This is a collection of users feedback and comments to the Clean Mosaic Crochet tutorial. I have moved hosting platform since I first published the tutorial and this was the only way that I could retain the many comments and feedback to the CMC Tutorial.
I apologize to all the people who originally left comments that there was no other way to transport your comments over to this platform. And I apologize to everyone that I have disabled comments on this platform due to time constraints.
Feedback & Comments on CMC Tutorial
ANONYMOUS says
October 5, 2023 at 9:51 pm
Hi 🙂 yesterday I found your blog, and I just want to say thank you for sharing your great cmc technique! If once understood, it is a logical enhancement of classic mosaic.
If you want your brain to explode, i also found a video explaining “Reversible Continuous Overlay Mosaic Crochet (REV-COM)” on youtube, which creates two beautiful sides by replacing some sc with dc worked into the back side of the work. Maybe you want to incorporate this into your CMC technique some boring day in the future 🙂
GAYLE says
June 20, 2023 at 3:56 am
I am very happy that I found your website although it is a few years later then most comments. I hope you still read it. I crocheted along and think that your steps are amazing. The pictures really helped! I was trying to be fancy using a varigated yarn for Yarn A but will do it again with only two colors for better results. I am just having problems knowing if I am grabbing the right yarn 2 rows below. I am sure with more practice I can learn this.
I use the “old” method of chaining where there will be a drop down double crochet and it is difficult to break that but I love the clean look of your work. It is fun to learn something new.
EVA says
August 25, 2022 at 7:55 pm
Thank you for this! Reading, and re-reading till I understand
But one question….once I understand this properly…Can I use this technique on all Mosaic patteens? Can I “translate”?
KELLY ZAHN says
March 6, 2022 at 12:49 am
I am enjoying your page! I am Really wishing at this moment i was this kind of learner! If you ever make a video tutorial or YouTube page- I am there! I’ll keep trying … Thank You!
SIMONE says
November 12, 2021 at 7:53 pm
Thank you so much! I’ve been trying to learn mosaic crochet forever but it never really made sense to me until I read your instructions and I finally had that light bulb moment where things just clicked and I got it. Again thank you!
ANONYMOUS says
July 22, 2021 at 7:19 am
Hi Helena! Firstly a massive thank you! I’ve been wanting to mosaic crochet but those ends and that double border completely threw me off!
And when I find your cmc- I don’t have yarn on hand for it!
BUT I do have some sock yarn in 2 colours that I was contemplating for a moss stitch project that everyone seems to be into these days. Again the ends !
So hey presto! Your LDC ends border with the colour B ending within the frame and moss stitch are currently getting married! The only difference is – I did both a chainless foundation Sc row, followed by a second row of Sc in colour A. This way I have a 2 stitch border all around!
Thank you so so much! I will figure out how to send you the picture if I succeed!
HELENA ASMUS LIM says
July 23, 2021 at 2:14 pm
Hello, thank you for your feedback. And your enthusiasm … which just bursts through. I didn’t know that the moss stitch project was the current rage at the moment. I presume that this is just the standard moss stitch, right?
Sounds like you will be having lots of intriguing fun. This is the best part I think … when you see/hear something that sparks off another useful idea for a new way of doing things. Good luck!
DIONNE DEADMARSH says
May 24, 2021 at 3:14 pm
Hi I understand why the inner colour needs two chains to bring it to height. The outer colour however is confusing me. I did my row one across and ended with a marked loop. Then the second row same direction. Now when I go to do the two double crochets with the first colour for the third row I don’t know what to do. Do I chain two and it counts as a double crochet? Or what? Does my question make sense?
Thank you
HELENA ASMUS LIM says
July 23, 2021 at 2:17 pm
Hi Dionne, I am so sorry you are having some trouble with this method. But to be honest, I have re-read your questions multiple times and I am sadly still unsure what you are asking. So I can’t really help at this stage. I can only hope that you will get one of those wonderful and not uncommon “Ah-ha” moments. Good luck!
