Striped Chair Mat Easy Knitting Pattern: A Complete Step-by-Step Guide
If you’ve been searching for a practical, stylish, and beginner-friendly project to work on this season, a striped chair mat knitting pattern might be exactly what you need. Chair mats are endlessly useful — they protect floors, add a pop of color to a room, and make any chair feel a little more intentional. Best of all, with a simple striped design, even a newer knitter can produce something that looks polished and professional. This guide walks you through everything from yarn selection and tools to the complete pattern, finishing techniques, and customization ideas.
Whether you’re knitting for your own home, making a thoughtful handmade gift, or working through your yarn stash, this project delivers serious satisfaction without requiring advanced skills.
Why Knit a Chair Mat?
Before we dive into the pattern itself, it’s worth talking about why chair mats are such a wonderful project. A chair mat sits beneath the legs of a chair — typically a dining chair, accent chair, or desk chair — to anchor it on hardwood, tile, or laminate flooring. Handknitted versions are softer and more decorative than their plastic counterparts, and because they’re flat and worked in simple stitches, they’re ideal for knitters who want something low-stress but high-reward.
Striped patterns in particular are great for a few reasons. They let you use up multiple skeins or leftover yarn from other projects, they add visual interest without requiring any colorwork technique beyond carrying yarn up the side, and they give you a natural rhythm that makes knitting feel almost meditative. You’ll find yourself flying through row after row, watching a beautiful piece of fabric grow beneath your needles.
Chair mats also last for years when knitted from durable yarn. A good wool-acrylic blend or cotton yarn can withstand the daily movement of chair legs, the occasional spill, and regular washing. That makes this project genuinely functional, not just decorative.
Materials You’ll Need
Getting your materials together before you start will make the whole experience smoother. Here’s what you need for a standard striped chair mat measuring approximately 20 inches by 28 inches, which works well under most dining or accent chairs.
Yarn: Choose a worsted weight yarn rated at approximately 200 yards per color. For a classic three-stripe design, you’ll want three colors — let’s call them Color A (main), Color B (contrast), and Color C (accent). A wool-acrylic blend like Lion Brand Wool-Ease or Caron Simply Soft works beautifully because it’s machine washable and holds up well to foot traffic. For a more natural option, a chunky cotton yarn gives a flatter, denser mat that feels lovely underfoot.
Needles: US size 8 (5mm) knitting needles for worsted weight, or US size 10 (6mm) if you’re working with a bulkier yarn. Circular needles or straight needles both work fine for this project since you’re working flat.
Notions: A tapestry needle for weaving in ends, scissors, locking stitch markers (optional but helpful), and a ruler or measuring tape.
Gauge: Approximately 18 stitches and 24 rows over 4 inches in stockinette stitch. For a chair mat, gauge doesn’t have to be exact, but it’s worth knitting a small swatch so you can predict your finished dimensions.
Understanding the Pattern Structure
This striped chair mat is worked flat in garter stitch, which is simply knitting every row on both sides. Garter stitch is perfect for mats and rugs because it creates a dense, reversible fabric that lies completely flat without curling at the edges — something stockinette stitch cannot do without a border treatment.
The stripe sequence is worked in a repeating pattern of rows, creating wide stripes of Color A interrupted by narrow stripes of Colors B and C. This gives the mat a classic, structured look that complements both modern and traditional home décor.
You’ll carry unused colors up the side of the work rather than cutting and rejoining yarn at every stripe change. This technique keeps your ends manageable and creates a neat selvedge along one edge. At the end of the project, you’ll weave in a small number of ends and your mat will be complete.
The Complete Striped Chair Mat Pattern
Setup
Cast on 90 stitches using Color A and your US size 8 needles. If you’d like a slightly narrower mat (approximately 16 inches wide), cast on 72 stitches instead. If you’d prefer a wider mat to accommodate a chair with a larger footprint, cast on 108 stitches. All stripe counts and row numbers remain the same regardless of your cast-on width.
