Free Red Heart Mosaic Basketweave Placemat Crochet Pattern

There is something quietly satisfying about a handmade table setting. Before the food arrives, before the candles are lit, before anyone pulls up a chair, the placemats are already there doing their quiet work — protecting the table, setting the tone, welcoming whoever sits down. And when those placemats are crocheted by your own hands, using a stitch that looks far more complicated than it actually is, the satisfaction deepens into something closer to pride.

This free Red Heart mosaic basketweave placemat crochet pattern is exactly that kind of project. It is achievable enough for an intermediate crocheter on a relaxed weekend, yet the finished result looks like it took weeks of patient, expert work. The mosaic basketweave stitch creates a woven, dimensional texture that plays beautifully with color — two shades trading off in a way that gives the surface genuine depth and movement. Set a few of these on a farmhouse table and watch the compliments roll in.

Below you will find everything you need: a full materials list, gauge information, stitch abbreviations, and clear, step-by-step instructions to work through the pattern at your own pace. There are also tips for blocking, finishing, and caring for your placemats so they stay beautiful for years of daily use.

Why Red Heart Yarn for Placemats

Before diving into stitches and rows, it is worth spending a moment on the choice of yarn, because it genuinely matters for a project like this.

Red Heart Super Saver is one of the most widely available and affordable worsted-weight acrylic yarns on the market, and for placemats it has a specific, practical appeal. It is machine-washable, colorfast, and durable — three qualities that matter enormously for anything that will live on your dining table and get laundered regularly. Natural fibers like cotton have their own beautiful qualities, but they can shrink, fade, and distort with repeated washing in ways that Red Heart simply does not.

Red Heart also offers an enormous color range, which means the mosaic basketweave design can be adapted to virtually any kitchen or dining room palette. The classic pairing for this pattern is a deep, rich red with a soft cream or natural, which gives you something that looks seasonal in autumn and winter but warm and inviting year-round. Other popular pairings include navy and white for a coastal kitchen, sage green and cream for a farmhouse aesthetic, or charcoal and mustard for something more contemporary.

For a set of four placemats using this pattern, you will typically use less than a full skein of each color, which makes this an excellent stash-buster project if you already have partial skeins sitting in your yarn basket.

Materials You Will Need

To make a set of four placemats using this free Red Heart mosaic basketweave placemat crochet pattern, gather the following supplies before you begin.

Yarn: Red Heart Super Saver in two contrasting colors — approximately 200 yards of Color A and 200 yards of Color B. For the classic version of this pattern, Color A is a deep red (such as Red Heart’s “Cherry Red” or “Classic Red”) and Color B is soft cream or buff.

Hook: Size 5.0mm (US H/8) crochet hook. You can adjust hook size slightly to meet gauge.

Notions: Yarn needle for weaving in ends, scissors, measuring tape, and blocking pins if you plan to wet block the finished placemats.

Finished Size: Approximately 12 inches wide by 16 inches long after blocking. Individual results may vary slightly depending on tension.

Gauge

Gauge matters more for placemats than for many other projects because you want all four mats in a set to come out the same size. Take a few minutes to work a gauge swatch before beginning.

In this pattern, 14 stitches and 16 rows in half double crochet equals approximately 4 inches by 4 inches using a 5.0mm hook. If your swatch is larger than this, try dropping down to a 4.5mm hook. If it is smaller, move up to a 5.5mm hook. Do not simply adjust your stitch count to compensate, because the basketweave texture depends on specific stitch groupings that become awkward if you change the numbers.

Stitch Abbreviations

This pattern uses standard US crochet terminology. Here are the abbreviations you will encounter throughout the instructions.

ch — chain stitch
sl st — slip stitch
hdc — half double crochet
FPhdc — front post half double crochet
BPhdc — back post half double crochet
st(s) — stitch(es)
RS — right side
WS — wrong side
rep — repeat
beg — beginning
sk — skip

Understanding the Mosaic Basketweave Technique

The phrase “mosaic basketweave” describes what happens when two elements combine. The basketweave component comes from alternating front post and back post stitches in groups, which creates the woven, raised texture you can see and feel on the surface of the fabric. The mosaic component refers to working with two colors in a way that allows both to appear on the fabric surface without carrying yarn behind the work — each color is worked separately on its own rows, with one color resting while the other works.

