Tunisian Smock Stitch Tutorial

The Tunisian Smock Stitch is such a lovely, fun crochet stitch. All the rage for pillows, cowls, mittens and more, let’s learn this interesting Tunisian crochet stitch today!

About the Tunisian Smock Stitch:

This stitch is a two-row repeat.

We use the yarn under technique (instead of yarning over as with normal crochet, we pull the yarn to the front of the hook). After pulling the yarn to the front of your hook, you’ll need to hold it in place while you pull up the next loop.

You need to know how to make a Tunisian Simple Stitch decrease in order to make this stitch. You’ll go through both of the next two vertical bars and pull up a loop.

Tips

Always start the row (both of the repeat rows) with a normal TSS2tog. Do NOT yarn under on that first decrease of the row.

Always end the row (both of the repeat rows) with a yarn under. Pay close attention when learning this stitch as to where that yarn under should go, but there will ALWAYS be an increase at the end of each row.

Instructions:

1. Start with an even numbered chain. For example, 20. We will use the stitch count of 20 throughout this tutorial.

2. Set your foundation row by making a Tunisian Simple Stitch starting in the second chain from the hook and each chain to the end. Make your backward pass as with normal Tunisian Crochet: Chain one, yarn over pull through two loops, yarn over pull through two loops, yarn over pull through two loops, until only one loop remains.

First row of Tunisian Smock:

3. To create the next row, TSS2tog. (Tunisian Simple Stitch two together by going under the next two vertical bars and pulling up a loop.)

4. Yarn under holding this loop in place with your index finger (this is technically an increase because we are adding another loop to the hook). Now you will TSS2tog (this is technically a decrease since we are going under two loops). These two will offset each other meaning the stitch count remains the same at the end of the row.

5. When you get to the end, yarn under and pull up a loop in the last/outside stitch. (you should have 20 loops on your hook here)

6. Complete backward pass as normal: Chain one, yarn over pull through two loops, yarn over pull through two loops, yarn over pull through two loops, until only one loop remains.

That is one row of the two-row repeat complete!

We will alternate that row with the following row, back and forth until your piece is as tall as desired.

7. Make one solo Tunisian Simple Stitch in the first vertical bar. (This offsets the “V” of the smock stitch which will result in the diamond effect.)

8. TSS2tog using the next two vertical bars. (Remember, do NOT yarn under on the first decrease of the row!)

9. Yarn under, TSS2tog to the end of the row. (as in #4 above)

10. When only one stitch is remaining (not including the outside stitch), yarn under and make one solo Tunisian Simple Stitch there.

11. Pull up a loop in the last/outside stitch. (you should again have 20 loops on your hook here)

12. Complete backward pass as normal: Chain one, yarn over pull through two loops, yarn over pull through two loops, yarn over pull through two loops, until only one loop remains.

That is the second row of the two-row repeat complete!

Start over at step 3 and repeat through step 12 until your piece is as tall as you like.

To fasten off the Tunisian Smock Stitch, bind off using the vertical bar and the front loop of the corresponding horizontal bar of the same stitch. This helps to cinch up any holes left where you would have made those decreases had you continued. (Shown in detail in the video below) Do this until you get to the end of the row.