Mosaic Blanket

What a joy it is to discover those moments in knitting when something seemingly intricate turns out to be very easy!

Those are the moments that knitting legend Barbara Walker strove to find as she first learned how to knit. Finding color work’s bobbins and multiple strands of yarn cumbersome, she developed a slip-stitch technique she called “Mosaic Knitting,” a clever way to create elaborate, colorful patterns using only basic stitches (knit, slip and occasionally purl). Soon, she was staying up late into the night inventing hundreds of original mosaic motifs, guided solely by her imagination.

With a motif from Walker’s Second Treasury of Knitting Patterns, we created our Mosaic Blanket, made in Purl Soho’s incredibly soft Alpaca Pure in vibrant, almost glowing Super Pink, and anchored by the sturdy smoothness of Worsted Twist in creamy Heirloom White.

As Barbara Walker herself discovered, there is beauty in simplicity… Although you won’t have to tell anyone just how simple this Mosaic Blanket actually is to make! -Kristy

Update: New Color!

May 17, 2017

Our Mosaic Blanket has become one of our most popular patterns, which may surprise you, given how complicated it looks to make. But the real surprise is that even an advanced beginner can cast on for this knitting adventure! For this version of our Mosaic Blanket we used Worsted Twist in classic Heirloom White and Alpaca Pure in mysterious Trout Brown, an earthy neutral at heart with a shimmer of blue across its surface. For additional images, check out our new post!

Materials

• Color A: 4 (6, 7) skeins of Purl Soho’s Worsted Twist, 100% merino wool
• Color B: 6 (8, 10) skeins of Purl Soho’s Alpaca Pure, 100% super baby alpaca  (Please Note: We no longer offer Alpaca Pure and would recommend using Worsted Twist in its place! You will need 4 (6, 7) skeins!)
• A US 8, 24 or 32-inch circular needle

Here are four palette ideas, including the one knit up here!

• Color A: Heirloom White
• Color B: Super Pink

• Color A: Heirloom White
• Color B: Artemisia

• Color A: Heirloom White
• Color B: Yellow Zest

• Color A: Heirloom White
• Color B: Dark Loam

Gauge

19 stitches x 38 rows = 4 inches in Mosaic Stitch, using Colors A and B
15 stitches x 32 rows = 4 inches in garter stitch, using Color A

Sizes

Baby (Crib, Throw)

• Finished Measurements: Approximately 26 x 35 (33 ½ x 40, 41 x 46 ½) inches

SAMPLE: Baby

Notes

On all right side rows slip all of the slipped stitches with yarn in back.

On all wrong side rows slip all of the slipped stitches with yarn in front.

You’ll see that we’ve explained this pattern in two ways: written out row-by-row and illustrated in chart form. Follow whichever pattern makes more sense to you!

To help keep track of the stitch pattern, you may want to place a stitch marker (or piece of scrap yarn) between each 12-stitch repeat.

If you want to change the sizing or use this stitch pattern for a different project, just cast on a multiple of 12 plus 3 stitches. For example, 12 x 4 = 48. 48 + 3 = 51 cast-on stitches.

To see how easy it is check out this Mosaic Blanket Techniques video tutorial!

Pattern

Written Out

With Color A, cast on 123 (159, 195) stitches.

Set-up Row: With Color A, knit.

Row 1 (right side): With Color B, k1, *slip 1, k11, repeat from * to last 2 stitches, slip 1, k1. [Please see Notes, above, for slipping instructions.]

Row 2 and all following wrong side rows: Knit the same stitches you knit on the previous row, with the same color; and slip all of the same slipped stitches, with the yarn in front.

Row 3: With Color A, k4, *[slip 1, k1] three times, slip 1, k5, repeat from * to last 11 stitches, [slip 1, k1] three times, slip 1, k4.

Row 5: With Color B, k3, *slip 1, k7, slip 1, k3, repeat from * to end of row.

Row 7: With Color A, k2, *slip 1, k3, slip 1, k1, repeat from * to last stitch, k1.

Row 9: With Color B, k5, *slip 1, k3, slip 1, k7, repeat from * to last 10 stitches, slip 1, k3, slip 1, k5.

Row 11: With Color A, k2, *slip 1, k1, slip 1, k5, [slip 1, k1] twice, repeat from * to last stitch, k1.

Row 13: With Color B, k7, *slip 1, k11, repeat from * to last 8 stitches, slip 1, k7.

Rows 15 and 16: With Color A, repeat Rows 11 and 12.

Rows 17 and 18: With Color B, repeat Rows 9 and 10.

Rows 19 and 20: With Color A, repeat Rows 7 and 8.

Rows 21 and 22: With Color B, repeat Rows 5 and 6.

Rows 23 and 24: With Color A, repeat Rows 3 and 4.

Repeat Rows 1-24 thirteen (seventeen, twenty) more times.

Repeat Rows 1-14 once more.

With Color A: Knit 1 row.

With Color A, bind off all stitches knitwise.

Weave in the ends, block as desired and you’re done!

Pattern

Chart

Instead of following the written text above, you may find it easier to follow this chart instead. A few notes on how to follow mosaic charts …

The chart begins at the lower right corner on Row 1. Each horizontal row represents two rows of knitting. The rows going from right to left are on the right side, and the rows going from left to right are on the wrong side.

On every row that begins and ends with a gray square (Color B, in the case of this blanket), all Color B stitches are knitted and all Color A stitches are slipped. On every row that begins and ends with a white square (Color A, in the case of this blanket), all Color A stitches are knitted, and all Color B stitches slipped.

With Color A, cast on 123 (159, 195) stitches.

Set-up Row: With Color A, knit.

Following the chart, work Rows 1-24 fourteen (eighteen, twenty-one) times.

Repeat Rows 1-14 once more.

With Color A: Knit 1 row.

With Color A, bind off all stitches knitwise.

Weave in the ends, block as desired and enjoy!