How to Tunisian Crochet in the Round

Working the First Round

Gather your materials. Tunisian crochet requires a special hook and two balls of yarn, but otherwise the materials are the same as regular crochet. Before you begin you will need: Two balls of yarn A double sided hook Scissors Yarn needle (optional)

Make the desired number of chains. You will need to start by making a chain. You can make your chain as long as you want it to be for your project. Start by looping the yarn around your fingers twice, pulling one loop through the other, and sliding this loop onto your hook. Pull the tail of the yarn to tighten the loop. Then, yarn over, and pull the yarn through the loop. This will complete your first chain. Continue to yarn over and pull through to make more chains.

Connect the chains in a circle. When your chain is complete, connect the first chain to the last chain using a slipstitch. To slipstitch, insert your hook through the last loop in the chain and then yarn over. Pull the yarn through both chains to connect them.

Crochet into chains to get them onto the hook. To begin working your chains onto the hook, you will need to insert the hook through the first chain in your circle, then yarn over and pull the loop through. However, do not yarn over again to finish the stitch. Move onto the next stitch in the circle and keep going until you cannot get any more chains onto the hook.

Work chains off the hook. When you cannot add any more chains to the hook, then you will need to work some off. To work chains off of the hook, turn the hook around and then slide the stitches over to the other side of the double sided hook. Grab the strand from your other ball of yarn, and loop the yarn over the hook. Then, pull the yarn through the first two loops on this side of your hook. Continue to yarn over and pull through two until you have removed the desired number of stitches from the hook. Keep in mind that it is best to leave a few loops on your hook. Do not take all of the stitches off.

Turn the hook around again and keep adding stitches. After you have removed the desired number of stitches, turn your hook around again, slide the stitches over to the other side, and add more stitches onto the hook. You will need to keep repeating this process of adding and removing stitches until you have worked around the entire circle.

Join the last two stitches with a slipstitch. When you reach the end of your first round, insert the hook through the top of the last stitch, yarn over and pull through the loops to secure the sides together. This will complete your first round of Tunisian crochet.

Working Additional Rounds

Insert the hook through the vertical bar. Your second round and all rounds after that one will be similar to the first, but slightly different. The main difference is that you will be inserting the hook into the vertical bar between the rows of your stitches. This bar is created as you work the basic Tunisian crochet stitch and it will be present in every row. Insert your hook into the first vertical bar to begin your second round.

Yarn over and pull through. Next, loop the yarn over your hook and pull the loop through the vertical bar. This will complete your first stitch worked onto the hook. Continue to work stitches onto the hook until you cannot add any more.

Work the stitches off when you can’t add any more. When you are ready to being working stitches off the hook, turn the hook around and slide the stitches over to the other side of the hook. Switch to your other ball of yarn and yarn over. Then, pull through two loops to remove stitches. Continue to yarn over and pull through two until you have removed the desired number of stitches. Remember to leave a few stitches on your hook. Do not remove all of them.

Join the two ends with a slipstitch. When you get to the end of your round, then you will need to join the ends. Insert the hook through the first stitch in your round and yarn over. Then, pull through the first two stitches on your hook to secure the slipstitch. Make sure that you join the ends of each round using a slipstitch to ensure that your rounds are even.

Continue to work around the circle until it is finished. When you are finished with your project, work the remaining chains off of the hook and use a slipstitch to join the last stitch to the beginning of the round. Then, cut the working yarn a few inches from the last stitch and pull the thread through to secure the last stitch. You can either weave in the tail using a yarn needle or tie it off again and cut the excess so that only about 1/2" (1.3 cm) remains.

Improving Your Results

Keep the stitches straight. Any time you are working in the round, it is important to pay attention to the direction of your stitches and make sure that they do not become twisted. Check your chain when you are first starting the round and then check your work as you work the second round and beyond. This will help to ensure that your stitches are straight.

Use a stitch marker to mark the beginning. Marking the first stitch with a stitch marker is a great way to keep track of where each round begins and ends. Place a stitch marker through the first stitch in your round and move the stitch marker up after each round. If you do not have any stitch markers, then you can use paper clip, safety pin, or even a scrap of yarn looped through the stitch and tied in a bow.

Place one ball of yarn on either side of you. Since Tunisian crochet requires alternating between two balls of yarn, you may easily end up with twisted strands if you keep them too close to each other. To prevent this from happening, place one ball on either side of you while you work.

Leave a few stitches on the hook at all times. Although you need to remove stitches as you work the Tunisian crochet in the round, it is a good idea to always leave a few stitches on the hook. This will help to create a more seamless look and improve the appearance of your finished project.