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.
