Introduction
This is an overlay mosaic crochet strip that is part of the Friends Around the World 6th Anniversary CAL (FATW6) “Adventures in Mosaic Crochet” hosted by CAL – Crochet A Long. Links to all past and future patterns can be found on their blog: https://calcrochetalong.com and you can join their Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/668646249929007/
My section (this pattern) can be found below and also as a download on Ravelry. You can also follow along with the video walk-thru on YouTube (scroll down for more details)! I’d love for you to join my Facebook group as well and show us how you used this Sunglasses design: https://www.facebook.com/groups/AshleeBrotzellDesigns
If you share your photos on Instagram I’d love for you to tag me @AshleesLint
Quick Bio
I have loved making so many new friends online through this past year as a new designer. One of the funny things about making friends online is how we get to choose what parts of ourselves we reveal. We usually go over the big general things first, like:
- I’m Canadian, born and raised in Saskatchewan and have lived here for basically all of my life (minus 3 years)
- I’m a stay-at-home mom to three amazing kids: Alice (7 as of yesterday!), Remington (4.5), and Melody (2 as of last week!)
- My husband is a Mechanical Engineer which means he does a bunch of math and office work and problem-solving
- I have a psychology degree (nearly a double major in sociology) and I dropped out of law school
- I’ve been designing patterns for over a year now and I think it’s my forever-job!
If you met me in person, you might be surprised to see how boring I am:
- I wear my hair in a ponytail/messy bun everyday
- I don’t wear makeup (but I did buy some basics for fancy photos and YouTube videos)
- I own one pair of heels and I don’t think I’ve worn them in the last 5 years
- I have one pair of black canvas shoes that I wear everywhere (unless I take the kids to the spray park, and then I wear my water shoes)
- I prefer to be barefoot – even in the winter I don’t often wear socks
- I usually wear a pair of black yoga pants and a tank top; if it’s cold I put on my favorite cardigan
- I have at least 6 sweaters that I never wear
- I have peanut butter and honey on bread for breakfast every morning
- I only drink water 90% of the time; sometimes I will have an iced cappuccino if we have a long car ride
- I am a creature of routine and habit and definitely would not call myself adventurous
- I am pretty bad at idle chit-chat
- I would never wear sunglasses like the ones in this design
The Sunglasses
This is my second pattern in this group Crochet-A-Long. I had the privilege of being the first pattern in the Ocean-themed blanket with my Coral strip and now I get to finish things off with some cool sunglasses!
When I was invited to join this CAL I started thinking about how I now have friends around the world and yet, I am lonely. Between being a stay-at-home mom to little kids and moving to a new city when nearly everything is closed, I feel very isolated. It is also the middle of winter here in Saskatchewan, Canada (well, it was when I designed these – it is now the middle of summer; we are in a big heat wave!). I would love to meet up with my new friends and what better place to meet than a beach!? Hot sun, a bright beach ball, some cool sunglasses; let’s all go to my happy place, please!
I created my sample in bright colors but the great thing about your project is that you can use whichever colors you prefer! You can do one dark color and one light color or you can use a rainbow of colors as your contrasting color like I did. You can use any yarn medium (4) weight yarn.
Like the other patterns in this CAL, each repeat is 48 stitches wide. An extra stitch is added at the beginning of each row, and two extra stitches are added to the end. Each designer may have different ways of explaining things but all the pieces in this CAL are designed to work together!
My chart does not show those extra 3 stitches (the joining stitch, balancing stitch, and end stitch), it only shows the repeated section.
YouTube
I created a YouTube video to go with this pattern! You can see each stitch being done and crochet with me! I also have tutorials on the overlay mosaic crochet technique and my other favorite technique, interlocking crochet! www.YouTube.com/c/AshleeBrotzellDesigns
Important Details
- US crochet terminology
- Chart is 48 x 19, add 1 extra stitch at the beginning of each row and 2 extra stitches at the end of each row. Repeat is 48 + 3 stitches wide.
