HOOKY TREASURE

Mosaic crochet helped Rosina Plane’s skills nd their natural home, and now she wants to share the technique’s beauty

This is Norway Spruce – my first ever mosaic crochet design, and still my best-selling pattern by quite some distance. I have always added my own little changes to patterns to make each project unique to me, but only started to create my own designs totally from scratch (and write the patterns down!) quite recently.

I had experienced a little success, getting one of my designs published earlier, but was struggling to make an impact designing… until I discovered mosaic crochet that is. I had finally found my niche!

I have always loved to create beautiful things, and I also have a quite logical, ordered mind, and with mosaic crochet I found a way to combine both things.

You may be aware there are two techniques commonly described as mosaic crochet: the first technique is what I term ‘Overlay Mosaic Crochet’.

Here the base fabric is made up of rows of back loop double crochet, and the design is created by working trebles into the front loops 2 rows below. Colours are usually changed on every row, and all stitches are worked on the right side only. This technique does create a LOT of ends, so I tend to only use this method if I can make a feature of those ends, as I’m not a massive fan of weaving in (is anybody?!).

The other technique is what I term ‘Inset Mosaic Crochet’. I used this when designing Norway Spruce. Here the work is turned at the end of each row, and colours are changed every two rows, thus enabling you to carry the unused colour up the side of your work and greatly reducing the number of loose ends.

The pattern is created by skipping stitches and working chain spaces over them when using the first colour. These spaces are filled in with trebles into the skipped stitches with the next colour.

If you decide to make Norway Spruce, I have a Facebook group which is the quickest way to get help with any queries concerning my patterns. There are also some free patterns, and occasional special offers just for members, so please do join us. Happy hooking!

The pattern for this blanket is available at www.ravelry.com/designers/rosina-plane. Find Rosina on Instagram at @rosinaplane and on Facebook as Rosina Crochets