Maxi Tiles Origin Story
Late one night, instead of sleeping, I was browsing Facebook…
and I came across a post where someone shared a photo of a pretty design she saw on the wrapper for her feminine hygiene products.
Everyone agreed this pattern could be beautiful in crochet-form! And my brain said, ‘yes, I will do that now instead of everything else on my to-do list; this is now the most urgent task!’
And so…
So, using the photo of the wrapper, I drew up this design and turned it into a pattern!
Also,
Way back then I was using the term “Locked Filet Mesh” to refer to my interlocking crochet designs. They mean the same thing and I prefer to use LFM (when I’m feeling lazy) or interlocking crochet now.
Take Note
The interlocking crochet method creates mesh dots all over, and I kept those dots in the mosaic crochet option.
Free Online Version
This page is where you can find the free-to-view pattern for Maxi Tiles.
The important details apply to both techniques.
Each technique starts with its own key.
Tutorials First
If you’re new to interlocking crochet or overlay mosaic crochet you may wish to start with my tutorials.
I also have full walk-thrus of some patterns on YouTube, so you can see every stitch and follow along.
While you’re in the learning phase, please checkout my copyright notice.
Paid PDF Available
If you would prefer a nice PDF version of the pattern you can purchase Maxi Tiles on Ravelry (and it’s one of my least expensive patterns). I appreciate your support a lot!
Other ways to support me include sharing your progress with my patterns on social media! A photo often inspires others!
Yarn Choice
I am a fan of using up scrap yarn. I often buy yarn when it’s on sale because I know it can sit on my shelf and won’t expire and I may not always be able to get it at that sale price!
So, after making small squares for both techniques, I used scrap yarn for my mosaic crochet blanket sample.
I used this mottled blue yarn and some random white yarn. They are both worsted weight (4 – medium) acrylic yarns.
I ran out of the blue and switched to red yarn (strategically and on purpose at the design change).
I then went back to my blue yarn but I wasn’t expecting to get very far.
Imagine my surprise when I found another scrap ball of the same blueish-purple!
But…
But, alas, it too eventually ran out.
This blanket now sits in my “maybe I can add more yarn and finish that later” pile.
Repeatable and Size Adjustable
You can create one tile at a time and sew them together (more likely with the interlocking crochet version). But the pattern is written so that you can do a bunch of repeats until your piece is as big as you want it!
Calculating the Repeats
You can make one tile at a time and sew a bunch of squares together (handy if you want lots of different colors) or you can repeat the pattern all in one go and make it as wide and high as you like!
The pattern below is written for 5 repeats – you can adjust anywhere it says x5.
How wide do you want your blanket? Let’s pick 60” as an example (that’s a throw sized blanket); if you’re matching my gauge this is the formula: 60” / 4” per repeat = 15 repeats.
Remember that if you do 15 repeats across you will also need to do 15 repeats for height to get a square blanket.
Yarn weight and hook size can easily be adjusted, just keep in mind your finished project will use a different amount of yarn and be a different finished size.
If you share your works on Instagram, tag me: @AshleesLint
Important Details (for both techniques)
- US Crochet terminology
- Finished size approximately 5”
- Each repeat adds about 4”
- 4.5 mm hook (US7)
- Worsted weight yarn (40 yards)
- Main color – 20 yards
- Contrasting color – 20 yards
- Each repeat adds about 10 yards of each color
- Mosaic Gauge: 16 stitches x 16 rows = 4″
- LFM Gauge: 16 stitches x 8 rows = 4″
Click here to Jump to the Interlocking Crochet Version
Click here to Jump to the Overlay Mosaic Crochet Version
Interlocking Crochet Pattern begins here
Take note, if you’re used to doing my patterns, the foundation rows are different for this one!
Interlocking Crochet Navigation
Interlocking Key
RS = right side: the side of your work that will show the finished design
WS = wrong side: the back of your project
Front = the side currently facing you
Back = the side not facing you
Ch = chain
Sp = space
Sk = skip a stitch
SC = single crochet
DC = double crochet
F = DC in front, then CH 1
B = DC behind, then CH 1
ES = DC into the last window space
EF = end stitch in front: using AC, DC into the last AC window, working in front of MC
EB = end stitch in back: using AC, DC into the last AC window, working behind MC
ACF = bring the AC yarn to the side facing you
ACB = put AC yarn to the side facing away from you
Interlocking Crochet Chart
This is a very old-style chart for me, but I haven’t yet reached this pattern in my long list of patterns to update.
Please see this video for instructions on how to read the chart.
Interlocking Foundation Rows
- Using MC create 8 (x5) + 2 windows. I prefer the chainless technique using triple/treble crochet but alternatively you can Ch 16 (x5) + 8 (or 9 if you chain tighter than me), then DC in 6th (or 7th) Ch from your hook. Ch 1, Sk 1, DC repeat until the end. Place stitch marker so your work doesn’t unravel.
