Thank you to Lion Brand Yarn for supplying the yarn for this sample!
Before we talk about this fabulous yarn, can we talk about this fabulous table!? My dad made it for me! Isn’t it gorgeous? I’ve wanted a farmhouse-style dining table for years and I can’t believe it’s mine! And the fact that my dad made it makes it infinitely more special than anything I could’ve found in a store. (He’s in the process of making some benches for it, but until then, try to look past the totally-not-matching-chairs from my previous table.)
I decided to make some placemats for it; you know, for when guests come over and we pretend that we’re classier than we really are. I’ve been wanting to try Lion Brand Yarn’s 24/7 Cotton, and I had a hunch that placemats might be just the right project. Have you seen the color choices for this yarn? Beautiful!
About the Yarn
24/7 Cotton is a #4 medium weight yarn, although I’d definitely put it on the lighter side of the #4 family. It’s 100% mercerized cotton, which means it’s been treated with a process that brings out its brightness and sheen and helps it withstand multiple washings without losing that sheen. It comes in 186-yard skeins in a range of 24 gorgeous colors, from striking brights to natural-looking neutrals. It produces a stiffish (that’s probably not a real word) fabric, has a great balance of sheen and stitch definition, and doesn’t split at all during use. I’ve been seriously impressed with Lion Brand’s recently released yarns, and 24/7 Cotton is really no exception.
Prefer a PDF?
This pattern is also available as an ad-free, printable PDF! And if you love PDFs, you might want to check out my All Access Pass. It’s an awesome deal! (Or, scroll down for the free version!)
COLOR BLOCK PLACEMAT
Level: Easy
Size: 13″x18″ (standard placemat size)
Hook: G (4.25mm)
Yarn: About 75-80 yards per color block of #4 medium weight 100% mercerized cotton yarn. I used 24/7 Cotton (by Lion Brand) in color blocks of Lilac, White, Café Au Lait, and Ecru. (Helpful tip: 1 skein of each color will produce 2 placemats, but 2 skeins of each color will produce 5 placemats.)
You’ll also need: Yarn needle
Gauge: 10 rows of 10 SC = a 2.25″ square
Abbreviations Used:
ST (stitch)
SL ST (slip stitch)
SK (skip)
CH (chain)
SC (single crochet)
HDC (half double crochet)
SC+HDC (this just means to put a single crochet and a half double crochet in the same stitch)
Notes:
(1) This pattern is written in American Standard Terms.
(2) Starting CHs do not count as stitches.
– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –
To begin:
With first color, CH 55.
Row 1: SC in 2nd CH from hook and in each remaining CH. (54)
Rows 2-17: CH1, turn. HDC in 1st ST. (SK next ST, SC+HDC in next ST) across until 1 ST remains. SC in remaining ST. (54)
Row 18: CH1, turn. SC in first ST and in each ST across. (54)
Helpful tip: The SCs in Rows 18 & 19 help us to create a nice straight line where color blocks come together. If we didn’t add it, the color changes would have a more jagged edge.
Switch to a new color; fasten off previous color.
Row 19: CH1, turn. SC in first ST and in each ST across. (54)
Rows 20-35: CH1, turn. HDC in 1st ST. (SK next ST, SC+HDC in next ST) across until 1 ST remains. SC in remaining ST. (54)
Row 36: CH1, turn. SC in first ST and in each ST across. (54)
For the two remaining color blocks: Switch to a new color and fasten off the previous color, then repeat Rows 19-36. (You will end with 4 color blocks totaling 72 rows.)
Fasten off and weave in all ends.
I guess I’m too old. I can’t figure out how to do the download.
There is no download (so it’s not you!) 🙂 The pattern is written out in full in the blog post.
Even though i have an oval tablw…i will make these any way…. Hopefully it will provoke hubby into investing in a better size table. Ur table is lovely and the pattern seems easy. Will give it a go. Thank u
I’m having a problem. When you say, in row two chain one turn, HDC in first stitch, do you mean the stitch next to the chain or do you mean the second stitch from the hook. I cannot possibly make a hdc in that very first stitch. Can you tell I’m new to crocheting, HA. Sorry, if this is dumb, but I love the placemats and the yarn, and am trying my darndest to accomplish this.
Thank you in advance for your response.