The result is a fabric that looks intricately colorworked but is actually worked one color at a time. This makes it far more approachable than traditional colorwork, and the single-layer fabric stays thin and pliable rather than thick and stiff.

The key technique to understand is the long stitch, sometimes called an extended post stitch in mosaic crochet. When you work a front post stitch around a stitch that is two rows below the current working row, you pull up a loop that is long enough to reach the current row’s height. This elongated post stitch is what creates the visual pattern of the mosaic, pulling one color up through another to create the woven illusion.

If you have never tried mosaic crochet before, this placemat is an excellent introduction. The pattern repeat is small and rhythmic, and after the first full repeat you will find yourself working it almost by feel.

Pattern Instructions

Foundation Chain

With Color A, chain 55. This gives you 54 working stitches plus one turning chain. If you prefer a slightly wider placemat, you can chain 67 (66 working stitches), keeping in mind that the stitch repeat for the basketweave section is 6, and your stitch count should be a multiple of 6 plus 3 for the border stitches.

Border Row (Row 1 — RS): With Color A, hdc in the 3rd chain from the hook and in each chain across. You should have 53 hdc. Chain 2, turn. (Note: the chain 2 does not count as a stitch in this pattern. All stitch counts refer to actual hdc stitches only.)

Row 2 (WS): Hdc in each stitch across. Chain 2, turn. Drop Color A but do not cut it. Pull up a loop of Color B at the end of the row.

Beginning the Mosaic Basketweave Pattern

The pattern is worked in a 4-row repeat using the two colors. Rows 3 and 4 use Color B, and Rows 5 and 6 return to Color A. This 4-row block creates one full layer of the basketweave texture.

Row 3 (Color B, RS): With Color B, hdc in the first 2 sts. Work a FPhdc around the post of the hdc 2 rows below the next stitch, sk the stitch behind the post stitch, hdc in the next 2 sts, work a FPhdc around the post of the hdc 2 rows below the next stitch, sk the stitch behind the post stitch, hdc in the next 2 sts. Repeat from to across to the last 2 sts, hdc in each of the last 2 sts. Chain 2, turn.

Row 4 (Color B, WS): Hdc in each stitch across, working into the tops of the post stitches just as you would any other stitch. Chain 2, turn. Drop Color B, pick up Color A.

Row 5 (Color A, RS): With Color A, hdc in the first 2 sts. Work a FPhdc around the post of the Color B post stitch from Row 3 (this is now 2 rows below), sk the stitch behind it, hdc in the next 2 sts, work a FPhdc around the post of the next Color B post stitch from Row 3, sk the stitch behind it, hdc in the next 2 sts. Repeat from to across to the last 2 sts, hdc in each of the last 2 sts. Chain 2, turn.

Row 6 (Color A, WS): Hdc in each stitch across. Chain 2, turn. Drop Color A, pick up Color B.

This completes one full 4-row mosaic basketweave repeat. Continue alternating Color B for Rows 7 and 8 and Color A for Rows 9 and 10, following the same structure as Rows 3 through 6.

Work the basketweave repeat until the placemat measures approximately 14.5 inches from the foundation chain, ending after completing a full 4-row repeat (ending on a Color A WS row). The final stitch count should remain consistent at 53 stitches throughout.

Closing Border Rows

After completing your last pattern repeat, work 2 additional hdc rows with Color A to mirror the opening border. Cut Color B and weave in all ends on the wrong side of the work before adding the final border.

Adding a Simple Edging

A clean, simple border brings the placemat together and gives the edges a polished, finished look. With the RS facing and Color A, join yarn at any corner with a slip stitch.

Work a round of single crochet evenly around the entire placemat, placing 3 single crochet into each corner stitch to allow the border to turn smoothly without puckering. When you return to your starting corner, join with a slip stitch to the first single crochet.

