Tunisian Crochet Back Bar Stitch Tutorial

A great open weave, lightweight Tunisian crochet fabric? The Tunisian Back Bar Stitch! To make this stitch we’re working into the back bar of the Backward Pass of the previous row. It sounds like a lot, but when you break it down it’s really quite simple. Let’s master this stitch together today.

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How to Crochet the Tunisian Back Bar Stitch

This gorgeous stitch checks all the boxes: it’s lightweight, doesn’t use a lot of yarn, it drapes beautifully, and you can make the loops as tall as you like. Tunisian crochet is so fun to make garments because the stitches are so versatile. Once you get the hang of pulling up the Forward Pass and knocking off those stitches in the Backward Pass, it really does roll right along!

If you’re new to Tunisian Crochet, I do encourage you to check out the Ultimate Guide to Tunisian Crochet. I spent many hours creating this free resource and I’d love for you to get good use out of it!

If you’re not new to Tunisian Crochet, this stitch is worked exactly like the Tunisian Simple Stitch with one minor variation: where you insert your hook to pull up the loops on your Forward Pass. Yep, easy peasy.

Tunisian Back Bar Stitch FAQ:

Is there a stitch multiple needed for this stitch? No, there is not. Chain as many or as little as you like for the width you are needing.

How is this stitch abbreviated in crochet patterns? This stitch is usually written as TBBS.

How tall is this stitch? As tall as you like! I have noticed that the taller you make your loops, the harder it is to keep your tension consistent, so I like to pull loops up to about 1/2″, or about 13mm.

Tunisian Back Bar Stitch Steps:

Start with a foundation row of Tunisian stitches in any number of chains. For the Forward Pass, pull up a loop in the second chain from the hook and in each chain across. To start the Backward Pass (as in other Tunisian crochet stitches): Chain one. * Yarn Over pull through two loops. Repeat from * until you run out of loops.

To start the new Forward Pass/row and your first actual Back Bar Stitch, pull up a loop in the back bar of the last stitch you made. Pull up a loop and raise them up to about 11/2″ tall (13mm or so).

Continue pulling up loops to this height across the entire piece. I find it helpful to hold the loops on the hook with the index finger of my working hand to keep them from changing in size.

Where you pull up the loop for the outside/left edge stitch is different than with other Tunisian crochet stitches.

The final loop of the Forward Pass does not go into the edge stitch as normal, rather we use the final back bar of the row. Because of this, I find it extremely helpful to either count my stitches as I add them to the hook, and/or use a stitch marker to note where the final stitch should go each row. Either way, when you get to the end of the row, you should end with as many stitches as chains you had at the start.

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Backward Pass: Chain one. * Yarn Over pull through two loops. Repeat from * until you run out of loops.

To start the new row of TBBS, pull up a loop in the back bar of that first stitch.

Continue pulling up loops in the back bar of each stitch across. Again, the final loop of the Forward Pass is actually the last back bar.

Backward Pass: Chain one. * Yarn Over pull through two loops. Repeat from * until you run out of loops.

When your piece is as tall as needed, your pattern may or may not include a slip stitch row. Because this stitch is so open and airy, the slip stitch row could bulk things up quite a bit. If you do need to do the slip stitch row, work into the back bar of each stitch all the way across.

That’s it! Isn’t this fun?

Here’s the VIDEO tutorial for the Back Bar Stitch:

If you would rather watch this video on YouTube, you can find it on my channel here. Don’t forget to subscribe while you’re there!

This makes for a great fabric for wraps and shawls, and for the Aglow Tunisian Duster Vest! That pattern is new and features 9 complete sizes. I can’t wait to see yours!