- With your AC, Ch 16 (x5) + 6 (or 7 if you chain tighter). Place MC windows on top of this chain (make sure the end with the stitch marker is at your left) and DC through the back of the SECOND window into the 6th (or 7th) Ch from your hook. See pictures below.
- Ch 1, Sk 1, DC through back repeat until the last stitch where you will place your DC in front of the MC. Place stitch marker so your work doesn’t unravel. Both stitch markers should be on the same end.
Image above shows a short foundation trellis (dark yarn) with a short accent color foundation chain through the window.
Image above shows the right side (bottom) and wrong side (top) of a foundation setup. The right side has straight horizontal lines whereas the wrong side shows vertical dashes.
For help with the brackets: https://ashleeslint.com/2020/08/29/brackets-in-crochet-patterns/
WS – ACB (wrong side facing you, AC to back)
4 MC – Ch3, (1B, 3F, 3B, 1F) x5, 1B, ES
5 AC – Ch3 in back, (8B) x5, EB
RS – ACF
6 MC – Ch3, 1F, (1B, 3F, 3B, 1F) x5, ES
7 AC – Ch3 in front, {(2B, 2F) x2)} x5, EF
WS – ACB
8 MC – Ch3, {(1B, 1F) x2, 2B, 2F} x5, 1B, ES
9 AC – Ch3 in back, (5B, 3F) x5, EB
RS – ACF
10 MC – Ch3, 1F, {3B, (1F, 1B) x2, 1F} x5, ES
11 AC – Ch3 in front, (8B) x5, EF
WS – ACB
12 MC – Ch3, 1B, {3F, (1B, 1F) x2, 1B} x5, ES
13 AC – Ch3 in back, (3F, 5B) x5, EB
RS – ACF
14 MC – Ch3, 1F, 1B, 1F, 1B, 2F, 2B, 1F, 1B, 1F, 1B, 2F, 2B, 1F, ES
15 AC – Ch3 in front, {(2F, 2B) x2} x5, EF
WS – ACB
16 MC – Ch3, (1B, 1F, 3B, 3F) x5, 1B, ES
17 AC – Ch3 in back, (8B) x5, EB
Repeat rows 4-17 x5 or until desired height
RS – ACF
18 MC – Ch3, 1F, (3B, 3F, 1B, 1F) x5, ES
19 AC – Ch3 in front, (8B) x5, EF
Cut and tie off AC
WS
20 MC – Ch3, 1B, (8B) x5, ES
Cut and tie off, OR continue with border.
Optional SC Border
Ch1, put 2 SC in each gap on all four sides. Add an extra ch2 space in each corner (corner gap will have 2sc, 2ch, 2sc).
Watch it in action here.
FINISHED!
Take a picture and share it!
@Ashleeslint #lockedfiletmeshcrochet
Overlay Mosaic Crochet Pattern begins here
Ignore the repeats (x5) to make a single square or adjust the repeats to your preferred width to make it larger!
For help with the brackets: https://ashleeslint.com/2020/08/29/brackets-in-crochet-patterns/
Overlay Mosaic Crochet Navigation
Mosaic Key
MC = Main Color: black in chart
CC = Contrasting Color: white in chart
Sp = space
Sk = skip a stitch
CH = chain
SC = single crochet
sc = SC into Back Loop only
DC = double crochet
dc = DC into Front Loop of stitch, 2 rows below
JS = Joining Stitch: insert hook under both loops, pull up a loop, slip stitch, SC in same space
ES = End Stitch: SC under both loops, CH 1, cut yarn and pull through tightly
Mosaic Technique
Please see the YouTube tutorial for more details. I use a single-row mosaic technique. Each square on the chart corresponds to one stitch. There is an additional stitch (not visible on the chart) on each side of the chart for joining and ending. You start at the bottom-right corner of the chart.
- The front of your work is always facing you (this is the right side, the side showing the design)
- You are always working from the right to the left
- You tie on a new yarn at the beginning of each row and cut it at the end
- Tails don’t need to be longer than an inch and a half
- Yarn colors can be anything you like
- They need to contrast well (try a black and white photo to see if they are too similar)
- They need to be the same weight (size/thickness)
- My charts use black as the Main Color and white as the Coordinating Color
- I prefer using a chainless SC to create my foundation row because then I have tails on both sides of my work just like all the other rows will have
- Even-numbered rows use MC; odd-numbered rows use CC
X-Marked Chart
Please note, this chart does not show a difference between the repeated section and the border lines. The border lines (rows 1-3, 35-37 and columns 1-3, 35-37) are required when locking the layers together using the interlocking crochet technique but can be omitted when using the mosaic crochet technique.
