33 Free Knitted Placemat Patterns: Beautiful Table Décor You Can Make Today

There is something deeply satisfying about sitting down to a meal and knowing that the table beneath your dishes was dressed by your own hands. Knitted placemats are one of those wonderfully practical projects that straddle the line between functional craft and genuine home décor artistry. They protect your table, add warmth and texture, and give every meal — whether it is a quiet Tuesday breakfast or a holiday dinner — a handmade quality that store-bought linens simply cannot replicate.

If you are a beginner who has just learned to knit a basic rectangle, or an experienced knitter looking for a quick weekend project, knitted placemats are among the most accessible and rewarding things you can make. They use modest amounts of yarn, work up quickly, and allow you to experiment with color, stitch patterns, and construction in ways that a larger project might not.

This roundup collects 33 free knitted placemat patterns that span every skill level and aesthetic. From simple garter stitch designs that a new knitter can finish in an evening to intricate lace and colorwork projects worthy of the most beautifully set table, there is something here for every knitter and every home.

Why Knit Your Own Placemats?

Before diving into the patterns themselves, it is worth pausing to appreciate why knitted placemats have remained a beloved project for generations of fiber artists.

First, they are economical. A single skein or two of cotton yarn can yield a full set of placemats for a family table. You are not committing to pounds of yarn or months of work, and mistakes are easy to rip out and correct before the project grows too large.

Second, they are practical. A well-chosen cotton or linen yarn produces a placemat that is washable, durable, and functional enough to use every day. Unlike many knitted items that feel too precious to actually use, placemats are meant to be set down, picked up, washed, and used again.

Third, they are a perfect playground for technique. Because the canvas is small, you can practice cables, lace, slipped stitches, colorwork, and texture without committing to a sweater’s worth of knitting. Many experienced knitters use placemat projects to try out a stitch pattern before scaling it up to a blanket or garment.

And finally, they make exceptional gifts. A set of four handmade placemats, perhaps in a color chosen to match a friend’s kitchen, is a thoughtful and personal present for a housewarming, wedding, or holiday.

Choosing the Right Yarn for Knitted Placemats

The yarn you choose matters more for placemats than it might for some other projects, because these items need to be both beautiful and washable. Here are the most popular choices.

Cotton is the gold standard for knitted placemat yarn. It is absorbent, durable, machine washable, and comes in a wide range of colors. It has very little stretch compared to wool, which actually works in your favor with placemats, because you want them to lie flat and hold their shape on the table. Worsted or DK weight cotton is the most common choice.

Linen and linen blends produce a slightly stiffer fabric that softens beautifully with washing. Linen placemats develop a lovely patina over time and feel wonderfully cool and crisp. The yarn can be a little tough on your hands while knitting, but the finished result is gorgeous.

Cotton-acrylic blends offer ease of care and a slightly softer hand than pure cotton. They work well for everyday placemats and come in many affordable options.

Avoid yarns with a high wool content for placemats unless they are superwash treated. Wool placemats can felt in the wash and do not always lie flat the way cotton does. That said, if you are making decorative placemats for display rather than everyday use, wool opens up a world of beautiful color and texture options.

The 33 Free Knitted Placemat Patterns

Beginner-Friendly Patterns

1. Simple Garter Stitch Placemat
This is the ideal starting point for a new knitter. Cast on your stitches, knit every row, and bind off when you reach the desired length. The garter stitch creates a reversible, lightly textured fabric with natural elasticity that helps the mat lie flat. Choose a solid or semi-solid cotton in a color that complements your kitchen and you have a placemat that looks intentionally minimalist rather than beginner-simple.

2. Seed Stitch Placemat
The seed stitch alternates knit and purl stitches in a checkerboard pattern, creating a pebbly, highly textured surface that is nearly identical on both sides. It lies flatter than stockinette and has a satisfying visual rhythm. This pattern requires knowing how to knit and purl, making it a natural next step after garter stitch.

3. Basic Ribbed Placemat
A 2×2 rib creates a placemat with pronounced vertical ridges that add a tailored, structured look. Ribbed placemats work beautifully in neutral tones and have a slightly dressier appearance than garter or seed stitch designs.

4. Striped Garter Stitch Placemat
Take the simple garter stitch placemat and add stripes by changing colors every few rows. This is an excellent way to use up yarn scraps and create a colorful, cheerful table setting. No color theory expertise required — even random combinations tend to look playful and intentional.

5. Slip Stitch Texture Placemat
By slipping stitches at regular intervals, you create a textured fabric with subtle diagonal or geometric lines. Slip stitch patterns look far more complex than they are and knit up quickly because you are skipping a stitch rather than working it on every row.