JULIE says
July 31, 2021 at 4:35 am
Dionne,
I think I understand your question. When you finished working both colors, you marked the outer color with a stitch marker, and the instructions say to start the next row with 2dc. I think you are asking the question because in regular (non-mosaic) crochet, when you start the next row, you chain a certain number of stitches in order to set up the next row, and we’re usually told that those few chained stitches count as the first dc (or whatever stitch you will be using to start the row). So the first stitch will often be written like ‘ch 3, counts as dc’, or something like that. In the case of this method, you just forget about that idea. Just jump right into doing a dc in the first stitch and a dc in the second stitch. If you go back to the chart above, those 2dc would be the two highlighted yellow boxes on each side of the graph. They are just 2 regular dc stitches worked in the usual way, with no special starting method.
You only need to start the inner color with 2ch to bring the yarn to the correct height. The outer color needs no such adjustment. I hope that helps!
DEATHZEROZERO says
October 20, 2021 at 3:49 am
Thanks for your tutorial – I’m very excited to learn this new technique and really appreciate your time and energy in creating this page 😀
I came here to ask this exact question! I’ve done the mm cast on and the first row of sc, so I’m at the stage of starting the 3rd row (row 2 on the chart) with 2 dc in the cast on colour, however without any chains to get height, the first of these is kind of rounded and squashed as there’s nothing to get it to the height of a dc. The only way to make it not look squashed is to let the first loop the hook goes through when returning to that point become very elongated. I would post a photo if I could. Does that explain the question well enough for you to comment?!
HELENA ASMUS LIM says
October 25, 2021 at 2:06 pm
Hi deathzerozero, sorry to make you wait for my reply. It has been bedlam here,
I gather you are talking about this row?
And in particular, the 2dc that starts the row. You start the dc however you normally do it. It can be with the conventional 3chs (to represent a dc) or the chainless dc (you can see how that is done here). However you start a normal dc row is ok. I just didn’t specify how to do that as I assumed most people would just use the starting dc they are most comfortable with.
I hope that helps and answers your question. Cheers, Good Luck, and have Fun!!
ANONYMOUS says
March 29, 2021 at 6:33 am
The Clean Mozaic Crochet is for me absolutely impossible to understand. Maybe some time you could make a video tutorial. I can very god work the other two methods, but with that one I’m very confuse.
I might not be the only one.
Thanks a lot
HELENA ASMUS LIM says
July 23, 2021 at 2:22 pm
Hello, I wish I could do a video. But first, I have so many projects and writing piled up, I have no time to learn how to make video tutorials. I have tried and even bought some fairly expensive equipment but it is not as easy as it seems and I hate those unclear, shaky videos we sometimes see online. So for me to do a video tutorial, I need time and advice on how best to do a good one so I can do the best I can. But it is a full circle … coz I have too many other projects on the go to devote time to that.
I apologize. I know it is frustrating. But if you think back to the days before youTube (if you are old enough!) … we all managed to learn really complex techniques just often from old fashioned, paper magazines!
I hope someone who has mastered the CMC (Clean Mosaic Crochet) will be able to do a clear video tutorial at some stage. Good luck.
JULIE says
July 31, 2021 at 4:45 am
Try this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6sizmhaxbYI. The video creator calls this method ‘Endless Mosaic Crochet’, but the idea is the same: you work two rows from the RS, flip the work over, and then work 2 rows from the WS. The tricky part is that when you work from the WS, the pattern in your chart is worked ‘backwards’.
Think of it this way: when you are working with the RS facing you, you are doing the double crochet stitches on the front of the work (the RS), and the sc stitches are in the BLO – but that is the BLO from the RS of the work. So when you do two rows on the RS and then flip the piece over and work 2 rows from the WS, you have to continue doing the double crochet stitch on the RS of the work (which is now facing away from you) and the sc are still being worked in the BLO from the RS side, but those *look like* sc in the FLO because the work is flipped around.
Note in the video above there isn’t any adjustments for a special border, nor is there an inner and outer color. It’s just working colors A & B from the RS, then colors A & B from the WS, etc.
