How to do Tunisian crochet - basic guide

• material
• Difference to conventional crochet
• Instructions: basic engraving
  • 1st row (from right to left)
  • 2nd row (from left to right)
  • 3rd row (from right to left)
  • 4. And all other rows

Where and when the "Tunisian Crochet" was created, one no longer knows exactly. Once there was a special weaving art in Tunis. You can still admire these beautiful weavings in Mahdia, a center of Tunisian wool and silk spinning. Anyone who has ever crocheted in the classical style, will get along with the Tunisian crochet immediately and crochet newcomers will quickly find their way into the easy-to-learn basic technique.

material

Wool or crochet yarn can be chosen as freely in Tunisian crocheting as in traditional crocheting. The most suitable yarns are those that are well twisted and do not split easily. This prevents you from stabbing into the wool during stitching or not completely guiding the wool thread over the needle. (This is a not to be underestimated detail if you want to create a uniform mesh image.)

The Tunisian crochet hook is a bit different from the normal crochet hook. You could say it's a mix of crochet hook and knitting needle. Like knitting, the entire width of the piece must fit on the needle. There are rigid Tunisian crochet hooks that have a lengthened grip. Crochet needle tips that can be extended as needed with a different length of rope are more flexible and even more practical.

Difference to conventional crochet

As can already be assumed from the slightly different needle, the Tunisian crocheting differs a bit from the more familiar, "normal" crochet. Basically, the way to form stitches remains the same. While conventional crocheting turns one stitch after another, the Tunisian style always works across the entire width of the crochet piece. Arrived at the back is not turned, but, as it were, the reverse gear engaged and the just recorded stitches are again abgemascht. As a result, you always have the front in front of the Tunisian crochet. Since the Tunisian crochet pattern results in a comparatively firm and less elastic crochet pattern, the technique is particularly well suited for more robust crochet work such as bags or placemats.

Instructions: basic engraving

As usual, the Tunisian crochet starts with an aerial chain. The length of this chain determines the final width of the crochet piece.

1st row (from right to left)

In this first row and all other odd rows you get all the stitches on the needle. First puncture site is the second air mesh seen from the needle. Pierce through this stitch and pull the thread through. There are now two loops on the needle: the final stitch of the chain and the straight loop.

According to this principle is now inserted into each air mesh, pulled through the thread and left on the needle. The needle fills more and more and the chain of stitches gets shorter and shorter. At least now it is clear why the Tunisian crochet hook is longer than you are used to it. With the traditional crochet hooks, the stitches would quickly tumble from the back of the needle. The sample shown here is not very big and yet a normal crochet hook would be too short. Arrived at the end of the chain, the 1st row is finished.

2nd row (from left to right)

In this second and afterwards in every straight row, the previously opened loops are removed again.

Use the crochet hook to pick up the thread and pull it through the front stitch on the needle. Now pick up the thread again and at the same time pull through the just formed stitch and the right neighbor stitch on the needle.

In the course of this series again and again take the thread and immediately pull through 2 stitches. (One of these stitches is the workchest throug through the pull-through and the other is the next in line to the right on the needle waiting to be crocheted.)

With the thumb and middle finger of the left hand, hold the piece of crocheted crochet and, if necessary, add a little bit of pull if the stitches do not slide off the needle. At the end of the row one last loop remains on the needle.

3rd row (from right to left)

Now the stitches are all understood again: in each case get the thread and leave the resulting loop on the needle. Pierced is only by the second longitudinal strut of the previous series. Then again and again through the next forward to see longitudinal strut fetch the thread. With my index finger, I mean the next puncture site. Arrived at the rear to pick the thread through the penultimate longitudinal strut.

4. And all other rows

From now on, the second and third row are repeated. First, the stitches are taken from right to left and then crocheted back from left to right.

All in all, this creates a rather interesting stitch pattern: the basic pattern of Tunisian crochet. You can clearly see the longitudinal struts, which were previously repositioned when retrieving.

Of course, there are also several variations of the Tunisian crochet work. By stinging differently, the thread runs differently, is worked with envelopes, etc. create beautiful patterns. Particularly effective is a Tunisian crochet pattern to advantage when working with different colors.

Brief summary of the basic pattern:

• Work the 1st row as usual in the form of an air chain
• Working from right to left in the second row: pick up a stitch from each stitch of air and leave it on the needle
• Work back from left to right in the third row (do not turn the work) and cut off the crocheted stitches
• In the 4th row around the longitudinal struts of the previous row, pick up the thread again and leave the stitches on the needle
• 5th row and every other odd row: crochet back as in the 3rd row
• the 6th and all other straight rows correspond to the 4th row