helmine (![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small} helmine) wrote in ![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/community.gif){kind=small} nightknitters,@ 2004-09-28 23:22:00 |
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Mosaic Stitch Tutorial
Okay. Here's the deal. Mosaic knitting is like knitting with alternating colors. You knit over with one color and purl back with it, pick up the other color, knit over and purl back with it, go back to the other color, etc. Alternating. So there's a color row A, and a color row B. A, B, A, B, etc. You form the pattern with knitting and slipped stitches. Or purling. You can do the charts with garter stitch, stockinette or reverse stockinette, whatever you like. I'm going to use stockinette, it's easier to see, and I don't mind purling anymore.
Now the charts: Each little square counts for one stitch itself, but two rows up. You do the same thing on the even number (purl) rows that you did on the row before, only you don't have to count, because you already did that. And that's a good thing, because the back doesn't look much like the front, because of the stranding. So on the chart, from the bottom, row 1, row 3, row 5, row 7, etc.
This motif is 14 rows tall.
Here's the motif I chose for this exercise. It's a doodle from this morning.
I'm going to use size 5 needles, with 4 ply worsted, with a swatch width of 24 stitches. Why size 5? Because it's on the small size recommended for a yarn of this gauge, and I want to make smaller, more compact swatches so I can fit more of them in the plastic bag. Also, your motifs tend to come out larger than you would think, so a smaller needle makes better detail. But it's really arbitrary. Use what you want.
Why 24 stitches? I recently decided on that basic width to explore with. 24 divides easily by 2, 3, 4, 6, 8, 12. You can do a lot of variations with stitches and have it come out evenly enough going back the other way, because there's a good chance it has a regular multiple of your pattern. It's wide enough for a good sample. That doesn't really matter with mosaic patterns, because they all start and repeat from the right side, so it makes no difference how wide your swatch is, or where your pattern cuts off. I just happen to like 24.
Okay, so I'm going to cast on 24 stitches and knit a row with color A. Okay, I did that. It's white. Now, I'm attatching color B, with a half hitch. It's green. This side becomes Row 1 of the pattern and the de facto Right Side, unless you're going to do some fancy stuff first and then put the pattern up further. Since I'm probably going to pull this right out again, I'm just going to get right to it.
Rule 1 of Mosaic stitch-- always knit the first and last stitch of any row, no matter what the chart says you should be doing. Don't start or end with a slip stitch. You're building your edge, which is different, and would be part of a seam, anyway.
Rule 2. We are reading right to left from the bottom of the chart. Right to left is the direction you are knitting, unless you are an eccentric lefty.
This (I'm using green) row one, according to the chart reads: knit 3, slip 1, knit 3, slip 1, knit 1, slip 1. Or, k3, sl 1, k3, sl 1, k1, sl 1, repeat until the end of the row. The slipped stitches will be white. It's magic.
Rule 3. Unless they tell you otherwise, which I won't here, slip a stitch purlwise. In other words, act like you're going to purl the stitch you're slipping, inserting the needle back to front, but just move it over to the other needle without actually doing anything to it. Instead go to the next working stitch, stranding the yarn behind the stitch you just skipped. You can strand behind 3 slip stitches before it starts getting wonky, but I don't think this design strands across more than one. No, it doesn't.
Okay, here's what you've got.
I had to knit the last stitch, so there's four green ones there. It's not a mistake, but a necessity. Now for the purl side. (I'm doing stockinette, remember)
Rule 4. Purl each stitch if it's the color you're working with, otherwise just move it purlwise onto the other needle. You don't have to count this row, you're only copying the motion of the row you just finished. All wrong side (even) rows act like this.
Okay. You can't see the pattern much yet-- I was going to scan the front and the back, but it doesn't actually look like much yet, so I'm not sure if it will help. I'll do so later.
