Week #9: Tunisian Basics Crochet-Along

This week in the 2023 Tunisian Basics Crochet Along we are making a square using one of my very favorite stitch sets. The Tunisian Basketweave is a stunning combination of Knit Stitches and Purl Stitches that create such a beautiful fabric. You’re going to love this one!

Tunisian Basics Crochet Along Square #9

I am so excited to be at week #9 of the Tunisian Basics Crochet Along. The end of the CAL is in sight and I can not WAIT to see everyone’s blankets!

I have been itching to share this particular square pattern with you for a couple of reasons…

It’s one of my favorite stitches to do in Tunisian. I love the texture and the look, and it uses less yarn than the traditional crochet basketweave stitch.
To show the difference in my tension between the two squares, and how I worked with the size discrepancy without frogging to make sure that my squares were both the correct size.

I crocheted these two basketweave stitch squares several weeks apart. I’m not sure why my tension was so drastically different between the two, and I didn’t notice that my green square was so much smaller than the gray until after I had completely finished crocheting it. I was short by at least a full inch! What the heck?

Unlike the Tunisian Half Double, Knit, Purl, Reverse, etc, this is a square pattern that DOES require a certain multiple of stitches. On those squares it is easy to start over with just one or two more stitches to get the correct width but in the basketweave square you’ll need to add or remove a whopping EIGHT stitches to adjust the size.

Because of this, if your square is a bit too small it’s easier to finish off and crochet an additional row or two on the border than it is to fiddle with the hook size and start the square over and over and over again.

If your square is a bit too large straight away, I’d go down a hook size and try again.

Here you can see where I added my extra rows to the green border, and how much smaller it would have been had I not added those additional rows.

The takeaway here applies not only to these Tunisian squares for this crochet-along, but for all types of crochet. Need a bit more width? Add a wider border!

If you fall in love with this stitch like I did feel free to go ahead and start my Basketweave Blanket pattern. This is a medium-sized throw pattern and can be adjusted for size using the same information outlined below.

I’ve got a NEW backpack pattern coming out soon featuring this stitch combination. I’ll share that soon on the Tunisian Crochet Patterns page. Practice with this square for now and I’ll have that pattern published ASAP. 🙌

In this CAL we are starting with the basics. The goal of this project is for you to walk away with not only a snazzy new blanket, but with a firm grasp of all things Tunisian crochet. This includes all of the basic stitches, how to read the patterns, mastering your tension, adjusting stitch counts, and so much more.

I decided to make 24 squares for my crochet-along blanket, two of each week’s pattern. My finished blanket will be 4 blocks wide and 6 blocks tall, plus the width of the border. See more about blanket sizing here.

Some things to note about this square:

The stitch multiple for this square is 8 + 4 + 2.

This square starts with 38 chains (8 x 4 = 32 + 4 = 36 + 2 = 38)

Square #9: Tunisian Basketweave Square

If you are new to this Crochet-Along, you will want to start here with the Materials & Information post. You will also benefit from the Ultimate Guide to Tunisian Crochet. This will not only help beginners to learn the techniques used in Tunisian crochet, there are helpful tips and notes for any skill level.

Now… let’s get started!

Materials:

Brava Worsted Yarn
-approx. 130 yards

Crochet hook in size 7mm (or needed to obtain gauge)

Gauge: approx. 13 sts x 12.5 rows = 4″ (10 cm) square

Finished Dimensions: approx. 11.75″ (30 cm) square

It is most important that your squares throughout the Crochet-Along remain consistent in size to each other, even if they don’t exactly match my measurements. If you find that your square is not the correct size, you can either change your hook size or adjust the number of chains needed to start.

Tunisian Stitch Multiple: The stitch multiple for the Basketweave stitch is 8 + 4 + 2. We are starting this square with 38 chains, and if you need to slightly adjust the sizing I would first adjust the hook size up or down accordingly. If the square is a bit too small you can add another row or two (or three!) to the border as needed, but do try to avoid changing the number of chains to 30 chains or 46 as that would drastically change the size of the square – probably more so than intended.

If you’d like to follow along with the video tutorial for this stitch, start with me using a chain of 38.

Pattern Notes:

Pattern written using US terms.

Return Pass: Ch-1, * YO, pull through 2 loops * repeat from * to end.

TKslst/TPslst = Tunisian Knit/Purl Slip Stitch (to fasten off, slip stitch using same hook placement to maintain the basketweave pattern)

Tunisian Basketweave Square:

Foundation Row: Ch-38, pull up a loop in the 2nd chain from the hook and in each to end. Return Pass. (38)

Rows 2 – 5: * TKS in 4 sts, TPS in 4 sts * repeat between * * across. TKS in final 4 sts. Edge stitch. Return Pass. (38)

Rows 6 – 9: * TPS in 4 sts, TKS in 4 sts * repeat between * * across. TPS in final 4 sts. Edge stitch. Return Pass. (38)

Rows 10 – 37: repeat rows 2 – 9

Tslst across maintaining Basketweave pattern. Ch-1, rotate, * sc in each row end to corner, 3sc in corner st, sc in each st across, 3sc in corner st * repeat between * * one more time. Fasten off using Invisible Join.

You will want to block each of your squares as they are completed. See this full tutorial on how to block your crochet pieces.

Of course you could wait and do them all at once before we assemble the blanket at the end of the Crochet-Along, but doing it as we go gets it out of the way while also ensuring that our sizing is correct for each square as we go along.

For my blocking board I marked out a 12″ square using my T-Pins. I then used a contrasting yarn to tie round the perimeter of the square to make blocking the square in straight lines to be easier and faster.

I am keeping this blocking template handy for the duration of the CAL so I can block as needed. Awesome!

When you finish your square be sure to comment with a photo of it on this post in the Heart Hook Home Crochet Community on Facebook. You can also tag me by using @HeartHookHome across all social media, and/or use the hashtag #2023TunisianCAL so we can ALL see!

Stay tuned for NEXT Wednesday, September 13th, 2023, when the next square will be released.