Free Go Away Doormat Crochet Pattern by Divine Debris
If you’ve ever wanted a doormat that perfectly captures your personality — one that’s equal parts funny, charming, and functional — this is the pattern for you. The Go Away Doormat crochet pattern by Divine Debris is exactly what it sounds like: a bold, chunky, beautifully textured mat that greets guests with a little bit of sass and a whole lot of handmade love. Whether you’re making it for yourself, gifting it to your most introverted friend, or selling it at a craft fair, this free pattern is one of those projects that people genuinely can’t stop talking about.
In this post, we’re walking you through everything you need to know — materials, stitch breakdowns, helpful tips, and the full pattern itself — so you can dive in with confidence even if you’re a beginner with some basic crochet knowledge under your belt.
Why the Go Away Doormat Is the Perfect Crochet Project
There’s something deeply satisfying about making a project that gets a laugh. Crochet is often associated with soft, cozy aesthetics — blankets, amigurumi, baby booties — and while those are all wonderful, the Go Away Doormat flips the script. It’s witty, it’s practical, and it looks absolutely stunning sitting at a front door.
Beyond the humor, this doormat is genuinely useful. Made with chunky cotton rope or outdoor yarn, it holds up to foot traffic far better than you might expect. The simple tapestry crochet technique used to create the lettering gives it structure and thickness, and the finished piece has a flat, even surface that lays perfectly on any porch, entryway, or mudroom floor.
It’s also a relatively quick project by doormat standards. With bulky materials and a large hook, most crocheters can complete the Go Away Doormat in a single weekend. That makes it ideal for last-minute gifts, holiday markets, or one of those satisfying Saturday projects where you start in the morning and hold up a finished piece before dinner.
Materials You’ll Need
Before you begin, gather the following supplies. Getting everything together before you start will make the process much smoother, especially since this pattern uses two colors and requires you to carry yarn as you work.
Yarn:
You’ll want a chunky or bulky outdoor-friendly yarn for this project. Cotton rope yarn or a macramé-style cotton cord works especially well because it’s durable, holds its shape beautifully, and stands up to the elements if you’re placing the mat outside. You’ll need two colors — one for the background and one for the lettering. Classic choices include natural cream or tan for the background with dark charcoal, black, or deep forest green for the letters, but truly any high-contrast combination will read well.
Plan on approximately 200 to 250 yards of your main color (background) and around 80 to 100 yards of your contrast color (letters), though this can vary slightly based on your tension and the exact dimensions of your finished mat.
Hook:
A size N/15 (10mm) or P/16 (11.5mm) crochet hook works well for most chunky cotton yarns. Check your yarn’s label and adjust accordingly. A larger hook will produce a more open, relaxed fabric, while a slightly smaller hook gives you a tighter, more structured mat.
Other supplies:
A yarn needle for weaving in ends, scissors, and a ruler or measuring tape to check your gauge and finished dimensions. Stitch markers are optional but can be helpful when keeping track of your rows.
A Note on Gauge
For a doormat, gauge is less critical than it would be for a garment, but it still matters if you want your finished piece to be a specific size. A common target for this style of mat is roughly 8 stitches and 9 rows equal 4 inches in single crochet using a 10mm hook and chunky yarn. Work a small swatch, measure it, and adjust your hook size if needed.
The finished Go Away Doormat typically measures approximately 18 inches wide by 12 inches tall, which is a standard doormat size that fits most entryways. If you’d like a larger or smaller mat, you can adjust your foundation chain and scale the lettering accordingly — just keep in mind that the letter placement will shift.
Understanding Tapestry Crochet
The lettering in this pattern is created using a technique called tapestry crochet. If you’ve never tried it before, don’t let the name intimidate you. The concept is straightforward: you work with two colors at the same time, crocheting over the unused color to carry it along inside your stitches as you go. When it’s time to switch colors, you simply drop one yarn and pick up the other.
The result is a fabric with no loose ends hanging from the middle of the work, and letters that appear clearly on the surface. The back of tapestry crochet shows the carried yarn peeking through the stitches, giving it a slightly different texture, but the front face — the side you’ll display — shows clean, defined color changes.
A few tips to make tapestry crochet easier:
Keep your tension consistent. Because you’re carrying two strands through the work, there’s a tendency to either pull too tight (which bunches the fabric) or leave the carried yarn too loose (which can cause it to show through or create a loopy back). Practice on a swatch before starting your mat.
Work slowly through color changes at first. After a few rows, you’ll develop a rhythm and it will feel much more natural.
Use stitch markers to mark your letter start and end points as you follow the chart. This makes it easy to know exactly where you are, especially if you set the project down between sessions.
Reading the Pattern Chart
The Go Away Doormat uses a color chart to map out the letter placement across the rows of the mat. The chart is read from the bottom up (as you would work your crochet) and from right to left on odd-numbered rows, then left to right on even-numbered rows — consistent with the direction you’re crocheting back and forth in rows.
Each square on the chart represents one single crochet stitch. Squares filled in with your contrast color indicate where the letters appear. Empty or background-colored squares are worked in your main color.
If you’re working from a printed chart, having a ruler or sticky note to mark your current row is incredibly helpful. It keeps you from losing your place and misreading the letter shapes.
The Pattern
Abbreviations used:
ch = chain
sc = single crochet
MC = main color (background)
CC = contrast color (letters)
st = stitch
sk = skip
Foundation:
Using MC, ch 38. (This gives you a 36-stitch working width plus 2 turning chain.)
Row 1 (right side): Sc in the 2nd ch from hook and in each ch across. (36 sc) Ch 1, turn.