Row 3, which is the second square up from the bottom on the chart. It's a white row. You will have to knit the first stitch, even though it's supposed to be slipped (i.e, green), because it's the first stitch. But otherwise, your chart says: sl 1, k 1, sl 1, k 1, sl 1, k 1, s1, k3.
Now I'm going to purl the back side according to Rule 4, and I'll scan again with the back side.
Man, I really had to fool with the contrast. Note to self: don't scan white yarn without a different color backing.
Anyway, Row 5, the third row up in the chart. It's a green row. Knit 7, slip 1, knit one, slip one, repeat.. Wow, I really screwed up a green stitch in row one! How the hell did I do that? Oh well, damned if I'm going to fix it now. I'll scan again after Row 6 and I'm on the right side again.
Row 7. The fourth row up on the chart. It's a white row. knit 2, slip 1, knit 1, slip 1, knit 2, knit 3, repeat.
Row 9. It's a green row, and a repeat of row 5.
Row 11. It's a white row, and a repeat of row 3.
Row 13. It's a green row, and a repeat of row 1.
Row 15 will be a solid row of white knitting, then I'm going to repeat the motif again and scan again. Excuse me, I'm going away for awhile.
Voila! The front:
The Back:
So (remember the even rows follow Rule Four):
Row 1: green row: k3, sl 1, k3, sl 1, k1, sl 1, repeat until the end of the row
Row 3: white row: you will have to knit the first stitch, even though it's supposed to be slipped (i.e, green), because it's the first stitch. But otherwise, your chart says: sl 1, k 1, sl 1, k 1, sl 1, k 1, s1, k3. By the way, if altering your initial motif bothers you, move the pattern over a couple of stitches when planning your piece.
Row 5: green row: knit 7, slip 1, knit 1, slip 1, repeat..
Row 7: white row: knit 2, slip 1, knit 1, slip 1, knit 2, knit 3, repeat.
Row 9. It's a green row, and a repeat of row 5.
Row 11. It's a white row, and a repeat of row 3.
Row 13. It's a green row, and a repeat of row 1.
Row 15 will be a solid row of white knitting.
Okay. Here's the deal. Mosaic knitting is like knitting with alternating colors. You knit over with one color and purl back with it, pick up the other color, knit over and purl back with it, go back to the other color, etc. Alternating. So there's a color row A, and a color row B. A, B, A, B, etc. You form the pattern with knitting and slipped stitches. Or purling. You can do the charts with garter stitch, stockinette or reverse stockinette, whatever you like. I'm going to use stockinette, it's easier to see, and I don't mind purling anymore.
Now the charts: Each little square counts for one stitch itself, but two rows up. You do the same thing on the even number (purl) rows that you did on the row before, only you don't have to count, because you already did that. And that's a good thing, because the back doesn't look much like the front, because of the stranding. So on the chart, from the bottom, row 1, row 3, row 5, row 7, etc.
This motif is 14 rows tall.
Here's the motif I chose for this exercise. It's a doodle from this morning.
I'm going to use size 5 needles, with 4 ply worsted, with a swatch width of 24 stitches. Why size 5? Because it's on the small size recommended for a yarn of this gauge, and I want to make smaller, more compact swatches so I can fit more of them in the plastic bag. Also, your motifs tend to come out larger than you would think, so a smaller needle makes better detail. But it's really arbitrary. Use what you want.
Why 24 stitches? I recently decided on that basic width to explore with. 24 divides easily by 2, 3, 4, 6, 8, 12. You can do a lot of variations with stitches and have it come out evenly enough going back the other way, because there's a good chance it has a regular multiple of your pattern. It's wide enough for a good sample. That doesn't really matter with mosaic patterns, because they all start and repeat from the right side, so it makes no difference how wide your swatch is, or where your pattern cuts off. I just happen to like 24.
