In this article I’m sharing the technique to make the Tunisian rib stitch in 2 colors but worked flat (not in the round).
Tunisian rib stitch
I already documented the Tunisian rib stitch on my website. It’s a pair of 2 different stitches: the Tunisian simple stitch and the Tunisian twisted (up) stitch.
It is fairly easy to make the Tunisian rib stitch in 2 colors with a double-ended hook when you work in a round. It’s always the same pair of stitches on the forward pass. You turn your work to close the loops on the return pass with a different yarn. And that’s it!
The Tunisian rib stitch in 2 colors but… flat
Now, you can make the Tunisian rib stitch in 2 different colors, not in a round but flat. With a double-ended Tunisian crochet hook.
Note that the Tunisian rib stitch is not reversible. You don’t have the same motif on both sides of your work. You have a “front” side and a “back” side.
Keep a few elements in mind:
- On the forward pass, you always use the same yarn to pick up loops (white yarn on the photo above). Then you turn your work when you have completed a forward pass.
- On the return pass, you always use another yarn to work loops off the hook (blue yarn on the photo). You do NOT turn your work at the end of a return pass.
When the front side of your work is facing you (the side with the rib stitch motif), you always pick up stitches in the FRONT vertical bars. You make the “usual” Tunisian rib stitch motif: a Tunisian simple stitch and a Tunisian twisted (up) stitch. Nothing different here.
When the back side of your work is facing you (the rib stitch motif is on the other side), you purl all stitches (so the working yarn is in front of the hook, not at the back) AND you pick up stitches in the BACK vertical bars (so you make reverse and twisted up reverse stitches).
The technique in video on YouTube
Here is a video (in French) to show how to make this motif. Much easier than a photo tutorial.