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.)

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!

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.