Moon and Stars Tunisian Crochet Blanket

This Tunisian crochet baby blanket is a wonderful project if you would like to master colourwork in Tunisian crochet while working on a project that will be cherished for a long time! The pattern can be customised to make blanket beyond baby/toddler size. The recommended yarn weight for this baby blanket is DK, but it would look amazing in worsted or even bulky weight yarn.

Last updated: 28/01/2024

This was my first large Tunisian crochet project- Tunisian crochet baby blanket. I got inspired by the amazing work of other crocheters on Facebook and Pinterest, got a very ambitious idea, ordered yarn and slowly started crocheting.

I absolutely loved the process of designing the individual elements, planning how to deal with the dreaded curl that is typical for Tunisian crochet, seeing how the three colours worked out together and finally after months of work and several delays enjoyed the finished project! Several nights after my little boy feel asleep under this blanket and I took about gazillion pictures:-).

Aside from all of this, I was humbled by the amazing response I got from fellow crocheters on Instagram and pictures of the blanket got even reshared by a certain crochet superstar! So without further ado, you can find the tech edited pattern below. Happy crocheting!

You can purchase the add free PDF version of the pattern at LoveCraft here and Ravelry here.

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Please NOTE that this pattern is subject to copyright and is my intellectual property. The online version is for personal use only. Do not re-publish or sell this pattern in part or full or make video tutorials of it. Any such actions are a breach of copyright and can result in legal action.

Night sky can appear in so many ways depending on the time, season, weather and this ever-changing scenery was an inspiration behind this design. This blanket is a beginner friendly Tunisian crochet project introducing several different techniques used in Tunisian crochet that can be a great stepping stone to learning this crochet style.

The pattern is written for toddler/ small child size of blanket; however the design can be modified easily by adding or reducing star or moon sections vertically or horizontally to make the final blanket larger or smaller according to your specific need.

Skills required:

To create this beautiful Tunisian crochet baby blanket, you will need to master (or already know) these stitches and techniques:

Chain, Tunisian crochet technique (alternating forward and backward passes), Tunisian simple stitch (tss), Tunisian purl stitch (tps), Tunisian honeycomb stitch (ths), end row changing colours, changing colours as you go, binding off in Tunisian crochet, blocking.

Skill level:

Finished measurements:

The final Tunisian crochet baby blanket measurements (blocked):

 127 x 137 cm (approx. 50 x 54 in)

Materials and tools:

To get the exact look as on the pictures of my Tunisian crochet baby blanket, you will need:

Stylecraft Special DK (100% Acrylic | DK | 100 g (3.5 oz) = 295 m (323 yds), Apricot (A) #1026 3 skeins, Turquoise (B) #1068 3 skeins, Silver (C) #1203 3 skeins

Tunisian crochet hook size 6 mm (J-10) with cable (at least 100 cm (40 in)) or size to obtain the gauge

Tapestry needle

Scissors

You can get your craft supplies here.

Gauge:

The Tunisian crochet baby blanket has got blocked gauge as follows:

15 sts x 14 rows= 10 x 10 cm (4 x 4 in) over tss

Gauge helps you to understand how the project turns out in terms of the final size. If you would like to achieve the exact size of the final project as in the instructions above, you gauge needs to match exactly to the above.

If you get more stitches and/or rows than stated above using the exact hook size as per instructions, your final project will turn out smaller. Conversely, if you get less stitches and/or rows than stated above using the exact hooks size as per instructions, your final project will turn out bigger.

To make adjustments, if you get more stitches and/or rows, you can try using bigger hook size to get closer to the desired size. Conversely, if you get less stitches and/or rows, you can try using smaller hook size to get closer to the desired size.

It may take trial and error to try out a few hook sizes to achieve the exact size.

Alternatively, if you really don’t want to make several samples to achieve the desired size, you can try to alter your tension as you work the project. However, I would advise to try this out once you master the basics of Tunisian crochet as it may be a bit tiresome to try to master the basics of Tunisian crochet and focus on alternating your tension while working the project.