For a slightly more decorative finish, work a second round in Color B: slip stitch in the first stitch, chain 1, skip 1 stitch, slip stitch in the next stitch and repeat around. This creates a simple picot-like texture at the edge that picks up the second color without adding bulk.

Join with a slip stitch, cut yarn, and fasten off. Weave in all remaining ends carefully, especially at the corners.

Blocking Your Placemats

Blocking is the step that transforms a finished crochet piece from something handmade into something that looks professionally crafted. For acrylic yarn like Red Heart Super Saver, wet blocking works beautifully.

Submerge your finished placemat in cool water and gently press out the air bubbles. Do not wring or twist the fabric. Lift it carefully and press out excess water by rolling it in a clean towel. Lay the placemat flat on a blocking mat or a folded towel on a flat surface.

Using rust-proof blocking pins, pin the placemat to the dimensions you want — 12 by 16 inches is the target. Pay special attention to the corners, which benefit from being pinned at exact right angles. Allow the placemat to dry completely before unpinning, which may take 24 hours or more depending on your environment.

Once dry, the basketweave texture will be crisp and even, the borders will lie flat, and the two colors will show off their contrast at its best. The difference between a blocked and an unblocked placemat is striking enough that the extra time is always worth it.

Caring for Your Finished Placemats

One of the greatest advantages of Red Heart Super Saver for a table project is how easy it is to keep clean. These placemats can go straight into the washing machine on a gentle cycle with cold water and a mild detergent. Tumble dry on low or lay flat to dry if you want to preserve the crispness of the block after its first wash.

Do not iron crochet placemats made from acrylic yarn directly, as the heat can damage or melt the fibers. If you find that the placemat needs freshening after washing, a quick 15-minute flat dry session followed by pinning back into shape while still slightly damp will restore its original dimensions beautifully.

Tips for Making a Matching Set

Working a set of four matching placemats is both the natural goal for this project and the biggest challenge, because keeping consistent tension across multiple items made days or weeks apart can be tricky. A few strategies help.

Work all four placemats in the same session if possible, rotating between them rather than finishing one completely before starting the next. This keeps your hands in the same rhythm and your gauge more consistent.

Keep a simple record of your tension, especially if you know you tend to crochet tighter when stressed or looser when relaxed. A small swatch kept from your gauge check gives you a reference to compare against partway through each new placemat.

Finally, block all four placemats at the same time and pin them to identical dimensions. Even if individual mats came out slightly different sizes before blocking, careful pinning while wet will bring them into harmony.

Variations and Customizations

Once you have worked through this pattern once, the variations are limited only by your color stash and your imagination. A few that work especially well with the mosaic basketweave structure include working the post stitches in the opposite direction on alternating color rows, which creates a counterpoint diagonal texture rather than the classic straight basketweave. Working three colors instead of two — using Color C for every other Color B row — creates a more complex mosaic with additional depth.

You can also scale the pattern. Using a lighter-weight yarn and a smaller hook, the same stitch pattern becomes a set of cocktail napkins or mug rugs. Using a bulkier yarn and larger hook, it scales up to a table runner that becomes the centerpiece of a full table setting.

The mosaic basketweave placemat also makes an excellent gift project. A set of four in colors chosen to match a friend’s kitchen or dining room is thoughtful, useful, and genuinely impressive. Pair them with a simple cloth napkin in a coordinating color and you have a complete table gift that feels boutique without the boutique price tag.

Final Thoughts

There is a reason the basketweave stitch has been a crochet staple for generations. It produces something that genuinely looks and feels woven, that invites touch, and that elevates ordinary objects into something worth noticing. Pairing that texture with the clean, graphic quality of mosaic colorwork takes it a step further, resulting in a placemat that is as interesting to look at as it is to make.

This free Red Heart mosaic basketweave placemat crochet pattern is the kind of project that tends to multiply. You make one, you block it, you set it on the table — and before the week is out you are casting on three more. Then someone sees them at dinner and asks if you could make a set for their home. This is the quiet, pleasant trouble that good crochet patterns cause.

So gather your yarn, find your hook, and let the rhythm of the basketweave stitch do what it has always done: turn simple materials into something lasting and lovely.