I designed this pattern in celebration of the 25th anniversary of the video game Tetris. This cell phone cozy in a mosaic pattern of Tetris blocks is the perfect blend of old school and new. You can size the case to fit anything from iPod to smart phone to glasses to Nook or Kindle or even iPad.

You can make Balalaika with tiny amounts of time and yarn, so it’s perfect as a quick gift, a swatch for a larger piece, or an introduction to mosaic knitting.

I enjoy mosaic (or slip-stitch) knitting because I like the look of color work but get fussed if I try to carry more than one strand of yarn at a time. Mosaic knitting solves that problem by using only one color per round.

Tetris blocks work beautifully in mosaic knitting; nearly any arrangement of blocks and size of playing field will work. The
pattern includes instructions so you can create your own unique Tetris chart. To make the work look even fancier, choose a background color with long color changes.

(If the title of the pattern seems peculiar to you, congratulations on having avoided a Tetris addiction!)