33 Free Knitted Placemat Patterns You’ll Want to Make Right Now

There’s something deeply satisfying about setting a table with handmade placemats. Whether you’re knitting for yourself, making gifts for friends, or simply looking for a quick and rewarding project to use up leftover yarn, knitted placemats are one of those underrated crafts that combine practicality with genuine artistry. They’re small enough to finish in a weekend, forgiving enough for beginners, and versatile enough to keep experienced knitters engaged with texture and colorwork.

If you’ve been searching for free knitted placemat patterns, you’ve come to the right place. This roundup covers 33 of the best free options available, organized to help you find exactly the style, difficulty level, and aesthetic you’re looking for. From simple garter stitch rectangles to intricate lace rounds, there’s something here for everyone.

Why Knit Your Own Placemats?

Before diving into the patterns, it’s worth thinking about why handmade placemats are such a great project. For starters, they’re an ideal way to use up yarn you already have. Most placemat patterns call for one or two skeins at most, which means that basket of odds and ends you’ve been accumulating finally has a purpose.

Knitted placemats are also incredibly durable when made with the right yarn. Cotton and cotton-blend yarns are especially popular for this type of project because they’re absorbent, machine washable, and hold their shape well after repeated use. A set of four handmade placemats, blocked and finished properly, can last years on your dining table.

From a creative standpoint, placemats are wonderful canvases. Because they’re flat and relatively simple in construction, you can experiment with stitch patterns, colorwork, or texture without committing to a sweater-sized project. Many knitters use placemat patterns as a testing ground before taking on more ambitious work.

And finally, they make thoughtful, practical gifts. A set of four matching placemats, tied with a ribbon and paired with a handwritten card, is the kind of present people actually use and appreciate.

What You’ll Need Before You Start

Most knitted placemat patterns share a few basic requirements. Here’s what to have on hand before casting on.

Yarn: Cotton is the gold standard for placemats. It’s washable, lint-free, and comes in an enormous range of colors. Worsted weight cotton like Lion Brand 24/7 Cotton or Paintbox Simply DK Cotton are widely available and work beautifully for these projects. You can also use linen yarn for a more refined, textured look, or even upcycled T-shirt yarn for something chunky and rustic.

Needles: Most placemat patterns call for US size 5 to US size 8 needles, depending on the yarn weight and desired density. Circular needles are helpful if you’re working a large rectangular placemat that would crowd straight needles, but they’re not required.

Notions: A tapestry needle for weaving in ends is essential. Stitch markers are helpful for patterns with repeats, and a tape measure or ruler helps you keep track of dimensions.

Gauge: Unlike garments, placemats don’t need to fit a body, so gauge is more flexible. That said, you’ll want a fabric dense enough to protect your table from heat and moisture. If your swatch feels floppy or too loose, go down a needle size.

33 Free Knitted Placemat Patterns

1. Classic Garter Stitch Placemat

The simplest possible placemat is nothing more than a rectangle worked in garter stitch from cast-on to bind-off. It’s the perfect beginner project. Choose a neutral cotton yarn and work until you reach roughly 12 by 18 inches, which is the standard placemat size. The ridged texture of garter stitch adds visual interest without any complicated techniques. This is also a great pattern for practicing consistent tension.

2. Seed Stitch Placemat

Seed stitch — alternating knit and purl stitches across each row — creates a lovely pebbly texture that lies completely flat without curling. This makes it ideal for placemats, which need to stay flat on the table. A seed stitch placemat in a warm terracotta or sage green cotton looks stunning at a fall dinner party. The pattern is just as easy as garter stitch but gives a more refined result.

3. Basketweave Placemat

Basketweave is one of those stitch patterns that looks far more complicated than it actually is. By alternating blocks of knit and purl stitches in a regular grid, you create a woven-looking texture that’s rich and tactile. A basketweave placemat in ivory or cream cotton has a timeless, farmhouse-style elegance. This is a great second placemat project once you’ve mastered the basics of knit and purl.

4. Ribbed Placemat

A simple 2×2 rib creates placemats with satisfying vertical texture and a slight elasticity. While ribbing does want to pull in slightly, blocking a cotton ribbed placemat opens up the fabric and gives you a beautifully consistent finished piece. Ribbed placemats look especially nice in bold, solid colors.

5. Diagonal Garter Stitch Placemat

This clever construction technique starts with a small number of stitches, increases at one edge each row until you reach the desired width, then decreases back down to finish. The result is a placemat with a satisfying diagonal ridge pattern and mitered corners. It’s a great introduction to shaping without any complicated techniques.

