Mosaic Knitted Squares

It's been a year and a half since I started this sample of mosaic knitting. I was looking for something else, and found this project abandoned in a bag. I found the book, located the pattern, and finished knitting the second square, a grand total of 45 minutes of knitting. I certainly can't understand why I put it aside, because I was so close to the finish line.

I used kitchen cotton, size #8 needles and mosaic pattern #46 (left) and #42 (right) from Barbara Walker's Mosaic Knitting. Now I will sew them together and have a hotpad or a pot holder.
I think I remember why I stopped working on this project. The #8 needles are too big, and the pattern in the second square isn't very clear. I am interested in another mosaic project with kitchen cotton, but will go down to 6s or 5s to get a nice, firm fabric.