AMIE says
March 19, 2021 at 10:54 pm
Hi. I have practiced with the test swatch twice and I think I have the method down. Now I am looking at the bigger chart and am wondering if there will be a size difference when using CMC on an Inset MC chart, since inset has two rows of the same color per row on the chart, and the CMC method is one row per color. Thanks!
HELENA ASMUS LIM says
July 23, 2021 at 2:57 pm
Hi Amie, yes the CMC will result in a more compact/shorter than if you were using the the Inset/Chain-Space Mosaic Crochet method.
The article dealing with the differences among the different MC methods will give you some visual indication of the differences.
KELLY says
March 3, 2021 at 1:40 pm
Hey again haha I think I figured it out. I as repeating the center of each pattern row not the pattern of 1-20, 1-20.. thanks again for the great tutorial
HELENA ASMUS LIM says
March 8, 2021 at 10:30 pm
Hi Kelly! Clever! Well done! Well done! You are exactly right. In LillaBjorn’s Nya pattern, the 20sts are the repeating pattern. So if you were using my CMC (Clean Mosaic Crochet) method and her chart, instead of starting with 160 stitches, you would have 162 sts (if you wanted a 1-stitch border on each side).
KELLY says
March 3, 2021 at 1:05 pm
Hello! Love this tutorial successfully made your sample. I’ve tried twice to make the Nya Mosaic Blanket with your chart and technic.. but it doesn’t seem to add up if you just repeat the pattern. Help! On her website she starts with 160 sc for the baby blanket. which made sense to me because there are 20 squares on the chart. But it doesn’t line up properly. Any tips are appreciated! Thank you so much for your time
JULIE says
July 31, 2021 at 5:02 am
The Nya chart is a 12-square repeat, and the chart on her site (https://www.lillabjorncrochet.com/2019/07/nya-infinity-mosaic-blanket.html) is 24 squares wide plus two extra stitches on one end, and one extra stitch on the other. Her instructions are a little unclear: she says to start with any multiple of 12 sts + 3 sts (ch4), but then says to use ch 160 for the baby blanket. That should be ch 164. (That’s a 12 stitch repeat, worked 13 times, with the + 4ch.)
Since the Nya pattern has one extra stitch on one end and two on the other, you’d have to make one adjustment to use Helena’s method: you want to have 2 stitches on each side of the row, and then only work the pattern 12-stitch repeats between those 2 stitches. So, instead of starting with ch 164, start with ch 165, and make sure you do the 2dc on either end of your row.
BIRDOFPASSAGE2020 says
February 21, 2021 at 8:23 am
Hi Helena,
Do you have any tutorials on how to design your own mosaic using actual shapes, like a skull or a boat? I see tons of videos online and even websites instructing how to create one making designs in Excel but none on how to add a shape.
MEGAN says
November 14, 2020 at 4:52 am
Your MM cast on is awesome!!!
Just a quick question…… when you turn the foundation row to start first sc row, you go into 2nd stitch. Does this mean that an extra foundation st is needed as it becomes the turning chain.
HELENA ASMUS LIM says
November 16, 2020 at 12:26 pm
Hi Megan, thank you for your comments.
You don’t turn after foundation row (R0). You start the next row (R1/B) in red col. 2 stitches in; starting from the same side where you started R0 .. and work towards the loop (with marker) at the end of R0/A.
Please note that while I love it, the MM cast on is only my easy-to-remember nickname for it. I cannot take credit for it. Rather, it goes to MellowMe on YouTube. She has copyrighted the technique, and the technique has it own (long) name. It is a great cast on technique!
ANONYMOUS says
November 17, 2020 at 1:10 am
Thank you for your reply. I was thinking that I’ll probably use it for all my projects, not just mosaic!
Also, possibly a tip for anyone…… when I get to the last ‘inner’ stitch, I chain 2 straight away. I found that it helps to keep it out of the way better, and gives a firmer ‘top’ to work into on the next row.
