Mosaic Shawl Knitting Patterns

March 26, 2024 by Sarah White Leave a Comment

I don’t know why there are so many mosaic shawl knitting patterns out in the world. Searching on Ravelry there are nearly 2,500 options for mosaic knit shawls!

But a shawl is a great canvas for learning this colorwork knitting technique. I think the biggest project I’ve used mosaic knitting on was a shawl (which I was going to share with you but I’m so bad at record keeping I can’t even find the pattern).

To narrow down the list a bit, I looked at patterns rated easy, so if you’re new to mosaic knitting these projects should provide some good options for you.

One easy way to learn mosaic knitting is to use it along with other stitches in a project. Joy Overboard by Cally Monster on Ravelry combines mosaic sections with squishy fisherman’s rib to create a generous asymmetrical triangle that’s as fun to knit as it is to wear. It uses fingering weight yarn in two colors.

If you like lace you can throw in some mosaic with lace and other stitches to add visual interest and contrast. The Callisto shawl from Strickwetter on Etsy is really similar to the shawl that I knit in that it has bands of mosaic, lace and stripes. It’s a long asymmetrical triangle worked in sock yarn.

Shara Lambeth Designs has another mosaic shawl knitting pattern that includes some non-mosaic knitting to give yourself a break. The crosses and zigzags used on this triangular shawl are classic, simple mosaic designs. It calls for three colors of fingering weight yarn.

On the Other Side from Lisa Hannes on Ravelry uses the mosaic knitting technique for the chevron border, while the rest of the shawl is worked in garter stitch stripes. This is so pretty with the addition of a multicolored yarn, but you can also use two solids if that’s what you have in your stash.

When I saw that this shawl was named Shawlshank Redemption, I couldn’t not share it, but it’s also a great, easy mosaic shawl pattern for you to try. This allover triangle pattern is so striking in contrasting colors, and it calls for four colors of yarn held double in different sections. You can get the pattern from Maxim Cyr on Ravelry.

Bring on all the colors with the Fogline shawl from Brienne Moody, also available on Ravelry. This pattern uses two colors at a time and is another allover mosaic pattern, this time in rectangular form. It kind of reminds me of the crochet waffle stitch, and looks like it would be lots of fun to knit with all your leftovers.

Knit a Cowl Using Simple Mosaic Designs

Fun Mosaic Patterns to Knit

Explore Mosaic Knitting with the Pine Sweater

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Book Review: Brooklyn Tweed’s Knit & Crochet Blankets

Blankets are a great blank slate project that you can change up in a million different ways. From color to stitch pattern to size, the possibilities are almost endless.

Jared Flood, the designer behind Brooklyn Tweed, was inspired by a log cabin quilt his mother made in 1995 to re-create that design in knitting, which led to more blankets and ultimate Brooklyn Tweed’s Knit and Crochet Blankets, which includes 25 patterns from an array of designers using different skills and techniques to make cozy, pretty blankets.

The patterns are divided into three aesthetic themes: traditions, minimalism and colorplay. The patterns are rated on a scale of one to five, with one being the easiest, and there aren’t any pieces rated five. Two blankets are rated one, 14 are two, eight are three and one is four.

In addition, three of the 25 patterns are crocheted, but they either use single crochet or granny stitch, so they are pretty easy even if you don’t do a lot of crochet. You can see all the patterns on Ravelry.

Some of my favorites include Rattan by Rastus Hsu, a chunky blanket worked in knits and purls with simple crossing stitches to make a raised woven look; Homewood by Seth Richardson, covers in dramatic, loopy cables; Ainur Berkimbayeva’s Tessellate, one of the beginner projects that doesn’t really look beginner but is totally worked in knit and purl stitches; Warp + Weft by Aist? Butkevi?ien?, which is mostly knits and purls but makes a fun woven look fabric that blew my mind a little bit; and the same designer’s Canyonland, a multicolored blanket with wavy stripes.

The patterns tell you how to resize them for different dimensions and include information on pattern repeats where it is possible to make a totally custom size.

Many different techniques are included here such as cables, lace, shadow knitting, intarsia and other colorwork techniques, as well as modular knitting and lots of sewing pieces together. The patterns are all presented with charts, but there are line by line written instructions available on the Brooklyn Tweed website if you need them.

The book ends with a deep dive into log cabin knitting, telling the story of the quilt Jared’s mom made and how he made it in knitting, as well as the multitude of variations you can make if you want your own log cabin style design.

The back of the book includes a little written information about some of the special techniques needed, but there are no photos.

This is a lovely book full of inspiration for knitting and crochet blankets for any skill level. If you like to make blankets as gifts or aspire to have a handmade blanket in every room of the house, these designs would be a great place to start.

About the book: 192 pages, paperback, 25 patterns. Published 2024 by Abrams Books, suggested retail price $24.99.

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