If this Tunisian crochet blanket is your first Tunisian crochet project and are not sure if this project matches your skills, I have a Tunisian crochet masterclass tutorial that will jump-start your Tunisian crochet journey!

Stitch guide:

Tunisian crochet stitches are worked in forward and return pass from right to left, with the number of stitches (loops) increasing on the hook during forward pass and decreasing during the return pass.

Return pass (RP) is worked in the same way for all stitches used in this project as follows:  1 ch, *yrh, draw through 2 loops on hook, rep from * until 1 loop on hook.

Edge stitches:

Right edge stitch- This is the first stitch and is not usually worked into because there is one loop on the hook left after completing the return pass of the previous row. This one loop corresponds to the first stitch of the new row.

Left edge stitch- This stitch is referred to in the pattern as the End Stitch and is crocheted as follows: Rotate the end of the fabric towards yourself, insert the hook under both bars (left and right) of the last st, yrh and pul.

  • First row of Tunisian crochet: Insert the hook in the back bump of second ch from hook, yrh and pul across. Standard return pass.
  • Tunisian simple stitch: Insert the hook from right to left under front vertical bar of the next st, yrh and pul. Standard return pass.
  • Tunisian purl stitch: Bring yarn to the front on the work and hook, insert the hook from right to left under the front vertical bar of the next st, yrh and pul. Standard return pass.
  • Tunisian honeycomb stitch: This stitch is worked over an even number of stitches and 2 rows as follows:
  • Row 1: *Tss, tps; rep from * to last st, ES. Standard return pass.
  • Row 2: *Tps, tss; rep from * to last st, ES. Standard return pass.

Bind off: Insert hook from right to left under front vertical bar of the next st, yrh, pul and pull through the loop that is on the hook. One loop remains on the hook.

End row changing colours in Tunisian crochet: The new colour is added when finishing the return pass of the previous row and 2 loops are remaining on the hook. Yrh with the new colour and draw through 2 loops.

Changing colours as you go: When changing the colours within a row in Tunisian crochet, place the new strand of yarn over the old strand. This locks the old colour in place and prevent gaps occurring between the different colour sections.

Stitch charts:

Tunisian Honeycomb stitch border chart

Notes

The Tunisian crochet baby blanket is crocheted flat with RS always facing. It consists of three horizontal sections of Star or Moon patterns (each is 50 stitches x 50 rows of Tunisian simple stitches large) that are surrounded by border (10 stitches x 10 rows) of Honeycomb stitch (Please see Moon and Stars Tunisian Crochet Blanket schematic) in alternating colours of A, B, and C.

The charts are worked flat. The Star pattern is repeated 3 times horizontally and 3 times vertically when completing the blanket, except for the first horizontal segment where it is repeated twice. The Moon pattern is crocheted once in the bottom right corner. There are two versions of the Moon pattern to choose from, one off centred (V1) and one aligned centrally (V2). The blanket pictured throughout this pattern was crocheted using the Moon pattern V1.

The Moon and Star patterns colourwork can be crocheted in two different ways depending on the preference. It can be done either as stranded colourwork or intarsia. If using stranded colourwork, the background colour is carried over and wrapped around the pattern colour every 2-3 stitches to avoid loose floats. It is important to keep the passive yarn taut but not too tight to avoid distorting the Star or Moon pattern. When using intarsia, a separate bobbin for each colour is required and only 1 colour is used at a time with the inactive colour left hanging until the next colour change.  

It is important to lock the strands of yarn when changing colours in either of these methods (Please see Stitch guide).

Instructions:

With C, chain 192

Row 1 FP: Insert the hook in the back bump of second ch from hook, yrh and pul across. 192 loops on hook.

Row 1 RP and all other RPs: Standard RP.

Row 2: *Tss, tps; rep from * to ES, ES.

Row 3: *Tps, tss; rep from * to ES, ES.

Row 4- 11: Rep rows 2-3.

Row 12: *Tss, tps; rep from * 4 more times, following the blanket schematic, work Moon chart in tss, [*tss, tps; rep from * 4 more times, following the blanket schematic, work Star chart in tss] 2 times, *tss, tps; rep from * 4 more times, ES.

