Tunisian Crossed Simple Stitches

For the “columns of crossed stitches” version:
Make a chain that is a multiple of 2. In this video, Mary Beth makes 10 chs.

To make things easier to begin, start with a plain row of Tunisian Simple Stitch (TSS). This means that on the forward pass you will pick up a loop in the second ch from hook and in each chain across. Then on the return pass you will work as follows: Yo, and pull through one loop on the hook, *yo and pull through two loops, repeat from * across until only one loop remains on the hook.

Crossed Simple Stitch Forward Pass

After completing the first TSS row, skip the first vertical bar (the vertical bar that would normally be the first to be worked), insert hook from right to left (or left to right if left-handed) under the second bar, yo and pick up loop, go back to the bar that was just skipped and insert hook from right to left through this skipped bar, yo and pick up loop. This creates an “x” where the stitches cross. Repeat this process across the row: skip the next bar, pick up a loop in the following bar, go back to the skipped bar and pick up a loop, etc. One stitch will remain at the end, insert hook under both strands at the end, yo and pick up a loop. You should have the same even-number of stitches on the hook.

Mary Beth points out that each row worked actually crosses the stitches from the row below.

Work a standard return pass (as described above).

Repeat the Crossed Simple Stitch Forward Pass followed by the standard return pass for pattern.

The “alternating” version of this stitch pattern starts in the same way, beginning with a row of Tunisian Simple Stitch, with a standard return pass. For Row 1, work the Crossed Simple Stitch Forward Pass as described above with the standard return pass. Work the next row as follows:

Row 2: Insert hook from right to left under the first vertical bar, yo and pull up loop (for a TSS), then skip the next vertical bar, *insert hook from right to left (or left to right if left-handed) under the next bar, yo and pick up loop, go back to the bar that was just skipped and insert hook from right to left through this skipped bar, yo and pick up loop to create the “x”. Repeat from * across until two stitches remain at the end, make a TSS, and then insert hook under two vertical strands at the end, yo and pull up loop. You should now have the same even-number of stitches on the hook. Work a standard return pass.

Repeat the Crossed Simple Stitch row (with standard return pass), and then Row 2 (with standard return pass) as desired for pattern.