CHIPNANNA says
October 16, 2020 at 9:48 am
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Ok, I am going along fine until the end of row 3 at the Right Edge – But as I began, I had a few problems, one was that I forgot to make my MM Cast On for row 0 with larger hook size or two, so that caused a couple problems, and the main problem I had is that I had forgotten how to read the chart from the other posts, specifically the ‘rules’ about what the squares mean as far as how to determine whether to do a sc or dc, (I would’ve been lost without the v’s added to the chart, as did the fact that you wrote out the sts to make for each row in the directions) so I had to go back to the other blog post to refresh my memory – Which brings me to where I’m stuck:
Is this a mistake, or is it me not remembering how to read the chart? At the end of Row 3, at right edge, there is a V in the last square, it is a “black” square on top of another black square from row below, just like the other three DDC’s in the same row, so shouldn’t that stitch be a DDC rather than a sc? In the written instructions, it says, “(1sc, 1ddc) x3, 4sc” – but shouldn’t that last, 4th sc be a ddc instead?
I looked at the photos of your crochet work, and you did, in fact, make a sc rather than a ddc, but I cannot figure out how to determine WHY that is a sc vs a ddc from the chart. In other words, if I had not seen your photis or the written instructions of “(1sc, 1ddc) x3, 4sc”, I would’ve made that last stitch a ddc. What am I missing? Does it have something to do with the fact that it’s a square that is on top of a beginning square from Row 2? Also, why is there a “V” in the square, and why does square look exactly the same as the other ddc squares of the same row? I have re-read the other mosaic blog posts where you explained the charting, but I’m still stuck and confused. Thank You.
HELENA ASMUS LIM says
October 16, 2020 at 3:20 pm
Hello again Anna! You have Eagle Eyes! And I love it! Thank you!
1) MM cast on – it is ok to use the same hook size as for body of work. I do a lot of the time. Just remember to keep it fairly loose – not tight; relaxed hands.
2) R3. You are brilliant. And you are correct. My mistake. After having had to modify and correct a few notations in one img after another (there are over 50+ images to manage to this page), I did not remember that some of the written instructions had to be updated as well. So thank you SO MUCH for doing your test-runs.
I have re-touched the R3 images and corrected the written instructions. Thanks!
3) end photo of R3: you said, “I looked at the photos of your crochet work, and you did, in fact, make a sc rather than a ddc,..” …actually the red yarn ends with a ddc as per instructions. Sorry the photo was a bit confusing. That was a photo of the WS and that is why it looks like a sc from the back. I have now added a WS notice to the photo to prevent more confusion.
Once again, thank you Anna for your meticulous eye to detail and the amount of time you took to write out you question in such detail and clarity.
You would make a great pattern tester!!! Do you ever do that?
♡
CHIPNANNA says
October 16, 2020 at 4:32 pm
I thought it was me, that maybe I was not remembering some special “rule” about the squares. Thanks for letting me know what’s going on – yes! blog posts, instructions, photos, uploading, etc are A LOT of work, so I understand!
After I wrote that comment, I just continued on, I made that stitch a sc, and continued practicing reading the chart (I had started this swatch yesterday, put it down, and continued with fresh eyes today) and I got a huge surprise! After Row 5, reading the chart and doing your new method just clicked, and I was done with Row 10 very, very quickly! I did Rows 5 through 10 in less time than it took me to do 1 row yesterday! Now I get it, it’s just like you said somewhere in this post, it just takes a bit of practice and getting used to, so for everyone who feels discouraged at first, it’s just like anything else, it takes some practice, but not much at all.
About pattern testing: I’ve never been a pattern tester, but I would like to, I am someone who pays a lot of attention to detail, I like to know WHY and how things work, the theory behind it all.