6. Colorblock Placemat

Simple stripes worked horizontally create a modern, graphic placemat that’s perfect for contemporary dining rooms. Choose two or three colors and work sections of garter or stockinette until you’ve hit your target length. The key is picking colors that complement each other — think warm terracotta with natural white, or dusty blue with sage.

7. Log Cabin Placemat

The log cabin technique, borrowed from quilting, involves picking up stitches along the edges of a central square and working outward in alternating horizontal and vertical strips. The result is a placemat with beautiful geometric structure and endless color possibilities. This is a fantastic stash-buster pattern because each strip can be a different color.

8. Dropped Stitch Placemat

For an open, airy texture, dropped stitch placemats are striking and surprisingly quick to knit. You work yarn overs across certain rows and then drop them on the following row to create elongated, ladder-like gaps in the fabric. The look is breezy and modern, and it works particularly well in a linen or linen-cotton blend yarn.

9. Moss Stitch Placemat

Similar to seed stitch but with a slightly different rhythm — knit, knit, purl, purl in offset rows — moss stitch creates a subtly different texture that some knitters prefer. It lies just as flat as seed stitch and looks equally beautiful in any color. A set of moss stitch placemats in coordinating earth tones would look lovely at a harvest dinner.

10. Linen Stitch Placemat

Linen stitch (also called woven stitch) creates a dense, woven-looking fabric by alternating slipped stitches with knit stitches and carrying the yarn in front or behind. It’s one of those techniques that produces fabric that looks almost like actual woven cloth. These placemats are slightly thicker and more structured, which makes them excellent table protectors.

11. Herringbone Placemat

The herringbone stitch pattern creates a beautifully complex, zigzag-like texture that looks stunning in a single color. It requires a bit more attention than basic stitch patterns but isn’t difficult once you understand the technique. A herringbone placemat in deep charcoal cotton makes a sophisticated addition to any dining table.

12. Simple Striped Placemat

Working thin stripes in two colors across a simple stockinette or garter base is one of the easiest ways to add visual interest to a placemat. The key to clean stripes is carrying yarn up the side neatly rather than cutting after each stripe. A navy and white striped placemat has a classic, nautical feel that works beautifully in casual and coastal-style dining spaces.

13. Tunisian-Inspired Flat Knit Placemat

While Tunisian crochet has its own specific hooks, some knitters have developed flat knit patterns that mimic the grid-like appearance of Tunisian simple stitch. The result is a placemat with a beautifully even, woven texture that’s achieved entirely with standard knitting needles.

14. Diamond Pattern Placemat

A repeating diamond motif, created through strategic placement of knit and purl stitches, gives a placemat a striking geometric personality. The pattern is typically charted, so this is a good opportunity to practice reading a knitting chart if you haven’t done so before.

15. Waffle Stitch Placemat

Waffle stitch creates deeply textured, square indentations across the fabric that look exactly like a waffle. It’s delightful to knit and produces a very satisfying three-dimensional texture. Waffle stitch placemats tend to be thicker and cushier than other varieties, which makes them great for protecting your table.

16. Feather and Fan Placemat

Feather and fan, also called old shale, is a classic lace pattern that creates undulating, wave-like rows across the fabric. It looks intricate but is actually worked on a simple four-row repeat that most knitters memorize quickly. A feather and fan placemat in a soft seafoam or sky blue cotton looks genuinely beautiful on a summer table.

17. Eyelet Border Placemat

A basic rectangle worked in stockinette or garter stitch becomes something special when framed with an eyelet border. Eyelets — small decorative holes created by yarn overs — add a delicate, handmade quality to an otherwise simple placemat. This is a lovely introduction to lace techniques.

18. Checkerboard Placemat

By alternating blocks of stockinette and reverse stockinette, you create a classic checkerboard effect. In a single color, the contrast between the smooth and textured squares is subtle and sophisticated. In two colors, it becomes bold and graphic. Either version works beautifully as a placemat.

19. Mitered Square Placemat

Mitered squares are small squares knitted diagonally from corner to corner, then joined together. A placemat made from four mitered squares in coordinating colors has an heirloom quality and works beautifully as a stash-buster project. Each square is quick to knit, making this ideal for knitters who like to see frequent progress.

20. Textured Vine Placemat

Using a combination of yarn overs, knit-two-togethers, and purl stitches, vine patterns create an organic, flowing design reminiscent of climbing plants. A textured vine placemat has a garden-party elegance that’s particularly lovely for spring and summer tables.