Row 13: *Tps, tss; rep from * 4 more times, following the blanket schematic, work Moon chart in tss, [*tps, tss; rep from * 4 more times, following the blanket schematic, work Star chart in tss] 2 times, *tps, tss; rep from * 4 more times, ES.

Rows 14-61: Rep rows 12-13.

Rows 62- 71: Rep rows 2-3.

Row 72: [*Tss, tps; rep from * 4 more times, following the blanket schematic, work Star chart in tss] 3 times, *tss, tps; rep from * 4 more times, ES.

Row 73: [*Tps, tss; rep from * 4 more times, following the blanket schematic, work Star chart in tss] 3 times, *tps, tss; rep from * 4 more times, ES.

Rows 74-121: Rep rows 72-73.

Rows 122-131: Rep rows 2-3.

Rows 132-181: Rep rows 72-73.

Rows 182-191: Rep rows 2-3.

Row 192: Bind off.

Finishing:

To finish off your Tunisian crochet baby blanket, weave in ends and block to final measurements.

I would love to see and share your work on social media, use #moonandstarsblanket or #exquisitecrochetuk.

Pattern support: exquisite.crochet.uk@gmail.com

Moon and Stars Tunisian Crochet Blanket schematic

Abbreviations:

Ch- chain

st(s)- stitch(es)

sl st- slip stitch

ES- end stitch

tss- Tunisian simple stitch

tps- Tunisian purl stitch

tks- Tunisian knit stitch

tcs- Tunisian crossed stitch

ths- Tunisian honeycomb stitch

yrh- yarn round the hook

lp(s)- loop(s)

pul- pull up a loop

RS- right side

WS- wrong side

FP- forward pass

RP- return pass

approx.- approximately

rep- repeat

t2tog- Tunisian 2 together

tls- Tunisian crossed lattice stitch

Star Chart

Moon Chart v1 (off centred)

Moon Chart v2 (centrally aligned)

You can purchase the add free PDF version of the pattern at LoveCraft here and Ravelry here.

Further resources:

Video tutorial:

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Did you enjoy This Blanket Pattern? Then you will love my other Home Decor patterns:

Modwen Cushion

Blessed Three Star Coaster

Ahavah Baby Blanket

Textured Bobble Throw

Lilly Blanket

Elsam Blanket

Thank you so much if you got this far in the pattern! I hope you got inspired for your own version using various colours. I can’t wait to see it! Don’t forget to tag me on Instagram and let me know in the comment section below how you got on with it! As always, if you have any pattern query, the quickest way to get it answered is by emailing me on the pattern support email address above.

Happy crocheting!

15 thoughts on “Moon and Stars Tunisian Crochet Blanket

  1. I’m new to Tunisian crochet and am finding it difficult to follow the pattern. How many times stitches did you do between each star square?

    1. Hello Sherri, each star/moon section is surrounded by 10 stitches wide border except for right and left edges due to adding 1 st on each side to account for edge stitches, so the first panel would be: 11 sts of border (right edge), 50 sts of star/moon pattern, 10 sts of border between first and second square, 50 sts of star pattern, 10 sts of border between second and third square, 50 sts of star pattern and 11 sts of border (left edge). Please let me know if this makes a bit more sense.

      1. Hello, I’m new to Tunisian crochet, I am familiar with the simple stitch, return pass, and increasing and decreasing, but everything else in your pattern is new for me, even reading the charts…

        My question is this: if I want to alter the size and make it only 2 stars by 2 stars, how much should I subtract? Based on your reply here to Sherri, I think I should subtract 60 to accommodate for the 2nd 10 stitch border, correct?

        Thank you for your help!

  2. When you mention the return passes you have *yRh* now i understand y- yarn and h- hook but I’ve got not idea on the r i’m used to the *yOh* yarn Over hook.

    Just curious, and if you dont ask you never learn do you!!

    Its a beautiful pattern!!

    Thank you for sharing it with us!!

    1. Hello, thank you! it is yarn round hook. When I first started designing I used a house style for a UK magazine I had my patterns published in and I just got accustomed to using it in all my patterns :-). It is the same as yo.

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