Here’s a link to a photo of my practice swatch – it’s very, very messy, and I did the foundation row too tight, and I ended up cutting my yarn once because I didn’t keep one of the colors on the proper side, and I didn’t bother making the edges neat, but I was focused on the chart, so, that’s my excuse! https://flic.kr/p/2jVRVzV
HELENA ASMUS LIM says
October 17, 2020 at 2:39 am
Now that puts a big smile on my face! Congratulations! For your eagle eyes, for your determination, for your feedback, for your success! Bravo!
Yes, it does get better and quicker, pretty quickly.
As for pattern testing, maybe I can keep your email and contact you should I ever want pattern testing down? You don’t have to do it because you might not be interested in some patterns. Only if the pattern interests you of course. I am not sure if I will ever have pattern testers but it is something I have thought of, on and off.
Do you do other types of crochet or are you only interested in Mosaic Crochet?
BTW .. I love your practice swatch. Thank you for sharing it. Well done. Bravo. You can now play with the free Cats Pocket Scarf pattern 😀
Actually in the near future, I will be adding a new upgrade to this tutorial as I have discovered another way of doing the CMC – maybe an even better way. Till then, thank you for the feedback and big congrats for such a determined, successful effort.
ANNA PLUMMER says
October 18, 2020 at 6:09 am
Yes, I would be glad to test some of your patterns – I do all types of crochet, like Irish lace, overlay, surface, Tunisian, tapestry, you name it. Do you have my email from my replies?
I am looking forward to your upgrade to mosaic! I will send you an email soon, as I came up with some tricks for the dc edges, and also with working into the Perfect I cord foundation that makes it easier.
ANNA PLUMMER says
October 15, 2020 at 6:49 am
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For those of you who are doing this type of mosaic the first time, please know that you will understand when you follow along while doing the actual crocheting – it’s one of those things where it’s much easier than the written instructions make it seem.
When I did Helena’s other mosaic & overlay tutorials, things became more clear when crocheting along. But there’s good reason for all the written instructions, so we can refer back to when learning, due to the nature of how certain things can get easily confused.
HELENA ASMUS LIM says
October 16, 2020 at 2:24 pm
Thank you Anna! Yes, please crochet along with the written tutorial. I am sorry I still don’t know how to do a close-up video. But personally, many a time, I prefer written tutorials for myself. Because with written tutorials, when I need to remember just that one bit in the middle of the whole thing, I can more easily locate the needed info in written (& photos) tutorial than trying to go move a video forward and back, to find that info.
Anyway, as Anna says, please everyone, crochet along for better clarity. Thanks Anna!
ARI BLENKHORN says
October 6, 2020 at 3:24 am
In your first example, in the text description for R3, it says to do 2 chains to raise color B to the new height. On the accompanying photo it says 1 chain. Seems like it should be two since color B is moving up two rows, but could you confirm? Thanks!
ARI BLENKHORN says
October 6, 2020 at 4:37 am
I used 2 chains and that seemed fine. This technique works beautifully! I’m looking forward to making something larger with CMC.
Hi again Ari, thank you for pointing out the missing “v”s. I have rectified the image. Thank you. I have also added a note (and will do so henceforth in future patterns) to make it clear that the “v”s are manually added but users should and will want to be able to read a mosaic chart even without the “v” indicators. Thanks for your eagle eyes! 😀
HELENA ASMUS LIM says
October 6, 2020 at 3:08 pm
Hi Ari, thank you for pointing that out. I originally started with 1ch to bring up the starting row but over time, like you, found that 2 chains worked better. I changed the text but didn’t look at the photos. Have rectified it now. Thanks again.
CINDY STEWART says
October 3, 2020 at 12:36 am
Totally confused lol! I need to see this.in real life.(I want to do cats pocket scarf!)… Do you have videos showing these techniques? Thank you!!!
HELENA ASMUS LIM says
October 17, 2020 at 2:44 am
Hi Cindy, I am so sorry that the written CMC tutorial was confusing to you. I still haven’t gotten a handle on how to do a close up, clear, and focussed video tutorial. So I am sorry I don’t have one. Usually, with tutorials, especially written/photographic ones, it works best and is much more understandable if you crochet along. Maybe you can try that?
Good luck.
