Tunisian crochet pattern
Free pattern: Crocheting a simple phone bag
A small, practical accessory for on the go – crocheted with a special technique! In Tunisian crochet, knitting and crochet combine to create a particularly stable texture. Perfect for a protective phone bag when a big handbag is too much. Discover our free pattern for a phone bag and learn how to crochet a chic and practical phone bag!
Table of contents
What you need for the phone bag:
- 1 ball of sturdy “Rope” yarn by Woolly Hugs 140 m/200 g
- Tunisian crochet hook, US G-H (4.5 mm), approx. 6" (15 cm)
-
Darning needle or small crochet hook
-
2 small carabiners
Gauge for the phone bag:
4x4" (10 x 10 cm) = 20 stitches und 16 rows (in pattern with needle 4,5 mm)
Size EU:
- 10" (26 cm) long x 3.8" (9.5 cm) wide (open)
-
6.7" (17cm) x 3.8" (9,5cm) (closed)
Suitable for all mobile phones up to approx. 14.8 cm in length; simply extend or widen the pattern for all longer mobile phones.
What is Tunisian Crochet?
Tunisian crochet is a mixture of crocheting and knitting. With a crochet hook without a handle or an interchangeable crochet hook (addiClick), this technique involves first picking up all the stitches on the hook and then crocheting them one after the other. This creates a variety of patterns and a particularly solid weave. Countless basic stitches and patterns allow for a multitude of new looks using this technique, some of which look like knitted and some like crocheted.
Tip: Don't you have a Tunisian crochet hook yet? Also check out our 2-in-1 crochet hook (we recommend addiDuett) without a handle it can be used well for this small project.
Abbreviations in the phone bag pattern:
ill = illustration
ch= chain stitches
sts = stitch(es)
ndl = needle
r = row/s
Rd round(s)
rep = repeat
Tunisian crochet
Pattern: knit stitch
Right side:
- Insert needle through two cross stitches, pull thread through*, bring thread from front to back over needle (hold tight) and insert the needle through the next two cross-threads, pulling the thread through the two loops*
- Repeat until there is only 1 sts on the needle.
Wrong side:
- 1 ch, then always crochet two stitches together, leaving 1 stitch on the needle.
Tip: You can also watch how the Tunisian knitting stitch works here in the Video by Sylvie Rasch (german) .
Tips:
No matter what you want to do with your Tunisian crochet hook, it always starts with chain stitches.
- On the right side rows, you pick up stitches that remain on the crochet hook.
-
The stitches are crocheted in the wrong side rows.
-
The last stitch of the wrong side row is the first stitch of the next right side row.
Tunisian crochet
Pattern: knit stitch
Right side:
- Insert needle through two cross stitches, pull thread through*, bring thread from front to back over needle (hold tight) and insert the needle through the next two cross-threads, pulling the thread through the two loops*
- Repeat until there is only 1 sts on the needle.
Wrong side:
- 1 ch, then always crochet two stitches together, leaving 1 stitch on the needle.
Tip: You can also watch how the Tunisian knitting stitch works here in the Video by Sylvie Rasch (german) .
Tips:
No matter what you want to do with your Tunisian crochet hook, it always starts with chain stitches.
- On the right side rows, you pick up stitches that remain on the crochet hook.
-
The stitches are crocheted in the wrong side rows.
-
The last stitch of the wrong side row is the first stitch of the next right side row.
Step 1
How to crochet the phone bag
Tip: Don't work the rows too tightly; it's better to have a nice, loose thread tension. I also recommend that you do a gauge swatch here. This way you can see if you are using the right needle size and at the same time you can practice the pattern.
Step 1: Cast on chain stitches
- When crocheting Tunisian crochet, you always start with chain stitches. For the mobile phone bag, that's 18 stitches. If your mobile phone is wider than 3.1" (8cm), you can simply cast on more stitches.
-
Make sure that the number of stitches is always divisible by 2.
Step 2
Base right and wrong side rows
Let's start with a basic right and wrong side row:
- To do this, insert the hook through the back loop of each chain stitch and pull the thread through (see Fig. 1).
-
The first loop remains on the needle and you repeat the whole thing to the end of the row – now on the crochet hook are 18 stitches.
-
On the wrong side row, the stitches are crocheted.
-
The first stitch is always an chain stitch, then pull the thread through and crochet every two stitches together until there is only one stitch left on the needle.
The base row is complete and the first pattern row can begin.
Step 2
Base right and wrong side rows
Let's start with a basic right and wrong side row:
- To do this, insert the hook through the back loop of each chain stitch and pull the thread through (see Fig. 1).
-
The first loop remains on the needle and you repeat the whole thing to the end of the row – now on the crochet hook are 18 stitches.
-
On the wrong side row, the stitches are crocheted.
-
The first stitch is always an chain stitch, then pull the thread through and crochet every two stitches together until there is only one stitch left on the needle.
The base row is complete and the first pattern row can begin.
Step 3 and 4
Crocheting the forward and return pass
Continue with the right side row of the pattern:
- Insert the crochet hook through the two front loops and pull the thread through. Then place the thread in front of the work (see Fig. 1) and insert the crochet hook through the next two loops.
