I think I would find a written pattern with numbers easier and it would be quite easy to work up a written pattern that could be adapted for any size of plaitwork square. With both methods I am not very good at working from the chart and often find I have made mistakes in the row. So I am not sure if the border part is correct in all places. As you can see I decided to increase each row and then decrease to eliminate a large area of background round the design.īefore I show you the result, I have to say that it might have been easier if I hadn’t chosen such a dark colour for the background and I had worked from the above chart instead of using one I had drawn up for the other method. So I drew out a chart, on my computer this time.Īnd decided to try working it. However it was obviously going to give a squarer result. Of course it means you have to cut the yarn and start each row with a new piece. This type only uses one row of crochet for one row of the chart. I decided to experiment with using slightly different stitches for the rows and doubling the number worked for each square this did produce a much better result however, before I had time to try working a whole chart (due to also wanting to make my succulents), I discovered a different type of mosaic crochet. I decided that I need to think of other patterns I might like to try, decided on Greek Key patterns and drew out several only to realise that being based on a square shape they would enounter the same problem. I decided that liked the background style of the top half best.įor interest here is the wrong side of the work. I decided that I wasn’t sure it was the answer, then started working the chart in the prescribed way.Īs you can see the stretching is quite pronounced for a Celtic type pattern. Wondering if I could eliminate the stretching : I experimented with doubling the stitches sideways for a basic arch pattern and comparing it with the normal way of working. Letting the foreground colour predominate for the lower part and the background colur for the upper part to see which worked best.

It didn’t seem that long stretches of one colour when you were working the other one were a good idea, so I decided to do a sort of checkerboard pattern for the empty areas. I was also unsure if the chart above would make the pattern clear enough so I drew another chart. However I realised from comparing the charts that designs seemed to get stretched vertically. These drawn charts are a bit muddy because my hands rub pencil on the clean bits and it shows up even more when photographed I decided that I wanted to try a Celtic Knot plaitwork style pattern and drew out a possible chart. Most of the stiches are dcs (US-scs) with chains and trs (US-dcs) used to create the patterning. Just to explain if you have not seen mosaic crochet that the basic idea is that you use two colours, working two rows in each alternately. Having seen a few examples of mosaic crochet, I let myself get sidetracked into having a go.

Finally after two months of isolation (I started early because of my cold) I think my natural inner introvert is reasserting itself and I am beginning to feel comfortable with the way things are.

Mosaic crochet