Valley Yarns Delta Chaste Blues Knitting Pattern

Valley Yarns Delta Chaste Blues Placemats

What Is Being Made

The Valley Yarns Delta Chaste Blues is a set of two knitted placemats designed to add visual interest and elegance to your table setting. These finished placemats measure 16 inches wide and 14½ inches high, providing a substantial base for dinnerware while brightening up mealtime with attractive colorwork. Designed by Susan Baron, these placemats are intended to make every meal feel more special with their decorative appeal.

Techniques Used

This project employs several intermediate knitting techniques that remain accessible to advanced beginners. The placemats feature mosaic colorwork, a technique that creates intricate patterns while simplifying the actual knitting process. The design uses stripes and slipped-stitch patterning to build visual complexity. The project is worked flat on circular needles rather than in the round, making it easier to manage and allowing for straightforward construction. Additional techniques include strategic increases and decreases along the edges to shape the placemats, and color carrying where unused yarn colors are carried up the sides of the work rather than cut, reducing finishing work.

Stitches Used

The Delta Chaste Blues placemats incorporate fundamental knitting stitches combined with specialty techniques. The main stitch pattern is a 4-row slip-stitch pattern that creates the mosaic colorwork effect. Garter stitch forms the foundation and border sections of the placemats. The pattern includes knit stitches as the primary building block, along with knit-front-and-back (kfb) increases for shaping the edges. Knit two together (k2tog) decreases are used symmetrically to adjust stitch counts. When slipping stitches, they are slipped purlwise with the working yarn held to the wrong side of the piece, a technique that ensures clean edges and proper pattern definition. The project uses the long-tail cast-on method to begin and purlwise bind-off to finish.

Materials and Yarn

The Valley Yarns Delta Chaste Blues placemats are crafted using Valley Yarns Hawley, a premium blend yarn composed of 50% cotton, 30% silk, and 20% nylon. This fiber combination creates a slubbed texture that beautifully showcases the mosaic colorwork. For two placemats, you will need 3 balls of Color A in Sapphire (a deep blue shade) and 2 balls of Color B in Sandstone (a neutral tan tone). Each ball contains 50 grams and yields 135 yards, providing ample yardage for the complete project. The pattern calls for US size 5 (3.75 mm) circular needles in 24-inch length, or whatever size is needed to achieve the specified gauge. Additional materials include stitch markers for tracking pattern repeats and a tapestry needle for weaving in yarn ends during finishing.

Gauge and Finished Dimensions

Proper gauge is essential for achieving the correct finished dimensions. The slipped-stitch pattern should measure 22 stitches and 36 rows over 4 inches when blocked. Garter stitch sections should measure 20 stitches and 20 rows over 4 inches when blocked. The finished placemats measure exactly 16 inches wide and 14½ inches high after blocking, making them appropriately sized for standard place settings.

Skill Level and Accessibility

Rated as Advanced Beginner difficulty, the Delta Chaste Blues placemats are suitable for knitters who have mastered basic techniques and are ready to explore colorwork and shaping. The mosaic technique simplifies color changes compared to traditional stranded colorwork, as you work with only one color per row. The straightforward construction, worked flat on circular needles, eliminates the complexity of working in the round. Clear instructions for edge shaping and the option to reference video tutorials for the long-tail cast-on method make this project approachable for those expanding their knitting skills.