Challenge yourself and learn the art of mosaic crochet! A super fun technique with which you can conjure up the most extraordinary patterns with the most basic crochet stitches. Join Nienke, finalist of the Dutch HaakSTER (‘Crochet- STAR’) competition, as she takes you by the hand and introduces you to mosaic crochet in our in-depth video tutorial.
Crochet is never boring! Time and time again, you come across something new. A design that seems to have been written just for your body shape, yarns with the most incredible, appealing colors and textures, new books and magazines packed with inspiration to tackle your first garment or amigurumi. But what keeps crochet truly exciting is trying out new stitches and techniques. Whether it’s stepping into the world of filet crochet with our Dream Blanket 5.0 CAL or experimenting with swatches from our Stitch of the Month series. And today, we’re excited to introduce you to a whole new crochet technique: mosaic crochet. Are you ready?
Mosaic crochet is a colorwork technique that’s ideal for adding graphic and geometric patterns and designs to your project. In fact, mosaic crochet is the umbrella term for two different techniques: overlay mosaic crochet and inset mosaic crochet.
What is mosaic crochet?
With overlay mosaic crochet, you primarily use single crochets and double crochets. You work your single crochets in the back loops of your stitches and at the end of each row, you cut the yarn and begin again from the right-hand side of your work with the second color (so no turning your work). To create the mosaic motif, you use double crochets worked in the front loops of the same- color row below. These double crochets lie across the surface of your crochet fabric, hence the name ‘overlay’ mosaic. This technique does result in a lot of yarn ends at the beginning and end of each row, so most overlay patterns will either incorporate them into the design as fringing or enclose them within an envelope border (no weaving in, hooray!).
With inset mosaic crochet, however, you have much fewer yarn ends to deal with. That’s because with this technique, you do turn your work at the end of the row and work back with the same color. The thing to remember with inset mosaic is that both the forward (from right to left) and return rows (turn, then work from right to left back to where you began the forward row) are represented with a single line on inset mosaic charts. You effectively work the line twice, forward and back. Once you’ve worked both the forward and return rows, you then change colors. There’s no need to cut the old yarn; simply carry it up the side to the next color change. These quirks aside, you only need basic crochet stitches for inset mosaic: chain stitches, single crochets, and double crochets.
With both techniques, the mosaic pattern only appears on the front of your work. On the back you’ll see a simple striped pattern.
Getting started with mosaic crochet
'What projects can I make with this technique?', I hear you wondering. Well, anything! Mosaic crochet is most commonly used for making accessories, both for your home and for your wardrobe. Think bags, hats, shawls, coasters, cushions, and, of course, throw blankets. But we have also seen the most beautiful mosaic patterns for sweaters and cardigans.
Two of the most exciting mosaic projects you can find in our webshop are the mosaic cushion and throw blanket designed by Nienke, finalist of the Dutch HaakSTER crochet competition. She’s living proof that the more you work with this technique, the more addictive it becomes. As a mosaic crochet expert, we asked Nienke to come in and take us through the principles of this technique and put together a video tutorial to help get you started on your own mosaic crochet adventure.
Video tutorial: Mosaic crochet
Nienke uses Yarn and Colors Joy and crochet hook 4 mm to make the swatches of the inset mosaic patterns found in her cushion and blanket designs. Of course, you can use any DK-weight yarn that’s suitable for a 4 mm hook. Watch Nienke's in-depth video guide and crochet along with her!
Start watching…. Rewind… Have a go, frog back… Watch, try again… Then suddenly, it clicks! And you’re on your way. What a wonderful feeling!
Have you caught the mosaic crochet bug and are you itching to get started on a bigger project? We thought you might! So, here’s a list of our favorite mosaic crochet projects for you to make:
· Mosaic Cushion Crochet Kit
· Mosaic Blanket Crochet Kit (Mosaic Blanket Crochet Pattern)
· Queen Blanket CAL (Large) Yarn Kit (Note: This blanket is made using overlay mosaic crochet, NOT the inset mosaic technique shown in the video tutorial)
· Queen Blanket CAL (Small) Yarn Kit (Note: This blanket is made using overlay mosaic crochet, NOT the inset mosaic technique shown in the video tutorial)
- Mosaic Buddy Blanket Crochet Kit
- Mosaic Buddy Blanket Crochet Pattern
Get started on one of these kits or patterns and amaze your friends, family, colleagues, neighbors, and maybe even yourself, with the spectacular results you can achieve with mosaic crochet. Once your project is finished, don't forget to share it with us via Facebook and/or Instagram with #yarnplaza.
