Tunisian Simple Stitch

Tunisian simple stitch is the base of Tunisian, or afghan, crochet, a technique that sits between crochet and knitting and is worked on a long hook that holds many loops at once. Each row has two passes: on the forward pass you draw up a loop from each vertical bar and keep every loop on the hook, and on the return pass you work those loops off two at a time until one remains, which sets up the next row. The result is a dense, flat, sturdy fabric with a distinctive grid of little vertical bars on the front, firmer and less stretchy than ordinary crochet. It is a genuine beginner technique once you have the long hook, and it is the gateway to the whole family of Tunisian stitches. Because Tunisian fabric tends to curl toward the front, most pieces need a border or blocking to lie flat. It uses more yarn than plain crochet for its density. Keep the loops an even height on the forward pass so the bars line up.