With this pattern I continue to celebrate my Lithuanian heritage, a beautiful country by the Baltic Sea.
I often get inspiration from traditional Lithuanian weaving and embroidery designs, as well as other traditional crafts and try to create variations for a contemporary wardrobe and home. Some of my designs and patterns even get to see the light of day!
This hat and cowl pattern uses mosaic crochet technique, which lends itself beautifully to timeless traditional designs.
If you have never crocheted in mosaic technique before, this is a good project to dip your toes in.
The pattern document includes special photo tutorial for mosaic crochet beginners, and has detailed step-by-step instructions, explanations, charts and videos to help you successfully complete this project.
Also there are no complicated special stitches, all you need to know to successfully crochet the Baltic Vibes Hat & Cowl are the most basic crochet stitches – chain, single crochet, double crochet and slip stitch.
Tools and Materials Review:
3mm hook
Two contrasting colour yarns (TIP. The pattern will look best when there is high contrast in colours.) Weight: 4-ply (also known as fingering, sock or baby yarn), 50g (1.8oz)/210m (230yds). Yarn used here: DROPS Flora 50g skeins 100% wool.
In mosaic crochet patterns we usually work with two colours. If you want the pattern to stand out, use high contrast colours, such as white and dark grey as in my case.
See other colour combinations from some of my testers here:
Linda chose a wine/grey colour combination.
Gayla’s choice was gold/white combination.
Louise, in the meantime, decided sky blue and white would look best for her:
But if you want to create a very subtle textured look, you may consider using pastel colours, like Kathleen did here:
As you can see, the choice of colours and their combinations lends the pattern a totally different look and feel.
So what colour combinations will you go for? Is it something very classic like black and white, or something totally unexpected?
Let me know!
Get the Baltic Vibes Hat & Cowl pattern on:
I hope this short Baltic Vibes Hat & Cowl Pattern review was useful. 🙂
How can I wear my lace dress in autumn and even later into the cold season? Is it even possible? Is this dress just for warm season or can it be realistically worn during the chilly months of the year?
So to answer these questions, I grabbed my Lavender Fields Dress and headed for the shops.
My plan was to find at least two warm undergarments that I could easily pair with my lace dress.
So here are the results of my little ‘Ways to Wear’ experiment in the changing rooms:
Black knit pullover and a black slip paired with black suede boots.
I really love this look where black background makes the lace texture stand out.
The turtleneck keeps me warm and cozy, and I do not have to think whether or not it sits well. Yes, am keeping this set, it’s a winner!
Other dark monochrome colours would also work very well, and they would be really effective, if you could keep the footwear in the same colour.
2. Ribbed jumper dress in nude colour and brown suedeboots.
Before going into the shops, I actually thought I will simply buy a few knit jumper dresses in different colours and be done with my experiment. Turns out, they are not so easy to find!
I found this dress in nude colour, a size smaller than what I would normally wear, but it doesn’t really matter, because the material stretches and my intention is to only wear it as an undergarment.
As you can see, a simple swap of colours, lends the lace dress a totally different look and feel.
This time, the dress seems more toned down, definitely a casual daytime outfit.
As you can see from a close-up picture below, the nude colour dress has a basic ribbed pattern, which is not ideal for wearing it with my lace dress. The reason, I think, I can just get away with it because of the totally neutral colour which does not draw attention to itself.
Another aspect to keep in mind if choosing a nude fabric as an undergarment for this dress, the first impression can be that you are not wearing anything underneath. So you may sometimes get some startled looks…
Apart from the two variations above which I’ve decided to keep, I tried on a number of different tops and dresses and took some close-up pictures to see how different fabrics, textures, colours and knits work with the lace of Lavender Fields Dress.
Here are some more pictures and conclusions from my fitting rooms adventures.
One important conclusion – my black knit pullover works the best, because the knit is very fine and plain, there isn’t any pattern on it.
The minute a garment has some sort of pattern, even a simple ribbed one, it starts clashing with the lace. Sometimes, like with my nude coloured dress, one can make it work, but very often, it’s not the best option.
Another discovery is the choice of fabric. This jersey pullover (picture below), for example, seemed like a good option while it was on a hanger. The minute I put it on, I realized it was not. It has strange, messy folds around the neck and in the chest area. So it was a NO from me.
A maroon T-shirt dress (below) seemed like an option while I was in the lovely fitting room with dimmed lights.
When I got into the daylight though, I changed my mind. This is because the shade of the dress looked totally different and the synthetic material seemed very cheap.
