Mosaic crochet makes pretty, colorful fabrics with geometric designs. Here is your complete guide to mosaic stitch crochet.
I reviewed and updated this post on July 13, 2022.
Table Of Contents
What Is Mosaic Crochet?
Mosaic crochet involves crocheting with two or more colors of yarn to create beautiful patterns. You work with one color per row.
The basic stitches for mosaic crochet include
- Single Crochet
- Chains
- Double Crochet
Mosaic Crochet Tutorial
This mosaic crochet tutorial is for those who want to make a beautiful piece of crocheted art!
You need:
- A hook
- Two balls of contrasting yarn (white & blue, yellow & purple, red & green, etc.)
How To Read Mosaic Crochet Chart
A mosaic crochet chart is a visual of how to do mosaic crochet.
These charts are little squares. Each square represents one stitch unless otherwise stated by the pattern author.
In every chart, there’s a stitch key, telling you which symbol means what.
- You read the chart from bottom to top and right to left.
- Each row is worked in one color
Mosaic Crochet Techniques
Most Mosaic Crochet projects use chains, border stitches, single crochet and double crochet.
Chain Stitch
Chain stitches are used for the foundation row.
- Make a slip knot on your hook
- Loop the working yarn over the hook from back to front
- Draw the yarn you placed on your through the slip knot
Continue to yarn over and pull through each loop to create enough chain stitches your pattern requires.
The Border Stitches
Each row begins on the right-hand side with a border stitch.
- Insert your crochet hook through and under both loops
- Pull your yarn up
- Work one chain stitch
- Leave a 5 cm tail
- Go into the same stitch
- Do one single crochet
- At the end of the row, create another border stitch
- Insert your hook under both loops
- Work one single crochet
- Cut your yarn
- Leaving a 5cm tail
- Do one chain
- Pull through the yarn tail so it forms a knot
How To Do Single Crochet (US terms)
- Insert your hook into the chain stitch
- Yarn over
- Pull the yarn through
- You have two loops up on your hook.
- Yarn over again
- Pull through both loops
When working the single crochet stitches in the foundation row, the foundation stitch you’ve worked a single crochet into is open.
This identifies the next stitch to work on because it doesn’t look open.
Always work the single crochets into the back loop. This leaves the front loop for the double crochets (DC).
How To Do A Double Crochet Stitch (US Terms)
Instructions for how to do a Double Crochet for the Apache Tears pattern. This stitch forms the “tear.”
- Yarn over
- Insert hook into the front loop of the row below the working one
- Pull through one
- Yarn over
- Pull through two
- Yarn over
- Pull through two
- You have one loop on your hook
When doing a single crochet after a double crochet, leave the stitch behind the DC and work the next stitch.
Otherwise, you’ll create an increase.
The video by Tinna Thórudóttir Thorvaldsdóttir below using the Apache Tears Mosaic Crochet stitch is an excellent tutorial for beginners.
The technique is based on the Apache Tears Stitch from the seventies.
Tinna reintroduced the technique and used it in her modern designs.
Tinna’s patterns are charted, but the first tutorial in her Mosaic For Beginners series starts with a swatch of the Apache Tears Stitch.
I found it easy to follow her instructions and paused or rewound the video when I needed to catch up.
After learning to make the Apache Tears in Tinna’s first video, I progressed to the following video.
The video went through the zig-zag mosaic pattern she designed for her Indiana Afghan. The charts are easy, and I created the swatch below.
How To Create A Crochet Mosaic Pattern
Once you’ve gotten comfortable reading a chart, try making one!
How to create a mosaic crochet pattern from Fibre Fox Studios.
Mosaic Crochet In The Round
Sandra from Nomad Stitches shows you how to do Mosaic Crochet stitches in the round. She also guides you on how to read a chart.
Mosaic Crochet Patterns
- Cropped Sweater by Slywia from My Crochetory has a mosaic crochet border
- This Crax Gradient shawl uses gradient yarn to create an asymmetric mosaic design.
- Carina Crochet Square Pillow pattern is great for eye-catching décor.
- I adore Tatsianna’s designs at Lilla Bjorn Crochet. Her Nya Infinity Mosaic Blanket is gorgeous.
- Another blanket by Marly Bird, is the Nordic Stripes blanket
Q&A
Tapestry Crochet Vs. Mosaic Crochet
Tapestry crochet uses over one color of yarn in each row. Mosaic crochet uses one color per row.
How Do You Crochet A Mosaic For Beginners?
All the steps are included in my post – Apache Tears Crochet Pillow Using Furls Wander Yarn.
What Is Overlay Mosaic Crochet?
Overlay mosaic crochet is by working in the back loops only before dropping to pick up stitches from lower rows.
Doing this creates a textured look to the stitches as they lie over previous rows, making beautiful and detailed patterns.
How Do You Crochet A Granny Square Mosaic?
Sirin Crochet shows you how to create a delightful multi-colored Mosaic Granny Square. This technique also uses Treble crochet.
How Do You Crochet A Mosaic Blanket?
Here is how to make a mosaic crochet blanket from The Crochet Crowd.
This is a lovely blanket using colors with a simple Mosaic pattern.
How Do You Work A Mosaic Treble?
Follow these steps.
- Make a yarn over twice.
- Go into a stitch, pull up in the stitch
- Leaves 4 loops on the hook
- Yarn over and draw through 2 loops three times
- So yarn over and pull through 2 loops
- Yarn over again and pull through 2 loops
- Yarn over again and pull through 2 loops
Hope you found this post beneficial! Good luck on your journey of learning, and may you create beautiful crocheted items.