Småkär Shawl
A Triangle Shawl in Inset Mosaic Crochet
The Småkär Shawl is a triangular shawl designed to showcase the beauty of inset mosaic crochet. It’s a striking yet soothing project that plays with colour, rhythm, and texture, perfect if you love colourwork but prefer a calm, methodical crochet flow.
What Is Mosaic Crochet?
Mosaic crochet is a fabulous and fun form of colourwork. Where other colourwork techniques create designs by switching colours within a single row or round, such as tapestry crochet or stranded colourwork, mosaic crochet works a little differently.
Instead of changing colours mid-row, you work two rows in the same colour, leaving spaces that will be filled in later with a contrasting colour. These spaces are created intentionally and then completed in subsequent rows, building up the pattern step by step.
There are two main types of mosaic crochet,
- Overlay mosaic crochet
- Inset mosaic crochet
This pattern is available as a PDF
Inset Mosaic Crochet Explained
The technique used for the Småkär Shawl is inset mosaic crochet.
It’s called inset because you fill previously made chain spaces by in-setting longer stitches, usually double crochets, into them on the next right-side row in a contrasting colour. The chain spaces from earlier rows remain unworked behind these stitches, creating a clean, graphic look.
Inset mosaic crochet is worked using,
- Two rows of each colour
- Turning your work at the end of every row
- Carrying the unused colour neatly up the side
This approach significantly reduces the number of yarn ends you’ll need to weave in, which is always a win.
Skill Level: Advanced Beginner
I’ve designed this mosaic crochet pattern to be as accessible as possible. The Småkär Shawl is an excellent project if you’ve never tried inset mosaic crochet before.
The stitch pattern is,
- Easily memorable
- Made up of simple repeats
- Relaxing once you find the rhythm
To support you along the way, I’ve also included a photo tutorial, making the learning process even smoother.
Yarn Choice: Hobbii Amigo
For this shawl, I chose Hobbii Amigo, a DK weight acrylic yarn that is wonderfully soft and lightweight. It’s ideal for scarves and wraps because it’s warm without being heavy, and completely non-itchy.
Why Amigo Works So Well
- 100% high-quality HB acrylic
- Soft, airy volume
- Comfortable to crochet with
- Great stitch definition for mosaic patterns
HB stands for High-Bulk, a production technique that uses steam and pressure to gently curl the fibres. This makes the yarn fuller, lighter, and especially pleasant to work with.