So another lesson learnt – always check an item in the daylight. Especially, if it is something you will be wearing during the day.
Another discovery I’ve made is about the shape of the neckline.
So for example, I thought it would be a good idea to layer my warm tailored vest on top of the dress, just to have a different option for chillier days.
You can judge for yourself, but to my mind, having a pullover, a V-shaped and a round neck line on the same neck at once, does not look like the best option out there. So I am not going down this road either.
So there you have it, my ‘Ways to Wear’ adventures 🙂
I hope that my little experiment will give you some ideas of how you could wear your Lavender Fields Lace Dress (or any other lace item) during the colder months.
Get instantly downloadable Lavender Fields Lace Dress pattern here:
While I love a straightforward cowl like this one, and wear mine very often, I found that whenever I have a V-neck top on, my chest gets somewhat chilly.
So to solve this problem, I simply created a dicky-like Aline’s neck warmer, with a triangular bib in the front, which will cover the chest without adding any bulk to an outfit.
I intended this dicky-like neckwarmer to be worn only under other garments. I am wearing it on top of my sweater in the above picture only for demonstration purposes.
This very soft and luxurious-looking Aline’s neck warmer can be worn instead of a scarf under a coat, a jacket or a blazer or as a pullover imitation paired with V-neck tops.
I like wearing mine under my jeans or leather jackets, because I normally keep the first few buttons open and need my chest to stay cosy.
Quick project
This is a very quick project worked with 5mm and 6mm hooks.
I chose superwash classic wool 3.52oz (100g)/ 219yds (200m) yarn.
I used soft, machine washable Ella Rae yarn, but any equivalent will do (check that the yardage is the same or similar).
You can easily adjust the pattern even if you do not have the right weight yarn. If you decide to go for a chunkier yarn, you will simply reduce number of stitches.
One of my pattern testers did exactly that, see image below. I love how a thicker yarn shows off that Alpine stitch!
Gayla’s chunky neckwarmer.
With a finer yarn you will have to increase the number of stitches to achieve the size you want.
I included size increase/decrease explanations in the downloadable pattern, tehy are very easy to follow.
I originally created Aline’s Neck Warmer with a slit in the turtle neck and a button fastening. But it seems a lot of people prefer a full turtle neck without a slit. A family member asked me for a cowl like this, but with a full turtle neck. I really love how it turned out in this light blue colour (see picture below).
You can see that it is a bit loose on me as it is a larger size than the cherry one above.
Get instantly downloadable Aline’s Neck Warmer Pattern HERE:
Most of those who tested the pattern for me went for completely different colour combinations.
As you can see in the photos below, the colour totally changes the look and feel of a design.
Royal Blue – Cream
@gayla_bjork chose this beautiful royal blue for the sun and palm-side background elements of the design. She matched it with a cream colour to finish the classy look. It seems that these fingerless mitts will go with so many outfits!
Sage green – sand
For her gloves Louise picked this beautiful sage green colour and paired it with the neutral sand/cream shade. Sage is also one of those colours that can be easily paired with almost any colour.
Navy Blue – White
@kylli_s chose to crochet the gloves using the timeless navy blue/white colour combination.
I think this colour combination never goes out of fashion, and, it makes a lot of sense to have a few blue-white accessories (or maybe even clothes) in our wardrobes.
It seems to me that the design benefits a lot from reversing the colours on the top and the palm-side.
I personally love this technique of reversing the colours because this gives the design versatility without overcomplicating it. Plus, when you use this colour reverse technique for the second accessory such as the earwarmer, the finished look feels less matchy-matchy and more effortlessly organic.
You can get the Baltic Sun Fingerless Gloves & Earwarmer Pattern HERE:
If you have never crocheted using Mosaic Overlay technique, here’s what you need to know:
For mosaic crochet you need to know only the most basic crochet stitches – single crochet (sc), double crochet (dc), chain(ch) and slip stitch (sl st).
2. The patterns are created using only sc and dc stitches. Sl st and ch are used for starting the project, connecting the rounds and finishing the project.
3. Sc is always worked ONLY through the back loop of the stitch.
4. Dc is always worked ONLY through the front loop of the stitch one row below. It is also worked only into the stitch of the same colour, e.g. dc in colour A will always be worked into the stitch of colour A below.
Mosaic crochet projects are typically worked using two colours, marked as A or B.
Each round is worked with 1 colour only. IMPORTANT. We do not change colours in the middle of the round.
When we crochet in the round, we do not cut the yarn.