Border
Before you begin the stripe sequence, work a small border to frame the mat cleanly.
Rows 1 through 6: Knit every stitch across in Color A. (Garter stitch; six rows.)
This creates a solid base at the bottom of your mat that anchors the striped section above it.
Stripe Sequence
Now you’ll begin working the stripe pattern. The sequence below creates one full stripe repeat. Work this sequence as many times as needed to reach your desired length.
Stripe Repeat (approximately 3 inches of fabric per repeat):
Rows 1 and 2: Join Color B. Knit every stitch across for 2 rows.
Rows 3 and 4: Pick up Color A. Knit every stitch across for 2 rows.
Rows 5 and 6: Pick up Color A. Continue knitting every stitch across for 2 more rows.
Rows 7 and 8: Join Color C. Knit every stitch across for 2 rows.
Rows 9 through 16: Pick up Color A. Knit every stitch across for 8 rows.
This gives you a wide central band of Color A with narrow stripes of Color B and Color C flanking it at regular intervals. For a mat that measures approximately 28 inches in length, repeat this 8-row sequence approximately 9 to 10 times after your initial border. Check your length periodically by laying the mat flat and measuring from the cast-on edge.
Top Border
Once you’ve reached your desired length (or used up roughly the same number of rows as your cast-on border), work the closing border.
Final 6 rows: Using Color A, knit every stitch across for 6 rows.
Bind off loosely in Color A. A loose bind-off is important for flat mats — if you bind off too tightly, the top edge will draw in and the mat will cup upward. If you tend to bind off tightly, go up a needle size for this last row.
Finishing Your Chair Mat
Finishing is where your mat goes from “a knitted piece of fabric” to a completed, polished object. Take your time here and the difference will be immediately visible.
Weave in your ends. Thread your tapestry needle and weave each tail through the back of the fabric in a figure-eight or over-under pattern for at least two inches. Trim the excess close to the work. Because you carried your colors up the side, you’ll have far fewer ends to deal with than if you had cut the yarn at every stripe change.
Block the mat. Wet blocking makes a dramatic difference in the final appearance of a knitted mat. Soak the finished piece in cool water for about twenty minutes until it’s fully saturated. Gently squeeze out the excess water without wringing (wringing can felt wool fibers), then roll the mat in a clean towel and press out more moisture. Lay the mat flat on a blocking board or clean surface and use rustproof pins to stretch it to your target dimensions. Allow it to dry completely — this can take 24 to 48 hours depending on the thickness of your yarn and the humidity in your space. Once dry, the mat will lie flat, the stitches will look even and relaxed, and the colors will appear more vibrant.
Optional: Add a non-slip backing. For safety and stability, you can apply non-slip rug backing to the underside of your mat. Spray-on rug grip is easy to apply and dries clear, or you can hand-sew a mesh non-slip liner to the back using a whip stitch around the perimeter.
Customizing Your Striped Chair Mat
One of the best things about this pattern is how easily it adapts to your taste, your yarn stash, and the specific chair you’re knitting for. Here are some ideas to make the project your own.
Change the stripe width. If you prefer bolder, more graphic stripes, increase the Color B and Color C stripe rows from 2 to 6 or 8. If you like a more subtle effect, reduce the contrast color rows to a single row each. A single-row stripe creates what knitters call a “pinstripe” effect — crisp and minimal.
Use more colors. Nothing stops you from adding a fourth or fifth color to the rotation. Simply swap Color C for a new shade every few repeats, or introduce a Color D for a more complex, scrappy look. This approach is particularly useful if you’re working from a yarn stash with lots of small leftovers.
Change the stitch pattern. While garter stitch is the most reliable choice for flat, non-curling fabric, you can experiment with seed stitch for extra texture, or work the wide center bands in moss stitch while keeping the narrow stripes in garter. Just be aware that heavily textured stitches will produce a thicker fabric that takes longer to dry after washing.
