitch.




In the second stitch, insert your hook from the front to the back through the two vertical bars and under the horizontal bar.



Yarn over and pull through a loop and leave the loop on the hook.




Repeat this for each stitch across to the end. See the below picture to see the placement of the the 12th and final stitch. The hook should run behind these two vertical bars.




Row 2 (return): Yarn over and pull through one loop only on the hook. Yarn over and pull through two loops on the hook, continue to yarn over and pull through two loops all the way to the end.

Repeat both parts of Row 2 until you have the desired amount of rows. If you are like me and loose track of your count, look at the right-hand side of your work and count the stitches going up the side. This picture shows 3 rows worked.




Easy right?  And see what you can make knowing just this one tunisian crochet stitch??




Pattern will soon be released for sale. Stay tuned!

If you have any questions/comments about this tutorial or if you see any glaring errors, please feel free to leave me a comment or email me directly at knotsewcute@gmail.com. I appreciate any feedback.

Update: Click here to purchase the Drawstring Gift Bag.

tara.



13 comments:

  1. Ah, yes I've always wanted to try tunisian!
    I'll give it a go.
    And those bags look scrummy :)

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  2. Thanks Jessie! We would love to hear how you make out.

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  3. I tried this, but my work curls and I end up with a tube after a few rows. Any suggestions? I don't want to purchase the pattern for the little bags until I can at least do a few rows correctly :)

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  4. Hi Lora,

    The curling is completely normal. Once you make the second side of the gift bag everything will straighten out and the bag will be nice and flat when you are finished.

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  5. I am loving the look of this....tks. I love the look knitting gives so this really appeals to me. I have made your felted boots or slippers for all my daughters and sons and a little grandson and love your work. Do you have a pattern for toddler sized (and bigger) mittens?
    Thanks.
    June

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  6. Hi June,
    Thanks for your kinds words. It is great to hear that you have been enjoying your patterns.

    Thanks also for your question regarding mitten patterns. Yes, we do have a few different patterns available. They can be found at our Etsy shop at http://knotsewcute.etsy.com. We have a variety of ladies fingerless mitts and a few different designs for full mittens as well. We also have a child size mitten pattern. They are included in a 3 piece set called the "Winter Woolies Scarf Set".

    Let us know if you have any further questions!

    Tara

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  7. Hello! Decades ago I learned the afghan stich which seems like it is very similar to tunisian crochet. Is it the same? If not, how is it different? Thanks for a great pattern...Susan

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  8. Hi Susan,
    Yes, you are absolutely right! Tunisian crochet is just another name for the Afghan stitch so you are already familiar with this technique! I absolutely love the look that is created from this way of stitching and am eager to try some more projects. Winter is on its way...perhaps I will get my chance then!

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  9. Love this. Just discovered your blog and am your newest follower xxx

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    1. Welcome Katie and thanks! Hope you find lots of helpful and interesting ideas and tips whenever you visit!

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  10. Thank you, Tara, for this photo tutorial. It's been decades since I picked up my Tunisian crochet hook, I was having trouble at each end of the rows but now I 'think' I've got it!

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    1. You are very welcome! I hope that these tips prove useful in your next tunisian crochet project! Would love to hear how it works out for you!

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