6. Mistake Rib Placemat
The mistake rib stitch is worked on a repeat that does not divide evenly, creating a naturally wavy, textured fabric that looks like a happy accident but is actually completely intentional. It is beginner-friendly, reversible, and produces a placemat with organic visual interest.

7. Easy Basketweave Placemat
The basketweave stitch uses blocks of knit and purl stitches arranged in alternating squares to mimic the look of woven fabric. It looks impressive but is simply a matter of following a short repeat. A basketweave placemat in a natural linen-colored cotton is a timeless classic.

8. Broken Rib Placemat
This pattern alternates a row of ribbing with a row of knit stitches, creating a fabric with gentle texture that lies flatter than true rib. It is a subtle, understated design that works well as a backdrop for dishes and glassware.

Intermediate Patterns

9. Cable and Rib Placemat
A central cable panel flanked by ribs is one of the most iconic knitting motifs and it translates beautifully to placemats. You will need a cable needle and the ability to follow a multi-row chart or written instructions. The result is a placemat that looks genuinely impressive on the table.

10. Diagonal Rib Placemat
Rather than running vertically or horizontally, the rib in this pattern travels diagonally across the surface of the mat. This is achieved through strategic placement of increases and decreases and produces a striking, dynamic effect.

11. Herringbone Placemat
The herringbone stitch creates a dense, textured V-shaped pattern that is both visually striking and wonderfully tactile. It takes a little practice to get the tension right but produces a thick, sturdy placemat with excellent drape.

12. Feather and Fan Placemat
The old shell or feather and fan stitch is a classic lace pattern that creates gentle, undulating waves across the fabric. It is traditionally done in a single color, where the wave effect creates all the visual interest, but it is also lovely worked in two alternating colors.

13. Honeycomb Cable Placemat
The honeycomb cable is worked by crossing stitches in alternating directions to create a cellular, interlocking pattern that resembles the cells of a beehive. It is denser and more structural than a standard cable twist and produces a placemat with wonderful texture and dimension.

14. Moss Stitch Colorblock Placemat
Combine moss stitch with blocks of solid color for a modern, graphic design. The moss stitch provides texture within each block, and the color transitions give the placemat a contemporary aesthetic that suits modern kitchen and dining room décor.

15. Diagonal Garter Stitch Placemat
Rather than knitting back and forth on a flat rectangle, this pattern begins at one corner and increases to the center before decreasing back to a point. The result is a square placemat with garter ridges running diagonally and a neat, finished corner point at each side.

16. Eyelet Stripe Placemat
Rows of simple yarn-over eyelets alternate with solid rows of stockinette or garter to create a lacy, airy fabric with a horizontal rhythm. The eyelet rows add visual lightness without requiring complex lace skills.

17. Woven Look Placemat
Slipped stitches in two colors are arranged to create a fabric that genuinely resembles woven textile rather than knitting. These patterns typically only ever work with one color per row despite the woven appearance, making them more accessible than true stranded colorwork.

18. Garter Rib Border Placemat
A field of stockinette is surrounded by a garter stitch border on all four sides. The border prevents the natural curl of stockinette and frames the center panel cleanly. This is an excellent pattern for experimenting with textured center motifs.

Advanced and Lace Patterns

19. Simple Lace Placemat
A basic lace repeat using yarnovers and decreases creates an open, delicate fabric that is beautiful for a formal table setting. Linen or a cotton-linen blend in white or natural is the traditional choice and produces something genuinely elegant.

20. Leaf Lace Placemat
Knitted leaf motifs arranged across the surface of a placemat create a botanical, nature-inspired design. These patterns typically involve a 10 to 16 row repeat and require the ability to read a lace chart, but the resulting placemat is absolutely stunning.

21. Diamond Lace Placemat
Diamonds formed from eyelets and decreases tile across the placemat in a geometric arrangement. The pattern has a crisp, structured look that works particularly well in a solid, light-colored yarn where the lace definition is clearest.

22. Faggoting Stitch Placemat
Faggoting is a series of yarnovers and k2tog decreases that creates an extremely open, ladder-like fabric. Used as an all-over stitch or as columns between solid sections, it gives a placemat an almost woven, textile look with generous negative space.

23. Traveling Vine Lace Placemat
The traveling vine is a classic knitting lace motif where a vine of eyelets winds across the fabric, accompanied by leaf shapes. It requires careful attention to a chart but is one of the most beautiful all-over lace patterns available for placemat knitting.