This chart, with x’s showing where the mosaic crochet dropped double crochets are, depicts a single square.
When using the chart, repeat columns 3 through 34 and rows 3 through 34.
Joining Stitches (JS) and End Stitches (ES) are not shown on the chart. Read each row, starting at the bottom, from right to left.
Row 1 on the chart correlates to the foundation row 0 in the written pattern. (New patterns have the charts labeled with row 0, and I have a lot of patterns waiting to be updated).
Foundation Row
Row 0: using Main Color (MC) (blue row 1 on the chart), use the foundation SC technique to create (16 SC) x5 +7 SC.
Or, chain (16 SC) x5 +8, SC in 2nd from hook and all the way back across. Cut and tie off.
Switch to Contrasting Color (CC).
Remember: even- rows use MC; odd-numbered rows use CC.
1 – JS, sc5, (sc16) x5, ES
2 – JS, dc1, sc3, (sc16) x5, dc1, ES
3 – JS, sc1, dc1, sc1, (sc16) x5, dc1, sc1, ES
4 – JS, dc1, sc1, dc1, {sc3, (dc1, sc1) x2, dc1, sc7, dc1} x5, sc1, dc1, ES
5 – JS, sc1, {(dc1, sc1) x8} x5, dc1, sc1, dc1, sc1, ES
6 – JS, dc1, sc1, dc1, {sc3, (dc1, sc1) x2, dc1, sc7, dc1} x5, sc1, dc1, ES
7 – JS, sc1, dc1, {(sc5, dc1, sc1, dc1) x2} x5, sc1, dc1, sc1, ES
8 – JS, dc1, sc1, dc1, {sc5, dc1, sc1, dc1, (sc3, dc1) x2} x5, sc1, dc1, ES
9 – JS, sc1, dc1, {sc7, (dc1, sc1) x4, dc1} x5, sc1, dc1, sc1, ES
10 – JS, dc1, sc1, dc1, {sc7, dc1, (sc3, dc1) x2} x5, sc1, dc1, ES
11 – JS, sc1, dc1, sc1, (sc16) x5, dc1, sc1, ES
12 – JS, dc1, sc1, dc1, {(sc3, dc1) x2, sc7, dc1} x5, sc1, dc1, ES
13 – JS, sc1, dc1, sc1, {(dc1, sc1) x4, dc1, sc7} x5, dc1, sc1, ES
14 – JS, dc1, sc1, dc1, {(sc3, dc1) x2, sc1, dc1, sc5, dc1} x5, sc1, dc1, ES
15 – JS, sc1, dc1, sc1, {(dc1, sc1, dc1, sc5) x2} x5, dc1, sc1, ES
16 – JS, dc1, sc1, dc1, {sc7, (dc1, sc1) x2, dc1, sc3, dc1} x5, sc1, dc1, ES
17 – JS, sc1, {(dc1, sc1) x8} x5, dc1, sc1, dc1, sc1, ES
18 – JS, dc1, sc1, dc1, {sc7, (dc1, sc1) x2, dc1, sc3, dc1} x5, sc1, dc1, ES
Repeat rows 3-18 x5 or until desired height.
19 – JS, sc1, dc1, sc1, (sc16) x5, dc1, sc1, ES
20 – JS, dc1, sc3, (sc16) x5, dc1, ES
Trim the fringe if needed.
Optional Envelope Border
Add a border if you want. The envelope border creates a front flap and a back flap that you can hide the cut ends inside.
Copyright Statement
© Ashlee Brotzell 2020.
All rights reserved. This publication is protected under federal copyright laws. Reproduction or distribution, in whole or in part, in any medium, is strictly prohibited.
What does this mean?
This is an original pattern by Ashlee Brotzell. You may not copy, reproduce, sell, or share any part of it whether for profit or not. This includes, but is not limited to, the written pattern, the chart, and the photos. No translations or video tutorials are allowed.
Sales of your finished items are, of course, unrestricted (and I wish you all the best!). I appreciate credit given to the designer when possible but it is not a requirement. You may tag me @AshleesLint or direct people to my website www.ashleeslint.com
Hi!
Thank you so much for this cool pattern. I have a question on the mosaic version…JS, sc5, (sc16) x5, ES. I don’t understand what the sc in ( ) mean. I see above where it says change to contrasting color in( ) but you also say that you change colors every row. Help please! Thanks!
This row doesn’t really need brackets around what part you would repeat since it’s all the same lol but the part in brackets x5 is what you can repeat as many times as you want to make a bigger item. I am working on a throw where instead of x5 I’m doing x10.
You change colors every row. I’m not sure what you’re referring to by “change to contrasting color in( )”
Perhaps you are seeing where I repeat that contrasting color is CC and Main Color is MC. I put (CC) to remind people of the key.
Let me know if that clears it up 🙂