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Tunisian crochet, also known as Afghan crochet, uses an elongated hook with a stopper on the handle end, called an Afghan hook. In Afghan crochet, each row is worked in two halves: the first half is worked from right to left and the second half from left to right. Work is never turned. This type of crochet creates a dense fabric with a definite front and back side and is ideal as a base for cross-stitch.
In Afghan crochet, each row is worked in two halves: the first half is worked from right to left and the second half from left to right. Work is never turned.
After the starting chain is completed, the first row is worked by inserting the hook in the chain, pulling a loop from the free end of the yarn, and inserting the hook in the next chain without working the loop off the hook. At the end of the row, you will have as many loops on the hook as there are stitches across. In the second half of the row, you will work the loops off the hook.
This type of crochet creates a dense fabric with a definite front and back side. It is ideal as a base for cross-stitch.
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Knitting's Close CousinTunisian crochet sits in the family tree between crochet and knitting, and its technique shows the relationship. Like knitting, it holds a full row of live stitches at once — every stitch across the work sits on the hook before any of them are worked off. Like crochet, it uses a single hook and builds fabric row by row rather than with two needles. The result is neither a knitted fabric nor an ordinary crochet fabric: a dense, slightly stiff, two-sided cloth with a distinct front — the grid of vertical bars — and a back that shows the horizontal return pass. That density and structure explain the technique's traditional home: the afghan, a blanket that needs weight and warmth, a stable rectangular shape, and a surface that can carry cross-stitch decoration as a picture surface. Filet crochet, broomstick lace and hairpin lace are relatives in the same crochet family, each substituting a tool or a manipulation for the standard hook and stitch. Working Tunisian CrochetFor the maker, the technique's rules are few but absolute. Work is never turned: the same face always faces the maker, which means pattern counting is always read in the same orientation and mistakes are visible immediately. The forward pass collects loops; the return pass pairs them off, usually by working a yarn-over through one loop and then through pairs, and the rhythm — collect across, work back across — becomes meditative at speed. Tension matters more than in ordinary crochet: because loops sit on a long hook, uneven tension shows as a wavy edge, and most Tunisian pieces are worked on a hook a size or two larger than the yarn's standard recommendation to keep the dense fabric from becoming rigid. The finished cloth can be blocked to relax the structure, edged with ordinary crochet to stabilize borders, and finished as blankets, garments, bags and home textiles — a technique that began as a practical way to make thick, warm afghans and remains one of the most versatile stitches in the crochet repertoire. Common QuestionsHow is a Tunisian crochet row worked?In two halves without turning the work. After the starting chain, the first half is worked from right to left by inserting the hook in each chain and pulling a loop from the free end of the yarn without working the loop off the hook, so at the end of the row there are as many loops on the hook as there are stitches across. The second half, worked from left to right, works the loops off the hook. Why does Tunisian crochet need a special hook?Because the whole row of loops must rest on the hook at once. The elongated hook with a stopper on the handle end — the Afghan hook — holds all those loops without them sliding off, which a standard short crochet hook cannot do for a wide piece. Why is Tunisian crochet good for afghans and cross-stitch?The technique creates a dense fabric with a definite front and back side. The front presents a regular grid of vertical bars that cross-stitch can be worked over stitch by stitch, and the density gives afghans weight, warmth and a firm structure that drapes without curling. More to ExploreMore from Apparel Search: Fabric Definitions | Clothing Industry Glossary | Fashion Terms | Apparel Search Home
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