After experimenting with mosaic crochet in rows, I decided to try a pattern in the “round”. These are built in a similar manner to granny squares, working from the inside out and producing a flat fabric. I followed a terrazzo pattern from a YouTube video.
Photo description: Mosaic crochet square in purple and light pink with diagonal wavy lines and a wide border covering a sleeping Calico cat.
I have to admit that although I really like this pattern, it makes my eyes vibrate. I finished off the square with a solid round of pink, then a wider band of purple to offset the trippy. The neat part of mosaic crochet this way is that you don’t have to cut the ends of the yarn for each round. I switched colors, but didn’t cut, so it worked up without dealing with multiple ends.
I have to give a shout out to Target and their favorite day brand gingerbread house kits. They come with clips to help with assembly! Their instructions also recommend decorating prior to assembly, which made it much easier for my youngest. Icing is easier to apply on a horizontal surface.
Photo description: Various gingerbread house kits on a shelf at a Target store, including log cabin, barn, and hot cocoa stand versions.
We bought early this year because I missed the window for the Halloween houses and scrambled through the pantry for substitutions. Graham crackers covered in melted chocolate fitted the horror theme, but was more a Mom project than a youngest’s project. I appreciate a well engineered kit that needs minimal adult intervention.
Amazon has been distributing non-woven gift bags for awhile now, and I have amassed a collection. I do reuse them, many times, and to organize them I sorted by size (which is conveniently color coordinated) and used one bag of the group to hold the others. That way, at a glance, I can tell about how much the bags inside will hold.
Photo description: Five bag sizes lined up vertically, each bag is full.
Happy Thanksgiving y’all. If you blink, you’ll miss it.
Relatively recently, I discovered the concept of mosaic crochet. Then a few weeks later, actually met someone at a craft fair that does mosaic crochet, and she showed me pictures of the stunning blankets she had made, and explained to me the difference between mosaic and tapestry crochet. Another name for mosaic crochet is overlay crochet, and it consists of alternating rows of color in back loop single crochet, with double crochet stitches that dip down over previous rows to block out color. What fascinated me most? No floats. No loose loops of yarn along the back to catch at fingers and toes. I had to try. (For those interested, tapestry crochet carries threads along the row, hiding them in the stitch until needed. That is a future project.)
Photo description: Gray and cream crochet square with rows of spirals in different orientations and square bullseyes along the center row. There are a couple errors in the execution.
I recently acquired a bag of odds and ends yarn from a fellow crafter. This is the perfect stash to draw from for experimentation! I looked up some basic mosaic crochet instructions, and settled on trying a simple spiral (because I like them). I did the first row of motifs with little problem, so did the next row with a reverse motif. The little problem was a counting and repeat issue, but rather than starting over, I adjusted the pattern to my change. It is an experiment. I left long ends on each side, because I wasn’t sure if I wanted fringe, and it actually made me loose at yarn chicken and I had to slightly switch yarn color for the last row. Ah well. The back of the piece is nearly as exciting as the front, neat lines!
Photo description: Back of same crochet square, showing horizontal lines of alternating color.
One of the other techniques I learned in this project is a standing single crochet. As the mosaic crochet is worked from the front only (I worked from right to left on every row), the first stitch starts with a new strand every time. To make things neat, tidy, and secure, it helps to start each row with a slip knot on the hook, then single crochet into the first space. Very cool technique.
Oh, wrapping presents for the holidays is going to be interesting. I got out my bag of bags to get started, and Thor the cat thought that was the neatest thing ever and crawled right in. He stayed there, rustling about, for an hour. Occasionally he would reach a paw out at an unsuspecting passerby, or attack through the fabric. Here is a video clip.
Photo description: Extra-large non-woven gift bag, with Gray Tabby peering out.
Critters and Craft 