Crochet Tunisian Simple Stitch: A Timeless Textile Craft

I am so genuinely excited to share this Crochet Tunisian Simple Stitch tutorial with you, because it has completely changed the way I think about what a hook and yarn can do together. The fabric it creates is unlike anything in traditional crochet, thick and almost woven-looking, with a density and warmth that feels like it belongs draped across a bed in a sun-filled room.

The Tunisian Simple Stitch

The Crochet Tunisian Simple Stitch sits in that rare sweet spot between structured and soft, producing a fabric that looks almost knitted but carries the ease of crochet in every pass. It is worked with a long Tunisian hook that holds multiple live loops at once, creating vertical columns of stitches that have a quiet, architectural beauty. The texture is airy yet structured, with just enough density to give a blanket or throw real presence without becoming heavy or stiff. Whether you are drawn to it for a baby blanket, a lap throw, or a generous full-size bed topper, this stitch has a meditative rhythm that will keep your hands happily occupied through long, slow evenings.

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One of the most delightful things about working the Crochet Tunisian Simple Stitch is how beautifully it takes colour. A single solid hue lets the vertical stitch columns do all the visual work, while simple stripe sequences in two or three shades, like the cool turquoise and soft white and deep pink palette you see in the reference images, create bold graphic stripes without any complicated colour-change technique. Think ice blue paired with blush, or warm terracotta beside cream, palettes that feel equally at home in a modern interior or a cosy vintage-style bedroom.

Materials and Tools

For a blanket or throw worked in the Crochet Tunisian Simple Stitch, a worsted weight yarn is the most forgiving and satisfying choice, giving you good stitch definition without working too finely or too quickly losing its shape over time. A smooth wool-acrylic blend or a 100 percent superwash merino will reward you with both softness and durability, holding the structured look of the stitch beautifully wash after wash. You will need a Tunisian crochet hook in a 5mm or 5.5mm size, which is longer than a standard hook and often has a stopper or cable attachment at the back end to hold all your live loops comfortably. A yarn needle for weaving in ends is really the only other tool you will reach for throughout this project.

Stitch by Stitch

The Crochet Tunisian Simple Stitch relies on a small family of techniques that build on one another as you work.

BULLET:TSS (Tunisian Simple Stitch) The foundational stitch of the entire method, worked by inserting your hook through the vertical bar of the previous row and drawing up a loop that stays live on the hook.

BULLET:Forward Pass The first half of every Tunisian row, where you travel across picking up loops from each vertical bar until your hook holds a full row of open stitches.

BULLET:Return Pass The second half of every Tunisian row, where you YO and draw through loops two at a time, closing the row down and leaving one loop ready for the next forward pass.

BULLET:Foundation Row The very first row, worked like a chain followed by a picking-up sequence that sets the stitch count and establishes the base from which all TSS rows grow.

Once you settle into the forward-and-return rhythm of the Crochet Tunisian Simple Stitch, it becomes genuinely meditative, a back-and-forth cadence that quiets the mind and lets your hands do the thinking.

Construction

A blanket worked in the Crochet Tunisian Simple Stitch is built in a single flat panel, worked straight across in rows from one short end to the other, which makes sizing as simple as casting on more or fewer foundation chains. Because the stitch naturally curls at the edges when first worked, a simple border of SC worked all the way around the finished panel will flatten and frame everything neatly. The full row-by-row method, including exactly how to work the foundation row, manage colour changes for stripes, and finish the final edge cleanly, is all demonstrated clearly in the video tutorial, which I would encourage you to watch before you cast on. If you want a wider blanket, simply add stitches in multiples that feel natural for your hook and yarn gauge, because this stitch is beautifully forgiving of customisation.

Wearing Your Tunisian Simple Stitch

A finished Crochet Tunisian Simple Stitch throw is the kind of thing you will find yourself reaching for every single day, folded at the end of a sofa for film nights, draped over your shoulders on a cool morning with a cup of tea, or spread across a bed as a textural layer that photographs beautifully in any light. The woven-looking fabric also makes it a deeply personal gift, one that the person receiving it will be able to feel the care and slowness behind. Finish yours and you will not want to put it down.

Washing and Storing Your Tunisian Blanket

Because the fabric of a Crochet Tunisian Simple Stitch blanket is denser than typical crochet, it benefits from a gentle hand wash or a machine cycle on a wool or delicate setting with cool water, which will keep the stitches looking crisp and prevent any unwanted shrinkage. Once washed, lay the blanket flat to dry rather than hanging it, as the weight of a wet fabric this size can distort the stitch columns over time. A light blocking with a damp cloth and your hands smoothing the fabric into shape before it dries will give it a beautifully polished, even finish. When storing between seasons, fold it loosely rather than tightly compressing it, and keep it somewhere breathable to preserve the loft of the fibre.

Every blanket worked in the Crochet Tunisian Simple Stitch is proof of what patience and a good hook can build, slow, intentional, and made to last far beyond a single season. Save this article to your Pinterest boards and share your finished throws with the hashtag so we can all admire what your hands have made.

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Tutorial and photos of this tunisian simple stitch by: naztazia.