- 5 mm hook (H-8)
- 18 g of Main Color (MC)
- 18 g Purple
- 12 g of Contrasting Color (CC)
- 5 g Tomato (CC1)
- 4 g Robin’s Egg Blue (CC2)
- 3 g Ray Yellow (CC3)
- Gauge: 16 stitches x 16 rows = 4”
Key (US terminology)
MC = Main Color: black in chart
CC = Contrasting Color: white in chart
ch = chain
SC = single crochet: insert hook, pull up a loop, yarn over, pull through both loops on hook
sc = SC into Back Loop only
DC = double crochet: yarn over, insert hook, pull up a loop, *yarn over, pull through two loops* twice
dc = dropped double crochet: skip next single crochet, and instead double crochet into Front Loop of stitch in the row below
JS = Joining Stitch: create slip knot, insert hook under both loops, complete a normal single crochet
ES = End Stitch: single crochet under both loops, chain 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 (for this pattern only, add an extra stitch at the end of each row before doing the “ES = end stitch”). 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 (opposite for left-handed crocheters)
- 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 (unless you want to use them as fringe, like on scarf)
- 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)
- Unlike my other patterns, there are no foundation row instructions, join to your previous work
- For this pattern only: odd-numbered rows use MC (Dark purple), even-numbered rows use CC (a series of red, blue, and yellow)
Join to and continue from the previous FATW6 section.
Alternatively, if you need to create a foundation row and are starting a new project please see my video here or see how we did the foundation rows in the Mosaic Coral Strip.
Repeat between *’s as many times as required for your project.
1 MC (purple) – JS, *sc48*, sc1, ES
2 CC1 (red) – JS, *sc48*, sc1, ES
3 MC– JS, *sc7, dc1, sc11, dc1, sc9, dc1, sc11, dc1, sc6*, sc1, ES
4 CC1 – JS, *sc8, dc1, sc9, dc1, sc11, dc1, sc9, dc1, sc7*, sc1, ES
5 MC– JS, *sc5, dc1, sc3, (dc1, sc1) x2, (dc1, sc3) x2, dc1, sc5, dc1, sc3, (dc1, sc1) x4, dc1, sc3, dc1, sc4*, sc1, ES
6 CC1 – JS, *sc6, dc1, sc9, dc1, sc3, dc1, sc7, dc1, sc13, dc1, sc5*, sc1, ES
7 MC – JS, *sc3, dc1, sc3, (dc1, sc1) x2, (dc1, sc3) x3, dc1, sc1, dc1, sc3, (dc1, sc1) x6, dc1, sc3, dc1, sc2*, sc1, ES
8 CC2 (blue) – JS, *sc4, dc1, sc9, (dc1, sc3) x3, dc1, sc17, dc1, sc3*, sc1, ES
9 MC – JS, *sc3, (dc1, sc1) x5, (dc1, sc3) x2, dc1, sc5, (dc1, sc1) x9, dc1, sc2*, sc1, ES
10 CC2 – JS, *sc4, dc1, sc11, (dc1, sc3) x2, dc1, sc13, dc1, sc5, dc1, sc3*, sc1, ES
11 MC – JS, *sc3, (dc1, sc1) x16, dc1, sc3, (dc1, sc1) x3, dc1, sc2*, sc1, ES
12 CC2 – JS, *sc4, dc1, sc31, (dc1, sc3) x3*, sc1, ES
13 MC – JS, *sc3, (dc1, sc1) x15, (dc1, sc3) x2, (dc1, sc1) x2, dc1, sc2*, sc1, ES
14 CC3 (yellow) – JS, *sc4, dc1, sc29, dc1, sc3, dc1, sc5, dc1, sc3*, sc1, ES
15 MC – JS, *sc3, (dc1, sc1) x14, (dc1, sc3) x2, (dc1, sc1) x3, dc1, sc2*, sc1, ES
16 CC3 – JS, *sc4, dc1, sc31, dc1, sc7, dc1, sc3*, sc1, ES
17 MC – JS, *sc3, dc1, sc3, (dc1, sc1) x13, dc1, sc3, (dc1, sc1) x2, dc1, sc3, dc1, sc2*, sc1, ES
18 CC3 – JS, *sc6, dc1, sc35, dc1, sc5*, sc1, ES
19 MC – JS, *sc5, dc1, sc37, dc1, sc4*, sc1, ES
Trim the fringe, if needed.
If you’re mixing and matching things you may move on to a different section, but if you’re following the FATW6 CAL in order then you’ll need to go back to the host and get instructions on finishing it off! Congratulations, you’re done!
© 2021 Ashlee Brotzell.
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 https://ashleeslint.com