Mosaic Overlay Chart
Your mosaic overlay project chart tells you everything you need to know in order to crochet a picture.
Start reading the chart at the bottom right corner.
A, B – the colour for the round. In my swatch tutorial, colour A is light grey and colour B is purple.
Numbers on the right hand side – round numbers. Number 0 is the foundation chain.
Numbers on the top – stitch numbers. Each box of the chart corresponds to one stitch.
Boxes with symbol \ on the right means ch, and on the left means sl st. In other words, we will finish each round with a sl st and ch 1. These stitches are not part of the picture, they are seam stitches.
Boxes with no symbol in them (either white or pink) – single crochet (sc).
Boxes with X (either white or pink) – double crochet (dc).
Foundational chain stitch calculations:
As you can see in the chart, one picture panel is 6 sts wide. The second half of the chart is the exact repeat of the first (I normally include it so as to have an idea of how the pattern will look like).
You need to decide how many times you will repeat this picture panel for your project.
In the case of my swatch, I will repeat the picture panel 6 times.
Which means I have to ch multiples of 6 x 6 times + 1chain for turning (6×6+1 =37).
So the swatch pattern will start:
R0(A) (foundations ch round colour A) ch 37
NOTE. When you work on bigger projects, a longer chain will twist a lot at this stage. Therefore, don’t connect the two ends at this stage, because it is easier to connect the ends after you’ve done the next row.
R1 (A) 36 sc
At this stage we will connect the ends and change the colour.
Insert your hook into the ch where you started the round.
Using the next colour yarn (not the one you’ve just worked with), sl st and ch 1.
Do NOT cut the yarn. Simply leave the yarn you are not working with hanging at the seam, you will pick it up in the next round.
Make sure your sl st and ch are as tight as possible. You will not have to work into that sl st when you next come around. Working into the tight ch will be a bit difficult, but that’s ok because a tight ch will make your seam tidy and going straight up.
IMPORTANT
As you work through this swatch pattern, you will see that I start each round with a sl st and ch. This is because we connect the round using the next colour coming up, so it is not logical to mark sl st and ch at the end of a round, but rather at the start of the next colour round.
Looking at the chart, from bottom right to left, let’s continue:
We’ve done R0 and R1 above.
I will now divide the chart round by round and write the pattern underneath for each round.
R2 (B)sl st, ch 1, 36 sc (through the back loop only, as per explanation above)
R3 (A)sl st, ch 1, 36 sc (NOTE although the colour seems to change on the chart, as mentioned above, we will NOT change the colour in the middle of the round, continue sc through the back loop only with colour A as you have started).
R4 (B)sl st, ch 1, [3sc, 3 dc] x 6 times ( dc stitch is marked with X in the chart. Please see above how to do dc in overlay mosaic. This is your overlay stitch which will ‘colour in’ the picture).
NOTE. At this stage you know everything there is to know about reading overlay mosaic crochet chart as well as crocheting Mosaic in the round. Let’s continue with reading the chart and crocheting each round.
R5 (A)sl st, ch 1, [3 dc, 3sc] x 6 times
R6 (B)sl st, ch 1, [4 sc, 1dc,1sc] x 6 times
R7 (A)sl st, ch 1, [4 dc, 1sc, 1dc] x 6times
R8 (B)sl st, ch 1, 36 sc,
R9 (A)sl st, ch 1, 36 sc
R10 (B) sl st, ch 1, [3dc, 3sc] x 6 times
R11 (A)sl st, ch 1, [3sc, 3dc] x 6 times
R12 (B)sl st, ch 1, [1sc, 1dc, 4sc] x 6 times
R13 (A)sl st, ch 1, [1dc, 1sc, 4dc] x 6 times
I finished the swatch with a round of sc through BOTH loops, sl st, tie off and cut.
Congratulations! You now know how to crochet Overlay Mosaic technique in the round!
If you turn your swatch inside out, you will see that the back of it is striped.
You can now crochet any Overlay Mosaic technique pattern.
For example, you can confidently crochet this Baltic Flowers Cowl.
It will make a beautiful accessory for your outfits or a unique gift for anyone who appreciates handmade items.
Get it on:
Create beauty one stitch at a time!
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About ‘Hobbyist on the Road’
Hi! I’m Vytene, as you have guessed, a crochet fan.
Currently, I’m really enthusiastic about Irish Crochet and Mosaic Crochet techniques.
Although in reality I admire any type crochet 🙂
Thanks for visiting hobbyistontheroad.com!
This is your place to get some inspiration and advice for your next crochet project!