Rows 2 through 4: Sc in each st across using MC. Ch 1, turn.
Rows 5 through 22: This is where you follow the tapestry crochet chart to create the “GO AWAY” lettering. Work each stitch as a sc, switching between MC and CC according to the chart. Carry the unused color inside the stitches as you go.
The letters are centered on the mat. The word “GO” appears in the upper section of the mat and “AWAY” appears beneath it, creating two stacked rows of text. Leave two to three stitches of background color on each side of the letters for a clean, framed look.
Rows 23 through 26: Sc in each st across using MC only. Ch 1, turn. Do not turn after Row 26.
Border (optional but recommended):
Working around the entire perimeter of the mat, sc evenly around all four sides using MC. Work 3 sc in each corner to allow the border to lay flat. Join with a slip stitch to the first sc of the border round. Fasten off and weave in all ends.
Letter Chart Guide
Because the exact pixel-by-pixel chart is best viewed as a visual grid, here is a description of how each letter is shaped so you can draft or follow the chart with confidence.
Each letter in this pattern is worked as a block letter approximately 4 to 5 stitches wide and 6 to 7 rows tall. The letters are spaced with 1 to 2 stitches of background between each one.
G: Start with a vertical left side, add a horizontal bar at top and bottom, and include a short horizontal bar in the middle right that extends inward only halfway. This creates the classic G shape.
O: Two vertical sides connected by horizontal bars at top and bottom, leaving the center open/background color. This forms a clean rectangle that reads clearly as an O.
A: Two diagonal sides meeting at a point at the top center, with a horizontal crossbar in the middle. In block letter form, this often reads as an angular A with the top being a single stitch peak.
W: The inverse of M — work two outer vertical sides and two diagonal inner stitches that meet toward the bottom center, creating the characteristic double-valley shape.
A: Same as the first A.
Y: Two diagonal lines meeting in the upper portion of the letter space, with a single vertical line dropping from the center downward to the bottom of the letter space.
Take your time sketching these onto graph paper before you begin if you’re drafting your own chart. Graph paper with a 1-to-1 grid makes translating crochet stitches to letters very intuitive.
Finishing Your Doormat
Once you’ve completed all your rows and your border, weave in any remaining ends using your yarn needle. Tuck them securely into the back of your work, ideally into stitches that are the same color as the yarn you’re weaving in so they stay hidden.
If your mat is slightly curled at the edges (a common occurrence with tapestry crochet), you can block it by dampening it with cool water and laying it flat on a clean surface. Use blocking mats and pins to hold the edges flat, and allow it to dry completely before use.
For outdoor use, consider whether your yarn is colorfast and weather-resistant. Natural cotton tends to fade with prolonged sun exposure, so if you’re placing the mat in a sunny spot, store it indoors when not expecting guests or choose a solution-dyed or UV-resistant yarn.
Tips for Selling This Pattern at Craft Fairs
If you’re a maker who sells at markets or online, the Go Away Doormat is a fantastic item to add to your lineup. It photographs well (that bold text pops beautifully against any background), it ships flat without bulk, and it appeals to a wide audience — from homeowners decorating a cozy cottage to apartment dwellers who want a bit of personality at their front door.
Price it fairly by calculating your materials cost, the time it takes you to complete one mat, and your market’s going rate for handmade home goods. Don’t undersell your work — quality handmade doormats retail for anywhere from $40 to $90 depending on your region and sales platform, and this one absolutely justifies that range.
When photographing for sale listings, shoot the mat on a porch or entryway floor with natural light. Showing it in context — with a door, a potted plant, or a pair of boots nearby — helps potential buyers visualize it in their own space and increases the likelihood of a purchase.
Variations to Try
Once you’ve mastered the original Go Away design, the technique opens up a world of creative possibilities.
You could swap “GO AWAY” for “WELCOME” to make a more traditional doormat with the same handmade quality. Or try seasonal variations: “BOO” for Halloween, “HO HO HO” for the winter holidays, or even a simple geometric pattern instead of text.
Color combinations are another fun place to experiment. A burnt orange mat with cream lettering feels warm and autumnal. A deep navy with white text has a nautical, classic look. Sage green with cream is perfect for a cottagecore aesthetic. There’s no wrong answer — let your home’s style guide you.
You can also adjust the mat’s size. A narrower, taller mat works beautifully in apartment hallways, while a wider, lower-profile mat suits a double-door entryway. Just scale your foundation chain and chart accordingly.
Why Free Patterns Matter
One of the most generous things in the crochet community is the tradition of sharing free patterns. Divine Debris has built a following around that spirit of generosity — making quality, thoughtful designs accessible to makers at every budget level. A free pattern doesn’t mean a lesser pattern. The Go Away Doormat is proof that a well-written, freely shared design can be just as polished, detailed, and inspiring as anything you’d pay for.
If this pattern brings you joy — if you make it, love it, and hang it proudly on your porch — consider supporting Divine Debris by following along on social media, sharing your finished make with the community, and tagging the designer when you post your photos. That kind of engagement is the currency that keeps independent designers creating, and it costs nothing but a moment of your time.
Final Thoughts
The Go Away Doormat by Divine Debris is everything a crochet project should be: fun to make, practical in real life, and impossible not to smile at. Whether you’re new to tapestry crochet or you’ve been doing colorwork for years, this pattern is a satisfying, approachable challenge that results in something genuinely useful and undeniably charming.
Grab your yarn, set up your workspace, and get ready to spend a weekend making something that will greet you (and everyone else) with the perfect amount of personality every single day. Your front door is about to get a whole lot more interesting.
Happy crocheting — and go away.
