This strange mix between knitting and crochet is also known as Afghan crochet. It is generally deemed to be easier than standard crochet and produces a dense fabric that looks woven. It’s a wonderful backdrop for embroidery as the simple stitch creates an even weave with clear spaces for stitches.
You use a crochet hook with a long handle to hold lots of stitches. You start with a chain, just like in standard crochet, but then you work the stitches in two passes: on the first pass you pick up stitches and keep them on the hook, on the return pass you work them and end up with just one again. There are some great tutorials online to help with this – have a look at the Crochet Help pages on our website – there are several for Tunisian crochet there.
Linda gave me a Tunisian crochet hook and pattern nearly a year ago and I have been wondering what to do with it ever since. She recently created a lovely pattern for a kindle case in Tunisian crochet – see Opus 1900 in our catalogue. It’s free to download 🙂
Opus 1900 in Tunisian crochet
This got me interested and I started playing with it. It occurred to me that when we look at a new craft, we always have to buy more stuff for it. If we don’t know yet whether we want to take it up, it’s a lot to ask to spend money on it. So I thought I would design a pattern that would allow you to have a go at Tunisian crochet without buying any extra equipment. So, in the next week or so, I will be publishing a free pattern for a Tunisian crochet belt that you can make without buying anything special – you will just need a standard crochet hook and some yarn. It will also give you the opportunity to embellish with embroidery stitches and use some more unusual yarns if you have them. So, find some aran yarn, a 6mm crochet hook and watch this space.
Opus Knitting Patterns 