The Sashiko pattern is reminiscent of the intricate sashiko patterns used today by Japanese artisans. Originally developed for functional reinforcement of cloth and clothing and first seen in the Edo period (1603–1867), sashiko embroidery was applied to clothing out of a practical need. Worn out clothes were pieced together to make new garments by using simple running stitches. By the Meiji period (1868–1912), sashiko was established enough that it had evolved into winter work in northern farming communities and became an alternate means to earn money.

This pattern uses a modified mosaic worked over one row instead of two. The resulting beanie and fingerless mitts are dense and warm. The fingerless mitts can easily be modified for a full mitten.

The pattern stitch is charted and written. The rest of the pattern is written.

Sashiko contains two patterns - one for the beanie and the second for the fingerless mitts. You will need:
Beanie: 110-170 yds/111-155m main color and 70-100 yds/65-95m of contrast color.
Mitts: 100 yds/95 m main color and 35 yds/32 m of contrast color.

Changes in size for both the beanie and the mitts are easily achieved by adding or subtracting stitches in multiples of two. However, the “pinwheel” crown shaping decreases for the beanie are done on a multiple of 12 stitches. If you resize the beanie, you will need to take that into account.