21. Double Knit Placemat

Double knitting produces a thick, reversible fabric that’s made of two layers simultaneously. The result is a substantial, padded placemat that provides excellent protection for your table. Double knit placemats are typically worked in two contrasting colors, with the color on one side reversed on the other.

22. Nordic Fair Isle Placemat

Small, simple Fair Isle motifs — snowflakes, stars, reindeer, or geometric borders — transform a basic rectangular placemat into something festive and special. Nordic-style placemats in red and white or navy and cream are perennial favorites for holiday tables.

23. Fisherman’s Rib Placemat

Fisherman’s rib creates a deeply cushioned, almost squishy ribbed fabric by working into the stitch below each stitch. The result is a placemat with exceptional loft and texture, reminiscent of a classic fisherman’s sweater.

24. Blackberry Stitch Placemat

The blackberry stitch, sometimes called trinity stitch, creates raised bobble-like clusters across the fabric. It requires a bit more technique — making three stitches from one and three-into-one decreases — but the result is a richly textured, bumpy fabric that’s genuinely beautiful.

25. Entrelac Placemat

Entrelac creates a woven, basket-like pattern from interlocking diagonal squares. It’s one of those techniques that looks impossibly complex but is actually quite approachable once you understand the basic unit. An entrelac placemat in a variegated cotton yarn is truly stunning.

26. Cable Placemat

A central cable panel flanked by seed or garter stitch borders makes a handsome placemat that feels substantial and classic. Simple two-stitch or four-stitch cables are easy to work and add real visual weight to a placemat. These look especially lovely in a natural, undyed cotton yarn.

27. Bobble Accent Placemat

A simple garter or stockinette background punctuated by scattered bobbles creates a playful, tactile surface. Bobbles are worked by making multiple stitches from one and then decreasing back, creating a raised bump. Use them sparingly for an elegant look or all over for something more whimsical.

28. Intarsia Color Block Placemat

Intarsia is a colorwork technique that allows you to knit large blocks of color without carrying yarn across the back of the work. A placemat with a large geometric intarsia motif — a simple triangle, circle, or stripe — is modern and graphic.

29. Houndstooth Placemat

A small houndstooth check in two contrasting colors is a classic textile pattern that translates beautifully to knitting. This is slightly more technically demanding than basic stripes but follows a simple four-stitch, four-row repeat once you’ve learned it.

30. Reversible Garter Ridge Placemat

By alternating knit and purl rows at irregular intervals, you can create a placemat with an interesting ridge pattern that looks different from the front and back. These are particularly satisfying to knit because the pattern grows quickly and there’s no “wrong side.”

31. Farmhouse Dishcloth-Style Placemat

Many beloved cotton dishcloth patterns can be scaled up to placemat size with ease. The classic grandmother’s dishcloth pattern — a simple diagonal square worked in garter stitch — is one of the most beloved small knitting patterns for a reason. Worked in a heavier yarn on larger needles, it makes an instant placemat.

32. Lace Medallion Round Placemat

For knitters comfortable with circular needles and lace techniques, a round placemat worked from the center outward with a radiating lace motif is breathtakingly beautiful. These tend to take a bit longer than rectangular placemats but are absolutely showstopping on a set table.

33. Scrappy Modular Placemat

Finally, the ultimate stash-buster: a modular placemat worked in small squares or triangles from whatever yarn scraps you have on hand. There’s no single pattern here — it’s more of a technique — but the concept is simple. Knit small units, join them together, and embrace the scrappy, improvised result. These are some of the most charming and personal placemats you can make.

Tips for Making Your Placemats Last

Once you’ve finished knitting your placemats, a little care goes a long way toward helping them last.

Blocking is essential. Even simple garter stitch placemats benefit from being wet-blocked — soaked in cool water, gently squeezed, and then pinned or shaped flat to dry. Blocking evens out the stitches, opens up lace patterns, and gives your placemat professional, crisp dimensions.

For washing, most cotton and cotton-blend placemats can go in the washing machine on a gentle cycle in cold water. Avoid high heat in the dryer, which can cause shrinkage and distortion. Air-drying flat is the gentlest option and helps maintain the shape you worked hard to achieve.

If you’re using your placemats on a polished wood or delicate table surface, consider placing a thin piece of non-slip material underneath. Some knitters add a layer of interfacing to the back of their placemats for extra structure.

Final Thoughts

Knitted placemats are one of the most rewarding small projects you can take on, whether you’re a beginner looking for a confidence-building first finish or an experienced knitter who wants a fast, satisfying project between larger pieces. The variety of free patterns available means you’ll never run out of options, and the practical result means your work will be appreciated every single day at the dinner table.

Start with a simple garter or seed stitch placemat if you