Carol
I’m not sure I understand what you’re asking. You’re welcome to send me a photo of your work (littlemonkeyscrochet @ gmail . com) and I can maybe better help you that way 🙂
Thanks for trying to help, I think i resolved my issue of which stitch to go into when starting the second row with a HDC, and successive rows. To me, it’s actually the third stitch from your hook. Not the chain, and not the next loop, but the third loop ? My placemat is looking relatively close to your picture, so I’m happy with it.
Hi, Rebecca! Love your patterns and have several fav’d to my Ravelry account! 🙂 Recently, came across a beautiful placemat image on Pinterest, and the link was to [sic] Joanne Fabrics & Crafts, but it was a dead link. Couldn’t find it on the JoAnn website anywhere, even in their projects area. Multiple searches on the web and in Ravelry came up w nothing.
I just now saw the same image and traced it back to your colorblock placemat. Can you tell me if this placemat looks like it was made from your pattern? (I didn’t realize your pattern was easily adapted to different #s of colorblock sections… love that!) Anyway, I LOVE the use of the green and white ombre yarn used here, tho I cannot find any cotton yarn like it online. It may actually be acrylic or even wool since the fibers look fuzzy. Just thought I’d share this pretty image, even though I can’t credit whoever made it! 🙂
http://pin.it/IRgZw_g
Hi Jean! The photo is a little fuzzy so it’s difficult to know for sure, but I don’t think that’s my pattern. However it does have a very similar look, so if you found that pretty ombre yarn and used it with my pattern, you’d probably have a very similar result. Good luck!
I love this pattern. I have followed it exactly the way it is written but I still have,13 more rows to go and the size of the placemat is already 19 by 14. What in the world did I do wrong? I’m so discouraged, this was suspose to be a gift and it’s huge. Help.
Did you do a gauge check? And can you tell me what yarn you’re using?
Thank you .. gorgeous placemats and your table is such a wonderful gift from your father’s hands.
I’ve never worked with cotton before. I’m making these as a gift using Lily Sugar n’Cream. I want to give her explicit washing and drying instructions. Truthfully, I want to stand right there with her each time she washes them… total control freak. 🙂
1. If I block them, will they shrink or of back to original shape after washing & drying?
2. Should I wash & dry them before giving? Cold water – low heat…. before or after blocking?
TIA
I have very limited experience with blocking as I never do it. I can tell you that my experience with Lily Sugar & Cream is that it stretches out and fades when washed.
Hello!! I love these and want to make them for my mom! What are the names of the colors? I’m not sure which purple to use. Thanks for sharing the pattern!
Have been searching for such a project like this for a long time. Thank you. Pray and trust you and your family are well, especially the new addition. Bless you all.
I absolutely love these and can’t wait to start them. As a beginner, this is one pattern that I know I can do. I just ordered the yarn!
Many many thanks for this tutorial. I’m new into crochet and this one is the first bigger project that I’ve started 🙂 I could not find the same yarn, so in the end the number of stiches in each row and number of rows was different but the patterns is so lovely 🙂 Hope you are having fun with your little monkey 😉 Thanks again for the lovely tutorial. Crochet is becoming more and more of a journey for me 🙂 Dóra
I loved this pattern but my parents wanted a thinner placemat. I used your instructions and used the moss stitch. Everyone that has seen the placemats want me to make them in their colors. I keep directing them to your website. Thanks for the pattern.
Is there a video? Sorry I a new and videos help me out so much! Love this pattern!
There isn’t, sorry!
I’m wondering about rows 2-17. Is it hdc, skip, sc/hdc, hdc, hdc, hdc, hdc, etc across? Or is it: hdc, skip, sc/hdc, hdc, skip, sc/hdc, etc across?
“Rows 2-17: CH1, turn. HDC in 1st ST. (SK next ST, SC+HDC in next ST) across until 1 ST remains. SC in remaining ST. (54)”
You only repeat the sequence that is in the parentheses. So you will do that first initial HDC as instructed; that is not repeated at all. Then you’ll do the (SK next ST, SC+HDC in next ST) over and over again (SK, SC+HDC, SK, SC+HDC, SK, SC+HDC, etc) until one stitch remains. Then you’ll SC in that last stitch.
Thank you so much! I wasn’t sure what part to repeat and I’m still a beginner. I was wondering why it wasn’t looking right. Thank you again