This lovely crochet pattern is a two-color Tunisian stitch — often called the Tunisian Simple Stitch (TSS) with color change or Tunisian Cross Stitch pattern. It creates a beautiful woven look with alternating colors (here orange and white).
Here’s a step-by-step guide to make it:
🧶 Materials Needed
- Yarn: Two contrasting colors (A = orange, B = white)
- Hook: Tunisian crochet hook (size 1–2 mm larger than recommended for your yarn)
- Scissors & tapestry needle
🪡 Step-by-Step Tutorial
🔹 Step 1: Foundation Chain
- With Color A (orange), chain an even number of stitches — for example, 24.
- This even number helps the pattern alternate correctly between colors.
🔹 Step 2: Foundation Row (Forward Pass)
- Skip the first chain from your hook.
- Insert your hook into the back bump of the next chain, yarn over, pull up a loop.
- Continue pulling up loops in each chain across the row.
👉 You’ll have as many loops on your hook as chains you made.
🔹 Step 3: Foundation Row (Return Pass)
- With Color A, yarn over and pull through 1 loop only (this makes the edge).
- Now switch to Color B (white) — attach the new color.
- Yarn over with Color B, pull through 2 loops at a time across the row until one loop remains.
Your first row is done.
🎨 Main Pattern
Now the magic begins!
We’ll alternate rows — one with orange, one with white — and create the woven “X” pattern.
🟠 Row 1 (Forward Pass – Color A / Orange)
- Insert your hook under the second vertical bar from the previous row (skip the first bar).
- Yarn over, pull up a loop.
- Next, insert your hook diagonally — behind the next vertical bar and through the following one (cross two bars).
- This creates the “X” texture.
- Yarn over, pull up a loop.
- Repeat this diagonal pattern across the row.
- You’ll end with one last simple stitch at the edge.
👉 You now have orange loops across your hook.
⚪ Row 1 (Return Pass – Color B / White)
- Attach white if not already attached.
- Yarn over, pull through 1 loop only (edge).
- Then yarn over, pull through 2 loops at a time across until one loop remains.
That finishes your first two-tone stripe.
⚪ Row 2 (Forward Pass – Color B / White)
- With white yarn, start your forward pass:
- Insert hook diagonally again (crossing two vertical bars), yarn over, pull up a loop.
- Continue this diagonal motion all across.
- Keep your loops on the hook.
🟠 Row 2 (Return Pass – Color A / Orange)
- With orange, yarn over, pull through 1 loop only.
- Yarn over, pull through 2 loops at a time across the row.
You’ll start to see the alternating color diamonds appear — white stitches leaning one way, orange the other!
🔁 Repeat Pattern
Continue alternating:
- Orange forward / white return
- White forward / orange return
Each color forms a zig-zag “V” layer on top of the previous one.
🧷 Edging (Optional)
To finish your project neatly:
- Do one final row of Tunisian simple stitch in one color.
- Then use slip stitches or single crochet bind-off across the top edge.
- Add a border if desired (e.g., single crochet around all sides).
💡 Tips
- Always keep your stitches loose, especially the return pass.
- When changing colors, carry the unused yarn up the side to avoid extra ends.
- This stitch looks beautiful in baby blankets, scarves, and cushions.