Tunisian Crochet Basket Weave Stitch Tutorial

Discover the secrets of the Tunisian Crochet Basket Weave Stitch as you learn how to create the distinctive square motifs and master the weaving technique that brings this stitch to life. The article provides a comprehensive tutorial that covers everything from the foundation row to the pattern repeat, ensuring that you can easily replicate the intricate basket weave pattern with confidence.

So grab your Tunisian crochet hook, select your favorite yarn, and prepare to immerse yourself in the art of the Basket Weave Stitch. With the help of this tutorial, you'll be able to incorporate this mesmerizing stitch pattern into your crochet repertoire, adding a touch of elegance and texture to your future projects. Follow the instructions provided to create stunning basket weave designs that are sure to impress.

Instructions

Foundation Row: Chain 14. Pull up a loop in the second chain from the hook and in each chain to end.

Return pass is as in traditional Tunisian crochet: Chain one to start. Yarn over and pull through two loops, yarn over pull through two loops… all the way to the end of the row. We have now created the foundation row onto which we will build the basket weave fabric.

First Basket Weave row: Tunisian Knit Stitch in the first 4 sts, Tunisian Purl Stitch in the next 4 sts.

Alternate 4 knit and 4 purl stitches across, ending with 4 Tunisian Knit Stitches.

In the outside/last st, pull up a final loop.

Return Pass as normal.

Complete three more rows exactly as the last. You should have four rows of Tunisian Basket Weave.

Now we will alternate the stitches so that we start with 4 purl stitches, then 4 knit stitches, then 4 purl stitches etc.

Complete this for four rows total.

Once those four rows are completed you’ll start a new set of blocks. This time starting with 4 knit, 4 purl, 4 knit, etc.

Continue building height in this manner until the piece is as tall as you like. When you are ready to fasten off you’ll slip stitch in each vertical bar across. Make sure not to slip stitch too tightly!

Questions

How many stitches wide should each Tunisian basket weave portion be?

Each woven “box” can be as small or as large as you like. You do want the boxes to be big enough to create the effect of the basket weave yet small enough that you can clearly see the design. Commonly you’ll find patterns using boxes that are 4 stitches wide and 4 rows tall, or 5 stitches wide and 5 rows tall.

How many chains do I need to start?

The number of chains needed depends on how wide you’d like each textured box to be. In this tutorial example each box is 4 stitches wide, and I prefer to have an odd number of boxes. This ensures that the textured boxes both start with a knit stitch “box” and end with the knit stitch “box”.

To determine how many chains I need to start a project first decide how many boxes wide the project needs to be, then take that number and multiply it by 4. If the project is 7 boxes wide, and we account for the outside stitch on each end, the math would look like this:

4 sts per block x 7 blocks wide = 28 stitches, plus one for each side = 30 chains to start.