24. Nordic Star Colorwork Placemat
Stranded colorwork featuring a traditional eight-pointed Nordic star is a showstopper pattern that produces a placemat worthy of display. Working with two colors of fingering or sport weight cotton requires carrying the floats across the back, but the result is dense, reversible, and absolutely beautiful.

25. Fair Isle Inspired Placemat
Drawing from the tradition of Fair Isle knitting, this pattern uses small, geometric repeating motifs in two or more colors. Worked flat in the round or back and forth with carefully managed floats, Fair Isle placemats create a rich, tapestry-like surface.

26. Entrelac Placemat
Entrelac creates a basket-weave effect by picking up stitches at right angles and knitting small squares or rectangles that interlock. It looks dauntingly complex but is achieved through a logical, sequential process. An entrelac placemat in two complementary colors is a breathtaking table accessory.

27. Tunisian-Inspired Knit Placemat
Taking visual cues from Tunisian crochet, this knitting pattern mimics the distinctive interlocked look using a combination of slipped and wrapped stitches. It produces a thick, dense fabric with excellent sturdiness.

Round, Shaped, and Novelty Patterns

28. Round Placemat Knit in the Round
Cast on a small number of stitches, join in the round, and increase at regular intervals to create a flat circle. The increases create a pie-slice structure, and you can use any stitch pattern within each wedge. Round placemats have a cozy, organic quality and work beautifully on circular tables.

29. Hexagon Placemat
Knit six triangular sections in the round or separately and seam them together to create a honeycomb hexagon shape. Hexagonal placemats are wonderful for display and work nicely in variegated yarns where each triangle catches different color runs.

30. Oval Placemat
Begin with a cast-on of stitches at the center, work increases on both ends of each row, and build outward to create a classic oval shape. Oval placemats feel traditional and practical, working well under plates of all sizes.

31. Mitered Square Placemat
Mitered squares are knit from the outer edge to the center by placing a double decrease at the central axis of each square. Four mitered squares sewn together make a larger placemat with a beautiful pinwheel or compass-star center.

32. Granny Square-Inspired Knitted Placemat
Borrowing its structure from crochet’s beloved granny square, this knitting pattern works from the center outward in concentric rounds, with increases placed at four corners to maintain a square shape. The effect is geometric and graphic.

33. Log Cabin Placemat
The log cabin is a quintessential knitting pattern in which strips of garter stitch are added sequentially around a central rectangle, with each new strip picked up along an existing edge. The resulting placemat has a striking concentric structure and is an excellent way to use scraps of yarn in harmonious or contrasting colors.

Tips for Success with Knitted Placemat Patterns

Getting the most out of any of these patterns comes down to a few consistent practices that experienced placemat knitters swear by.

Gauge matters more than you might expect. A placemat that is too small will not protect your table adequately, and one that is too large will overhang awkwardly. Always knit a small gauge swatch in your chosen yarn and stitch pattern before casting on, and adjust your needle size accordingly. A standard placemat measures approximately 12 by 18 inches, though 13 by 19 is also common.

Block your finished placemats. Blocking — wetting the fabric and pinning it to measurements while it dries — transforms most knitted placemats from a slightly lumpy fabric into something crisp and professionally finished. Lace patterns in particular need blocking to open up the eyelets and reveal the design. Cotton and linen respond beautifully to wet blocking.

Weave in ends securely. Placemats go through the wash regularly, and loose ends work themselves out over time. Weave each end in multiple directions through the fabric and give it a gentle tug before trimming.

Choose your yarn weight to suit your purpose. A lace-weight placemat will be delicate and beautiful but more suited to special occasions than daily use. A worsted weight cotton placemat is sturdy enough for everyday family meals. For most households, DK or worsted cotton is the practical sweet spot.

Make them in sets. A single placemat is lovely but a set of four or six is genuinely useful and gives your table a polished, cohesive look. Many of the patterns above work up quickly enough that completing a matching set is entirely realistic in a weekend.

Caring for Your Knitted Placemats

One of the greatest advantages of cotton and linen knitted placemats is how easy they are to care for. Most can be machine washed on a gentle or normal cycle in cool to warm water. Lay them flat to dry rather than putting them in the dryer, which can cause shrinkage over repeated cycles. If they come out of the wash looking a little uneven, a quick press with a damp pressing cloth and a warm iron will restore them beautifully.

Over time, cotton placemats often become softer and even more beautiful with washing. Linen develops a lovely, worn softness that improves with every use. These are not items to keep safe in a drawer — they are meant to be used, washed, and used again.