It looks fancy and complicated, but this two-color columnar Tunisian stitch is simply a slight variation on the Tunisian simple stitch! The two sides of the wrap are crocheted from the bottom up and joined, and the back is worked across both sides. This wrap makes for a cozy and stylish accessory all season long.
Skill Level: Intermediate
Size: Finished Size = 26” at widest point x 26” at tallest point, lying flat, excluding edging
Gauge: 14 sts and 14 rows = 4” [10 cm] in stitch pattern given
Materials
Yarn:
Cascade Yarns 220 Superwash Sport (100% superwash merino wool; 136 yards [125 meters]/50 grams): #818 Mocha (MC, 3 skeins), #1967 Wisteria (CC, 3 skeins)
Hook: US size H/8 (5.0 mm) tunisian hook, or size needed to obtain gauge
Notions: Tapestry needle
Special Stitches
Cast on (CO): There are two choices for this cast-on. 1) Yo your finger, twist the loop made, place twisted loop on hook, pull gently to tighten. If you are familiar with knitting terms, this is a backwards loop or cursive E cast-on. 2) If you are familiar with the knit long-tail cast-on you can use it here, using both MC and CC strand that are on the left-hand side of the Left Front when it’s time to cast on, and making sure you orient the 2 strands to the color you are placing on the hook is the same color as the rest of the loops on the hook.
Decrease (dec): On the forward pass, insert hook through 2 vertical bars as one, yo, draw through both vertical bars, leave loop on hook.
Increase (inc): On the forward pass, insert hook through vertical bar before the increase and draw up a loop, insert hook through the horizontal st between vertical bar just worked and the next vertical bar and draw up a loop, insert hook through next vertical bar and draw up a loop.
Standard Return: Yo, draw through 1 loop on hook, * yo, draw through 2 loops on hook. Rep from * across until only 1 loop remains on hook.
Tunisian Simple Stitch (TSS): Forward pass – insert the hook right to left through vertical bar (left to right for left-handed stitchers), yo, draw through bar and leave loop on hook.
Twisted Tunisian Simple Stitch (TTSS): Forward pass – insert the hook left to right through vertical bar (right to left for left-handed stitchers), yo, draw through bar and leave loop on hook.
Pattern Notes
Remember, all Tunisian crochet rows have two parts- a forward pass in which you are putting loops on the hook and a return pass in which you are taking loops off the hook. Only the forward passes are written out – all returns are the standard return as defined in Special Stitches.
Pattern
Left Half
With CC, ch 28.
Row 1 Forward: TSS. (28 sts)
Row 1 Return: With MC, Standard Return (see Special Stitches), ch 2, do not turn
Row 2 Forward: With MC, draw up loop in 2nd ch from hook, *TTSS, TSS. Rep from * until 2 vertical bars remain, dec. (29 sts)
Row 2 Return: With CC, Standard Return, ch 2.
Row 3 Forward: With CC, draw up loop in 2nd ch from hook, *TSS, TTSS. Rep from * until 2 vertical bars remain, dec. (30 sts)
Row 3 Return: With MC, Standard Return, ch 2.
Rows 4-23: Rep Rows 2-3, do not ch 2 after Row 23. 50 sts after Row 23.
Row 24 Forward: With MC, *TSS, TTSS. Rep from * until 2 vertical bars remain, dec. (49 st)
Row 24 Return: With CC, standard return.
Row 25 Forward: With CC, *TTSS, TSS. Rep from * until 2 vertical bars remain, dec. (48 sts)
Row 25 Return: With MC, standard return.
Rows 26-40: Rep Rows 24-25. (33 sts after Row 25)
Rows 41-47: Work even in pattern as established.
Rows 48-54: Maintaining color pattern as established, increase 1 st at neck edge (see Special Stitches) every row. 40 sts after Row 54. Set aside work until it’s time to join with Second Half.
Right Half
With CC, ch 28.
Row 1 Forward: TSS. (28 sts)
Row 1 Return: With MC, Standard Return.
Row 2 Forward: With MC, dec (see Special Stitches), *TSS, TTSS. Rep from * across to last vertical bar, TSS, CO 2. (29 sts)
Row 2 Return: With CC, standard return.
Row 3 Forward: With CC, dec, *TSS, TTSS. Rep from * across to end, CO 2. (30 sts)
Row 3 Return: With MC, standard return.
Rows 4-23: Rep Rows 2-3.
Row 24 Forward: With MC, dec, *TSS, TTSS. Rep from * across to last vertical bar, TSS. (49 sts)
Row 24 Return: With CC, standard return.
Row 25 Forward: With CC, dec, *TSS, TTSS. Rep from * across to end. (28 sts)
Row 25 Return: With MC, standard return.
Rows 26-40: Rep Rows 24-25. (33 sts after Row 25)
Rows 41-47: Work even in pattern as established.
Rows 48-54: Maintaining color pattern as established, increase 1 st at neck edge (see Special Stitches) every row. 40 sts after Row 54.
Row 55: Work 1 row even, ch 11 st at end of return pass, end off chain.
Join Two Halves
Maintaining color pattern as established, work forward across Left Half, pick up a loop in each of the 11 ch on the right hand side of Right Half, continue across Right Half. (91 sts)
Back
Maintaining color pattern as established, work even for 14 rows/2”.
Then, maintaining color pattern as established, crochet for 42 rows/6”, making a dec at the beg and end of each forward pass. There will be 2 less sts on each row.
End off.
Finishing
With MC, work 2 rnds sc around shawl, beginning anywhere, placing 3 sc in each corner or point and making sure to work in the vertical bars of the final row of stitching to close the row on the first rnd. Join rnds with sl st in first sc, end off after second rnd.
Weave in ends.