Brighten up your summer with these quick and easy summer placemats. They are a perfect first project for beginning knitters, and they make a great house-warming gift for new neighbors.
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The Yarn
Bulky-weight yarn makes the knitting go fast! Lion Brand Rewind Tape Yarn is fun to work with. Because of its construction, it’s less bulky than you would think, and it imparts a great texture to the fabric.
I love the exuberant colors that I used, but you can also choose from more muted shades to suit your taste. The instructions below are for two placemats in different main colors. If you want to make four placemats, two of each color shown, with a yellow stripe on each, you’ll need two balls each of the blue and pink, and one ball of the yellow.
The Pattern
Garter stitch is about as basic as a knitting stitch can be, and that’s all you need to know to knit these placemats! Minimal pattern-reading is required, and gauge doesn’t even matter all that much.
Quick & Easy Summer Placemats
One size: 16″ x 13″/40.6 x 33 cm
Materials
Lion Brand Rewind Tape Yarn (70% polyester/30% viscose, 3.5 oz / 100 g, 242 yd / 221 m), 1 ball each color 148 Fish Bowl (A), color 195 Think Pink (B), and color 157 Make Lemonade (C) [See note above about yarn amounts for multiple placemats.]
US Size 10.5 / 6.5 mm knitting needles
Stitch marker or piece of waste yarn
Gauge
13 sts and 22 rows = 4″ / 10 cm in garter stitch (knit every row)
Gauge is not crucial in this project.
Watch How to Measure Gauge in Knitted Garter Stitch for more information.
Pattern Notes
Leave a 6″ / 15 cm tail for weaving in each time you begin and end a yarn.
Beginning knitters will want to knit the pattern exactly as written. More experienced knitters may create a slip-stitch selvedge by slipping the last stitch of each row knitwise with yarn in front.
Abbreviations
k: knit
RS: right side
st(s): stitch(es)
WS: wrong side
Instructions
With A, long-tail cast-on 42 sts. Knit 1 WS row. Turn work, and place a marker or piece of waste yarn on this side to indicate that the side is the right side.
Knit every row until piece measures 13″ / 33 cm from cast-on edge, ending with a WS row. Cut A, leaving a 6″ / 15 cm tail for weaving in.
With C, knit 10 rows (5 garter stitch ridges). Cut C.
With B, knit 2 rows (1 garter stitch ridge). Cut B.
With A, knit 6 rows (3 garter stitch ridges). Bind off.
Weave in ends.
Make a second placemat, substituting B for A and A for B in the instructions above.
Other Projects
Check out these other easy knitting patterns:
Easy Quick-Knit One-Skein Tea Cozy
