Brick Sweater: mosaic crochet pattern

Some pattern ideas are waiting on my to-do list for months, and even years. It feels like I have been wanting to design a simple mosaic sweater for ages. I was visualizing a colorful sweater with raglan yoke and repetitive mosaic stitch pattern. I have made a few attempts at swatching, and my notebook with square paper run out of pages, because I was drawing and drawing, but the raglan repeats never lined up like I wanted them.

I noticed an interesting thing about designing. If the idea does not come up together in one day, it’s not worth continuing working on it. I thought it was only me, but I talked to my crafty friends about it, and they felt the same.

If the design idea needs lots of brainstorming and reworking, and it still does not feel right, it is better to step away for a while and give it some time. It may happen that the next time, everything will click at once.

And this is exactly what happened to my Brick Sweater.

After months of staying in a naughty corner, I suddenly had a strong desire to start working on it again. And suddenly, the very first sketch turned out to be the one I needed.

Brick Sweater pattern is available on Ravelry HERE and Etsy HERE. It is written in English language with US crochet terms including full written instructions, detailed photo-tutorial and video tutorial. The difficulty level is Intermediate, but advanced beginners with good understanding of basics of crochet can also give it a try.

In crochet design, the beauty and intricacy of stitching does not always mean the pattern will become a good one. With years of designing, I realized that the best patterns are simple ones, and easy to follow.

And especially it is important for garment designing, when there is additional pressure of keeping the gauge correct and watching the sizing. And then the construction and stitching of the crochet pattern must be logical and easy to understand.

Of course, not all my garment designs appear to be as simple as I would love them to be (though I am always aiming for simplicity). But I am happy and safe to say that Brick Sweater is one of the simplest. And this was proved by my wonderful testers team.

Brick Sweater is worked seamlessly from the top down. First, neck ribbing and short rows are worked to shape the neck opening, then the yoke is worked in rounds to separation for body and sleeves. Then the lower body is worked in rounds to bottom. Sleeves are worked in rounds top down, and the length of the body and sleeves are easily adjustable.

I have made two sample sweaters for myself, one with long sleeves and another one with short sleeves. For a long-sleeved version I chose the new Kindsome yarn from Scheepjes, which is 60% wool and 40% compostable polyester, thoughtful and sustainable composition.

This yarn is incredibly soft and perfect for crochet garments. It is a pure joy to work with, and the finished project feels like a warm hug. I have used it already for a skinny version of My Scarf. And for sure, more designs with Kindsome yarn will come in the future. I only wish there were more colors available.

I chose 6 color for my sweater, as I wanted something different from what I usually do. But of course, Brick Sweater can be made with fewer colors, even two colors will work well.

For my short-sleeved version I decided to choose something light and picked Scheepjes Cotton Create yarn with 50% recycled cotton and 50% premium cotton.

Surprisingly, the gauge was the same as for Kindsome yarn, and no adjustments to the pattern were needed. I chose four colors this time, for a more balanced and muted look.

First, I wanted black color to work as a background, but on the last minute decided that a lighter shade would look better close to my face. So, I used black all the way throughout the sweater, including the lower ribbing, except of the neck opening area.

I hope you will agree with me, that both versions look fantastic!

You can find Scheepjes yarn via retailers worldwide, or via online retailers: Woolwarehouse* (UK worldwide shipping), Caro's Atelier* (NL and Europe), Taemombo (Canada and US). And you can also check Scheepjes yarn on Amazon (affiliate link).

Brick Sweater is designed to fit with approx. 13-28cm/5-11in of positive ease at the bust, and the pattern comes in 9 sizes from XXS to 4X. Personally, I prefer it as slightly oversized, but thanks to clean raglan shape this sweater can be made as a fitted garment, too.