Garter and Flower Placemats

Garter and Flower Placemats by Sian Brown

Project Overview

The Garter and Flower Placemats are a beginner-friendly table setting project that combines knitting and crochet techniques to create coordinated placemats and coasters. This downloadable PDF pattern produces two complete placemat sets, each featuring a simple garter stitch base embellished with decorative crocheted flowers in complementary colorways.

What Is Being Made

This pattern creates a coordinated table setting collection consisting of:

• Two knitted placemats measuring 35 cm wide by 32 cm deep
• Two matching coasters, each 11 cm square
• Ten decorative crocheted flowers per placemat in two different colorway variations

Primary Knitting Technique and Stitches

The placemats are constructed using the garter stitch, one of the most fundamental and beginner-friendly knitting techniques. Garter stitch is created by knitting every row, which produces a reversible fabric with horizontal ridges on both sides. This stitch is ideal for beginners because it requires only knowledge of the basic knit stitch and creates a stable, textured fabric that lies flat without curling.

The pattern specifies a tension of 22 stitches by 40 rows over a 10 by 10 centimeter square worked in garter stitch using 3.75 mm needles. The placemats are created by casting on 72 stitches and working in garter stitch until the piece reaches 35 centimeters in length from the cast-on edge, then casting off knitwise.

Crochet Technique and Stitches

The decorative flower embellishments are created using crochet techniques, introducing a complementary craft element to the knitted base. The crochet work utilizes fundamental stitches including:

• Chain stitch (ch) – the foundation stitch for crochet
• Slip stitch (sl st) – used to join rounds and create seamless transitions
• Double crochet (dc) – a basic short stitch
• Half treble (htr) – a medium-height stitch
• Treble (tr) – a taller stitch that creates openness and drape

The flowers are constructed in two colorway variations, with each placemat featuring four flowers in Colorway 1 and six flowers in Colorway 2, allowing for visual variety and design balance across the table setting.

Materials and Yarn Specifications

The project uses Patons 100% Cotton yarn in two different weights, providing natural fiber content ideal for table linens:

• Patons 100% Cotton DK (Double Knit) – Limestone colorway: 2 balls of 100 grams each, used for the placemat base
• Patons 100% Cotton 4 ply – Three colorways: Azelia (1 x 100 gm ball), Foxglove (1 x 100 gm ball), and Limestone (1 x 100 gm ball) for the crocheted flowers

The pattern notes that only a small amount of the 4 ply Limestone is needed for the flowers, and suggests that a different 4 ply yarn could be substituted if desired, providing flexibility for yarn substitution.

Tools Required

The pattern requires minimal equipment:

• One pair of 3.75 mm knitting needles for the placemat base
• One 2.00 mm crochet hook for the flower embellishments

Difficulty Level and Suitability

Rated as a beginner project, the Garter and Flower Placemats are accessible to knitters and crocheters new to these crafts. The garter stitch requires only the fundamental knit stitch, and the crochet flowers use basic stitches that beginners can master with practice. The combination of two complementary crafts—knitting and crochet—provides an opportunity to develop skills in both techniques within a single, practical project.

Yarn Weight Considerations

The use of DK (Double Knit) and 4 ply cotton yarns creates appropriate fabric weights for a