Mosaic crochet: one color a row, dropped stitches

How overlay mosaic works

1. Work every row on the right side, in one color, and alternate two colors row by row. Every row starts at the same edge, so the yarn always finishes at the other one: cut it at the end of each row, leaving a tail to weave in or hide under a border, and join the next color at the starting edge.
2. Background squares are single crochets worked in the back loop only, which leaves the front loops free.
3. Pattern squares are double crochets worked in front of the work into the free front loop two rows below, covering the row in between.

Read a mosaic chart

Each row of a mosaic chart is worked in one color, and the two colors alternate. A dropped double crochet is made in the working row’s color and covers the stitch of the row in between, so on a color-grid chart that covered square shows the color of the row above it. To read a row, look at the row just below it: where a square shows your working color instead of its own, drop a double crochet into the free front loop two rows below; everywhere else, work a back-loop single crochet. Patterns that chart mosaic with symbols give a key: follow it. Our chart maker writes color runs for tapestry and graphgans, not these mosaic stitches.

Overlay and inset

Overlay mosaic, described here, drops stitches over the front of the work. Inset mosaic works in both loops and drops stitches into chain spaces, so it can be worked on both sides. Patterns say which they use.