Mosaic Crochet Pattern Maker

Design a two-colour mosaic crochet chart and get the written rows to go with it. Choose overlay or inset mosaic, a motif (zigzags, diamonds, checks, steps, crosses, arrows, a lattice or waves), the number of stitches and rows and your two colours, then click any cell to change it. Each row is worked in one colour; a double crochet dropped into a lower row of the same colour covers the other colour, and the tool keeps every drop to the rule of the method you chose. The written rows are made from the same stitch grid, so the chart and the words always agree. Nothing is uploaded.

100% private — everything runs in your browser. Everything runs in your browser; nothing is uploaded.

How to make a mosaic crochet pattern

1. Pick a preset, or choose overlay or inset and a motif.
2. Set the stitches across, the rows and colours A and B.
3. Click cells on the chart to change them; the drop rule is applied.
4. Choose US or UK terms and enter your gauge for the finished size.
5. Download the PDF (chart and written rows), the chart as SVG or PNG, or the rows as text.

What you can use it for

• Blankets, cushions and bags in two colours
• Scarves and table runners with a border motif
• Planning your own mosaic design before you crochet
• Turning a chart into written rows to share
• Learning to read mosaic charts
• Checking a design keeps to the drop rule

The 10 presets

Preset	Method	Stitches × rows	Dropped dc	Ch-1 spaces	Size at 18 sts / 20 rows per 10 cm
Zigzag	overlay	42 × 40	231	0	23.3 × 20 cm
Diamonds	overlay	42 × 42	186	0	23.3 × 21 cm
Checks	overlay	40 × 40	358	0	22.2 × 20 cm
Steps	overlay	42 × 40	246	0	23.3 × 20 cm
Crosses	overlay	38 × 40	212	0	21.1 × 20 cm
Arrows	overlay	42 × 40	194	0	23.3 × 20 cm
Lattice	inset	38 × 38	194	194	21.1 × 19 cm
Waves	inset	42 × 36	220	220	23.3 × 18 cm
Blocks (inset)	inset	40 × 40	264	264	22.2 × 20 cm
Stripes only (no drops)	overlay	30 × 20	0	0	16.7 × 10 cm

Counts are worked out by the tool from the stitch grid.

The rules the tool keeps

Rule	Overlay	Inset
Colour	A on odd rows, B on even rows	A on odd chart rows, B on even chart rows
Rows per chart row	1, from the right side	2: an a row on the right side, a b row back on the wrong side
Plain stitches	sc in the back loop only	sc in both loops
Other colour	covered by a dc from the row above	ch 1 and skip a stitch
Drop	dc in the front loop of the stitch 2 rows below	dc into the skipped stitch 3 rows below
Never	a dc directly on top of a dc	a dc into anything but a skipped plain sc
Edges	first and last stitch plain, both loops	first and last stitch plain

What prints

Download	What is in it
PDF	Page 1: the chart with row numbers, row colours and a key. Then how to read it and every written row with its stitch count
SVG chart	The chart alone, vector
PNG chart 300 DPI	The chart as a picture
TXT	The written rows as plain text

For square motifs worked in the round, use the Crochet Chart Maker; for zigzag stripes in any craft, the Chevron Pattern Generator.

Which tool to use

You want	Use
Two-colour geometric rows with dropped stitches	Mosaic Crochet Pattern Maker (this page)
Granny squares and a blanket plan	Granny Square Pattern Maker
A picture turned into a crochet graph	Crochet Chart Maker or Crochet Graph Maker
Colourwork for knitting	Knitting Chart Maker
Pixel designs for any grid craft	Pixel Art Maker

Other tools: the Knitting Chart Maker, the Cross Stitch Pattern Maker and the Pixel Art Maker.

Frequently asked questions

What is mosaic crochet?

A way of making two-colour geometric patterns with one colour per row. Most stitches are single crochet; where the pattern needs the other colour to show, a double crochet is worked into the stitch two rows below, which is the same colour as the working row, and covers the row in between.

Overlay or inset: what is the difference?

In overlay mosaic the rows are worked in the back loop only and each dropped double crochet goes into the front loop two rows below, lying on top of the fabric. In inset mosaic each chart row is worked as two rows in the same colour, one on the right side and one back on the wrong side; where the other colour should show you chain 1 and skip a stitch, and on the next colour the dropped double crochet goes into that skipped stitch, three rows below, so it sits in the fabric. The chart marks drops with an X and, for inset, the chain-1 spaces with a dot.

What is the drop rule?

Overlay: a double crochet never sits directly on top of another double crochet. Inset: a double crochet goes only into a plain single crochet that the chart row below skipped with a chain 1. Rows 1 and 2 and the first and last stitch of every row stay plain. Our tests check the rule for every cell of every preset; a cell you click that would break it stays as it is, and the tool tells you.

How do I read the chart?

Row 1 is at the bottom and stitch 1 is on the right. In overlay every chart row is one row worked from the right side; in inset every chart row is an a row on the right side and a b row back on the wrong side. The colour of a cell is the colour you will see; the small square at the left of each row is the yarn for that row: colour A on odd rows, colour B on even rows.

Do the written rows match the chart?

Yes. They are generated from the same stitch grid, and our tests read every written row back into stitches and compare it with the chart, stitch by stitch.

Do I cut the yarn every row?

In overlay, yes: every row is worked from the right side, so you fasten off at the end of each row and leave tails, which can become a fringe or be worked into a border. In inset, no: each colour works two rows and you change colour at the end of the wrong-side row, carrying the yarn up the side.

US or UK terms?

Both. US single crochet (sc) and double crochet (dc) are the UK double crochet (dc) and treble (tr). The key and the written rows follow your choice.

Is it free?

Yes. There is no sign-up, no watermark and no limit.

Is anything uploaded?

No. The chart is made by JavaScript in your browser. Nothing you choose is sent anywhere or saved when you close the page.