Adjust the size. A smaller version (cast on 54 stitches and work about half as many stripe repeats) makes a lovely cushion mat or pot holder. A much larger version, cast on 150 stitches and worked for twice as long, becomes a hallway runner or yoga mat. The stripe pattern scales beautifully in either direction.
Add fringe. For a bohemian or Scandinavian-inspired look, cut lengths of yarn approximately 6 inches long and use your crochet hook or fingers to attach fringe along the two short ends of the mat. You can use a single color for the fringe, or alternate between Colors A, B, and C for a playful finish.
Tips for Success
A few practical notes that will make this project go more smoothly, especially if this is one of your first times working with stripes.
When you carry yarn up the side, give the carried strand a gentle tug before you knit the first stitch of each new row to keep the edge neat. If the carried yarn is too loose, it will create a loopy selvedge that can snag. If it’s too tight, it will pucker the edge. A light, consistent tension is what you’re aiming for.
If your mat starts to roll or cup despite working in garter stitch, check that you’re not accidentally working a purl row somewhere in your pattern. In garter stitch, every row should be a knit row. If a row looks different from its neighbors, you likely slipped into a purl by mistake — easily fixed by frogging (undoing) back to that row and re-knitting it.
When switching colors, always make the switch at the beginning of a right-side row for the neatest result. This keeps your color joins at the same edge, which is especially tidy if you plan to add a border or attach a backing later.
Finally, don’t rush the washing and blocking step. It genuinely transforms the finished object. A mat that looks a little rough and uneven off the needles will almost always look beautiful after blocking, because the water relaxes the fibers and allows the stitches to settle into their most even, natural positions.
Yarn Substitutions and Budget Options
If you’re working within a budget, there are several readily available yarns that perform well for this project without a large investment. Red Heart Super Saver is an extremely affordable acrylic that comes in a wide color range and holds up well to washing. Paintbox Simply DK can be used held double for a worsted-weight equivalent, and it comes in a large palette of solid, saturated colors that are ideal for graphic stripes.
For a more luxurious version — perhaps a gift for someone with beautiful hardwood floors — consider Malabrigo Rios, a superwash merino that is soft, vibrant, and machine washable. It knits up with a lovely halo and depth of color that makes even a simple stripe pattern look exceptional.
Cotton and cotton-blend yarns like Paintbox Cotton DK or Lion Brand 24/7 Cotton are worth considering if your mat will live in a kitchen or bathroom, since cotton dries faster than wool and doesn’t absorb odors.
How to Care for Your Knitted Chair Mat
A well-made knitted mat is surprisingly durable, but the right care routine will keep it looking fresh for years. For wool and wool-blend mats, hand wash in cool water with a gentle wool wash like Eucalan (which requires no rinsing), and lay flat to dry. For acrylic or cotton mats, machine washing on a gentle cycle in cold water is usually safe, though always check your specific yarn’s care label before washing.
Reshape the mat while it’s still damp if it comes out of the wash looking stretched or uneven. Lay it flat on a towel, pat it back to its original dimensions, and allow it to air dry completely before placing it back under a chair. Avoid putting a wet knitted mat in a dryer unless your yarn is explicitly rated dryer-safe, as heat can shrink wool and distort the shape of acrylic.
Spot-cleaning works well for small spills. Blot the area with a clean cloth, apply a small amount of gentle detergent if needed, rinse with cool water, and allow it to air dry.
Final Thoughts
A striped chair mat is one of those knitting projects that earns its place in your rotation year after year. It’s simple enough to work on while watching a film or chatting with friends, quick enough to finish in a week or two of casual knitting, and useful enough that you’ll actually see and appreciate it every day once it’s done. The striped design gives you room to be creative with color while keeping the technique itself relaxed and approachable.
Whether you stick exactly to the pattern above or use it as a springboard for your own variations, you’ll end up with a beautiful handmade object that adds warmth and character to your home. Cast on today and enjoy every stitch of the process.
