Converting a (specific) needlework chart to a mosaic knitting chart

I ended my post about figuring out whether a chart works as a mosaic knitting with a chart that didn’t work for mosaic knitting. However, I wondered if it could somehow be altered to be feasible.

This post is about the process of making it work.

Of course, this won’t work for every non-mosaic chart, but I did work out how to adjust this one, and here’s the process I used. (I’m afraid it’s very graphics oriented.)

The problems in this chart were these:

  • Half the dark slipped squares didn’t have a dark knit stitch underneath that could be slipped.
  • There was more than one slipped stitch which had a different color slipped stitch in the chart row beneath it, which doesn’t work.

I’ve added the rows above and below the repeat for more context; I should maybe have added the stitches to either side, but I hope it will be comprehensible.

The dark slipped stitch in the first chart row doesn’t have a plain dark stitch underneath, so I’m going to add that. I’ve also added it in the top row of the repeat, which is where it properly belongs.

The dark slipped stitch in the third chart row has a white slipped stitch above it, which doesn’t work. I could make the dark slipped stitch into a light knit square, but that would make a T shape rather than some kind of star shape, so instead I’ll turn the white slipped stitch into a knit dark stitch for vertical symmetry. I’ve also made the same changes for the other star as well. This also fixes all the places where there were too many slip stitches stacked one on top of another.

That looks fine, but I’d like all the rays of the “star” to be all the same length.

Fortunately, making the horizontal rays the same length as the vertical ones fits well in the mosaic knitting format. In fact, it makes it even easier to work this one, as there are no longer two slipped stitches next to each other anywhere in the chart.

illustration of how Little Stars looks as an allover design
the original non-mosaic chart
Illustration of how Bigger Stars looks as an allover design
the mosaic version

Here’s how it looks repeated. It’s definitely got a different feel to it from the original, but I still like it. (I think it would also be good with dark and light reversed.)

Instructions:

mosaic knitting chart showing how to work the pattern by means of dark and light squares. See below for written instructions.
click chart to enlarge

Start by knitting two rows in color A (light squares in chart above).

Switch to color B (dark squares in chart above).

Row 1 (RS): k1, *(sl 1, k1) × 4; work from *.

Row 2 (WS): *(k1, sl 1 wyif) × 4; work from *, k1.

Switch to color A.

Row 3: k1, *k1, sl 1, k6; work from *.

Row 4: *k6, sl 1 wyif, k1; work from *, k1.

Switch to color B.

Row 5: k1, *k4, (sl 1, k1) × 2; work from *.

Row 6: *(k1, sl 1 wyif) × 2, k4; work from *, k1.

Switch to color A.

Row 7: k1, *k1, sl 1, k6; work from *.

Row 8: *k6, sl 1 wyif, k1; work from *, k1.

Switch to color B.

Row 9: k1, *(sl 1, k1) × 4; work from *.

Row 10: *(k1, sl 1 wyif) × 4; work from *, k1.

Switch to color A.

Row 11: k1, *k5, sl 1, k2; work from *.

Row 12: *k2, sl 1 wyif, k5; work from *, k1.

Switch to color B.

Row 13: k1, *sl 1, k1, sl 1, k5; work from *.

Row 14: *k5, sl 1 wyif, k1, sl 1 wyif; work from *, k1.

Switch to color A.

Row 15: k1, *k5, sl 1, k2; work from *.

Row 16: *k2, sl 1 wyif, k5; work from *, k1.

Switch to color B.

Row 17: k1, *(sl 1, k1) × 4; work from *.

Row 18: *(k1, sl 1 wyif) × 4; work from *, k1.