Frankie's Knitted Stuff
Cobblestone Mats
This started off as a quick stashbuster pattern, turning oddments of yarn into thick textured mats, but then evolved into an experiment with colour. Worked at this thickness, the fabric stitch reminded me of cobbled streets and that gave the mats their name. I knitted my mats using four strands of double knitting weight yarn held together and 8mm / US size 11 needles. The finished mats are about 10 cm / 4"2. The pattern could easily be adapted to use up whatever yarns you have; just choose the needles to suit and cast on any odd number of stitches.
Knitting the Mat
Using the cable method, cast on 15 sts. The mat is worked in fabric stitch: Row 1: K1, \*sl 1 pwise wyif, K1, repeat from \* to end. Row 2: Sl 1 pwise wyib, \*P1, sl 1 pwise wyib, repeat from \* to end. Work 22 rows in this pattern or until your knitting is square. Cast off using the sewn cast off. This gives a neat edge that matches the cable cast on. Cut the yarn, leaving a tail three times the width of the knitting. Thread a sewing up needle and cast off along the row like this: \*Thread through the first 2 stitches on the needle purlwise then back through the first st again knitwise and pull this stitch off the needle. Repeat from \* Sew in the ends. This is easiest to do by separating out the individual strands and sewing them in one at a time. The fabric is so thick that it's easy to hide them.
The finished mat is satisfyingly thick, cobbled on one side and smooth on the other.
Playing With Colour
Having made one mat I just couldn't resist making more - thirteen more actually. I found sixteen colours of yarn and arranged them in rainbow order. I knitted the first mat using the first four colours, the second with colours 2 - 5, the third with 3 - 6 and so on. This gave me a pile of mats in the shades of the spectrum.
I considered sewing them together to make a bigger table mat ..
... but then came to the conclusion I would have more fun with them separately. You may decide differently. You could make a bigger mat in one piece, perhaps changing colours as you go. This is a pattern to play with.
Abbreviations
st / sts stitch / stitches Kknit Ppurl sl 1 pwise slip one stitch purlwise wyif with yarn in front wyib with yarn in back Frankie Brown, 2012. My patterns are for personal use only and should not be used to knit items for sale.
