Mosaic Knitting Calculator — Calculate yarn for mosaic colourwork patterns.

Chart your mosaic pattern on graph paper and count the stitches of each colour. Divide each colour's stitch count by the total to get the percentage. Mosaic charts repeat, so you only need to count one repeat. Because each row of mosaic uses a single colour (the other is slipped), counting worked stitches per colour gives an accurate split.

Mosaic is a slip-stitch technique: you knit one colour per row and slip the other, so there are NO carried floats across the back. That means mosaic uses LESS yarn than stranded (Fair Isle) colourwork. A small ~5-10% margin covers the slight elongation of slipped stitches and tension differences — you rarely need the 15-20% stranded colourwork buffer. Stranded work needs more (floats); intarsia needs more (tail ends).

Mosaic carries no floats, so it does not tighten across like stranded colourwork. However, slipping stitches every other row pulls the fabric up slightly, often giving a denser, shorter row gauge than plain stocking stitch. Always swatch in the mosaic pattern (and block it) before relying on a yarn estimate.