Want to get started with your first colourwork knitting project but not sure what to go with?
Mosaic knitting might well be the technique for you, my friend.
Simply put, it’s the easiest colourwork in town. You’re working with only one colour per row, as you would with a simple striped pattern.
The thing that makes it fancier than a simple stripe though, is the addition of some slipped stitches – where you move a stitch from the left to the right needle without working it.
This has the effect of pulling that stitch across the subsequent rows. And when you’re slipping a stitch from the previous colour, it’s making that stitch appear alongside its newly-coloured friends.
So you get the look of having two colours in the same row, without actually having to work two colours in the same row. Clever, hey?
The fear of the stranded colourwork generally comes from two things; dealing with two yarns at once, and handling the floats. (Floats are the strands of yarn that appear at the back of your work when you’re doing stranded colourwork – you can see them in the picture below.)
Now, I’d argue that neither of these are as scary as you might first fear, but that’s a subject for another post.
In mosaic knitting, you’re not dealing with any of these issues at all. Which, by definition, makes it much simpler. There’s no floats to worry about, no juggling two yarns at once, and no worrying about your tension.
Take a look at the reverse side of the Chuck, It’s On sweater. Looks like stripes, doesn’t it?
And that’s because that’s essentially what mosaic knitting is; it’s stripes with ideas above their station.
Just because mosaic knitting is lovely and simple, doesn’t mean that it can’t be stunning. Using this easy colourwork knitting technique can give some deceptively fancy looking results.
If you’re ready to give it a shot, then these mosaic knitting sweater patterns are a great place to start.
Not ready to take on a full sweater of mosaic knitting? My Jimmy Jab series of patterns could be for you. These guys give you the look of a colourwork yoke without any of the fanciness – and the bands of colourwork mean you can practise on just a small section of the sweater without having to deal with any shaping.
You might look at these pictures and think they look fancier than straight mosaic knitting, but that’s just because there’s an extra little trick on these ones. I used marled, colour changing yarns for my contrast colour on these samples, which gives you the look of using multiple different yarns for contrast, when really it’s all just one skein.
Super simple, but super effective.
Another one where colour changing yarn can really make your work look so much more complex than it truly is, the Prism pullover is an absolute beauty.
This one’s worked from the bottom up, but with options to work the yoke flat, or in the round with steeks for the armholes. You then pick up the sleeves and work them down to the cuff, which makes it a good option for getting yourself used to working mosaic knitting without having to worry about increasing or decreasing until much later on in the process.
I’m a big fan of the large, graphic motif on this mosaic knitting sweater. It’s another one that’s worked from the bottom up, so if you want to get yourself used to knitting the motif before dealing with shaping then this could be a great choice.
You’ll need to work decreases on the yoke, and increases on the sleeves, but should be well into the swing of things by then.
That lovely checked/houndstooth type pattern on Chuck, It’s On? All mosaic colourwork.
Chuck is worked from the top down, which means that yes, you have to increase in pattern – but don’t worry, I’ve given detailed instructions on how to do that, complete with photos to explain exactly what’s going on, and an appendix of charts showing how to bring new stitches into pattern for all the increase rates used.
All of which means you’ve got some seriously clear instructions, which takes all the stress out of working shaping and mosaic knitting at the same time.
Rebecca Clow’s Alder sweater has been on my to-knit list since it was released last year, and the only reason it’s not already on my needles is because I haven’t finished spinning the yarn for it yet.
This slipped stitch pattern creates an absolutely beautiful texture, and as ever Rebecca’s got a load of lovely samples made up showcasing the pattern in different colour combos.
What am I going for? Well, I’m going to be heading out of my comfort colour palette a bit and going for a purple and pink version. It’s going to be a beauty.