Okay, so I'm going to cast on 24 stitches and knit a row with color A. Okay, I did that. It's white. Now, I'm attatching color B, with a half hitch. It's green. This side becomes Row 1 of the pattern and the de facto Right Side, unless you're going to do some fancy stuff first and then put the pattern up further. Since I'm probably going to pull this right out again, I'm just going to get right to it.
Rule 1 of Mosaic stitch-- always knit the first and last stitch of any row, no matter what the chart says you should be doing. Don't start or end with a slip stitch. You're building your edge, which is different, and would be part of a seam, anyway.
Rule 2. We are reading right to left from the bottom of the chart. Right to left is the direction you are knitting, unless you are an eccentric lefty.
This (I'm using green) row one, according to the chart reads: knit 3, slip 1, knit 3, slip 1, knit 1, slip 1. Or, k3, sl 1, k3, sl 1, k1, sl 1, repeat until the end of the row. The slipped stitches will be white. It's magic.
Rule 3. Unless they tell you otherwise, which I won't here, slip a stitch purlwise. In other words, act like you're going to purl the stitch you're slipping, inserting the needle back to front, but just move it over to the other needle without actually doing anything to it. Instead go to the next working stitch, stranding the yarn behind the stitch you just skipped. You can strand behind 3 slip stitches before it starts getting wonky, but I don't think this design strands across more than one. No, it doesn't.
Okay, here's what you've got.
I had to knit the last stitch, so there's four green ones there. It's not a mistake, but a necessity. Now for the purl side. (I'm doing stockinette, remember)
Rule 4. Purl each stitch if it's the color you're working with, otherwise just move it purlwise onto the other needle. You don't have to count this row, you're only copying the motion of the row you just finished. All wrong side (even) rows act like this.
Okay. You can't see the pattern much yet-- I was going to scan the front and the back, but it doesn't actually look like much yet, so I'm not sure if it will help. I'll do so later.
Row 3, which is the second square up from the bottom on the chart. It's a white row. You will have to knit the first stitch, even though it's supposed to be slipped (i.e, green), because it's the first stitch. But otherwise, your chart says: sl 1, k 1, sl 1, k 1, sl 1, k 1, s1, k3.
Now I'm going to purl the back side according to Rule 4, and I'll scan again with the back side.
Man, I really had to fool with the contrast. Note to self: don't scan white yarn without a different color backing.
Anyway, Row 5, the third row up in the chart. It's a green row. Knit 7, slip 1, knit one, slip one, repeat.. Wow, I really screwed up a green stitch in row one! How the hell did I do that? Oh well, damned if I'm going to fix it now. I'll scan again after Row 6 and I'm on the right side again.
Row 7. The fourth row up on the chart. It's a white row. knit 2, slip 1, knit 1, slip 1, knit 2, knit 3, repeat.
Row 9. It's a green row, and a repeat of row 5.
Row 11. It's a white row, and a repeat of row 3.
Row 13. It's a green row, and a repeat of row 1.
Row 15 will be a solid row of white knitting, then I'm going to repeat the motif again and scan again. Excuse me, I'm going away for awhile.
Voila! The front:
The Back:
So (remember the even rows follow Rule Four):
Row 1: green row: k3, sl 1, k3, sl 1, k1, sl 1, repeat until the end of the row
Row 3: white row: you will have to knit the first stitch, even though it's supposed to be slipped (i.e, green), because it's the first stitch. But otherwise, your chart says: sl 1, k 1, sl 1, k 1, sl 1, k 1, s1, k3. By the way, if altering your initial motif bothers you, move the pattern over a couple of stitches when planning your piece.
Row 5: green row: knit 7, slip 1, knit 1, slip 1, repeat..
Row 7: white row: knit 2, slip 1, knit 1, slip 1, knit 2, knit 3, repeat.
Row 9. It's a green row, and a repeat of row 5.
Row 11. It's a white row, and a repeat of row 3.
Row 13. It's a green row, and a repeat of row 1.
Row 15 will be a solid row of white knitting.