-
Lay the thread upwards (see Fig. 2) and hold it in place with your right index finger. Now simply pull the thread through the two loops again (see Fig. 3) and repeat these steps until the end of the row.
-
The last stitch is a single stitch again.
The wrong side row of the pattern:
- Start with a chain stitch and then always crochet two stitches together. The last stitch remains on the needle.
Repeat the right side and wrong side rows until you have reached a length of about 14.5" (37 cm).
Step 3 and 4
Crocheting the forward and return pass
Continue with the right side row of the pattern:
- Insert the crochet hook through the two front loops and pull the thread through. Then place the thread in front of the work (see Fig. 1) and insert the crochet hook through the next two loops.
-
Lay the thread upwards (see Fig. 2) and hold it in place with your right index finger. Now simply pull the thread through the two loops again (see Fig. 3) and repeat these steps until the end of the row.
-
The last stitch is a single stitch again.
The wrong side row of the pattern:
- Start with a chain stitch and then always crochet two stitches together. The last stitch remains on the needle.
Repeat the right side and wrong side rows until you have reached a length of about 14.5" (37 cm).
Part 5
The buttonhole for the phone bag
- In the next right side row, do not insert the hook into the centre stitch, but instead make a yarn over.
-
The remaining stitches are crocheted as usual, following the pattern. On the wrong side row, also remove the stitches as usual.
The buttonhole is created by the yarn over.
- Then work another row of patterns and bind off all stitches. Your bag is finished!
Tip: If your finished crochet work curls up, simply spray it with a little water and stretch it on a soft surface. This will help you get a straight piece and make it easier to sew together.
Part 6
Sewing the phone bag together
Lay your finished crocheted piece out with the inside facing you:
- Now fold the bottom side 12 cm upwards.
-
Test how far your phone should stick out at the top and fix the height. Either with cloth clips or, alternatively, a clothes peg will also work.
-
Take your wool and sew both sides together using the Kitchener stitch.
-
Then sew up all the threads. This usually works better with this yarn when using a thinner crochet hook.
Tip: To prevent the yarn from fraying at the end, you can hold a lighter to it very briefly to seal it. But please be careful!
Part 6
Sewing the phone bag together
Lay your finished crocheted piece out with the inside facing you:
- Now fold the bottom side 12 cm upwards.
-
Test how far your phone should stick out at the top and fix the height. Either with cloth clips or, alternatively, a clothes peg will also work.
-
Take your wool and sew both sides together using the Kitchener stitch.
-
Then sew up all the threads. This usually works better with this yarn when using a thinner crochet hook.
Tip: To prevent the yarn from fraying at the end, you can hold a lighter to it very briefly to seal it. But please be careful!
Part 7
Sewing the button onto the bag
Sew the appropriate button on the folded-up front, centred, using sewing yarn.
Tip: A button with an eyelet offers more space for the strength of the pocket flap.
Part 7
Sewing the button onto the bag
Sew the appropriate button on the folded-up front, centred, using sewing yarn.
Tip: A button with an eyelet offers more space for the strength of the pocket flap.
Part 8
Bag strap for the phone bag
- To do this, take one of the carabiners and crochet four chain stitches directly into the carabiner ring. Now simply insert the hook through the stitch and pull up the thread.
-
The first loop remains on the needle and you repeat the whole thing until the end of the row – there are 4 stitches on the crochet hook.
-
On the wrong side row, the stitches are crocheted.
-
The first stitch is always an chain stitch. After that, Tunisian crochet is used in the basic pattern (video here in german): Tunisian crochet: pull the thread through all the stitches and crochet two stitches until there is only one stitch left on the needle.
-
Rep. until the desired strap length for the phone bag is reached.
Please note that the wool stretches a little. When you have reached your desired length, simply crochet the carabiner ring with single crochet stitches (as at the beginning).
Now just sew and seal both threads and your bag strap is ready.
Finally, simply hook the strap into the side stitches and your individual phone bag is finished!
Part 8
Bag strap for the phone bag
- To do this, take one of the carabiners and crochet four chain stitches directly into the carabiner ring. Now simply insert the hook through the stitch and pull up the thread.
-
The first loop remains on the needle and you repeat the whole thing until the end of the row – there are 4 stitches on the crochet hook.
-
On the wrong side row, the stitches are crocheted.
-
The first stitch is always an chain stitch. After that, Tunisian crochet is used in the basic pattern (video here in german): Tunisian crochet: pull the thread through all the stitches and crochet two stitches until there is only one stitch left on the needle.
-
Rep. until the desired strap length for the phone bag is reached.
Please note that the wool stretches a little. When you have reached your desired length, simply crochet the carabiner ring with single crochet stitches (as at the beginning).
Now just sew and seal both threads and your bag strap is ready.
Finally, simply hook the strap into the side stitches and your individual phone bag is finished!
Share your result with us:
Are you currently crocheting this pattern? Share the result on Instagram at @malamue @addi_by_selter
or in our Facebook group "addi Friends”
Instructions from Kati Müller of the label Malamü.
Videos: Tunisian crochet techniques
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