A step-by-step guide to knitting the Ollie Placemat and Coaster Set
Ever gotten halfway through a project and thought “Hang on, am I even doing this right?” We have 🙋♀️
That’s why we’ve created these step-by-step guides to walk you through the knitting process.
Even if you've never knitted before, we'll take you from zero to knitting hero in no time 🦸♀️
When it comes to knitting, practice makes perfect
Before we start the pattern, we suggest you spend some time learning the basic stitches you’ll need to complete your project.
The champagne won't be the only thing poppin' at your next dinner party! The Ollie coasters and placemats are a great beginner knitting project. They're made with a garter stitch border and a stockinette stitch body, both of these stitch types are made using a combination of knit and purl stitches.
You'll want to be confident with the knit and purl stitches before you start 🧶 You'll also want to get a hang of tying a slip knot and casting on your stitches (AKA getting your stitches onto your needles) which is the first step in any knitting project, as well as changing colours and casting off to finish.
You can use the yarn that came in your kit to practice with. Once you've got these mastered you'll find the pattern a cinch!
Total beginner? 👩🏫
For a more comprehensive lesson on the basics of knitting visit our Learn How To Knit page.
Onto the Ollie set!
This blog covers the techniques you'll follow for both the placemats and the coasters. So if you've bought the set or just the coasters, you'll follow the same process.
💪 Remember learning a new skill can be a little challenging at first, and you’re bound to find yourself making some mistakes along the way. But as with learning anything, your brain and your hands slowly start to get the hang of it, muscle memory is created, and soon the thing you found tricky/daunting/scary is like second nature!
⚡️What you'll need
Your kit comes with everything you'll need to make your masterpiece. In your kit you'll find;
- 6mm needles
- Coaster and Placemat set:
- 2-4 balls of Chunky Cotton - Colour 1
- 2-4 balls of Chunky Cotton - Colour 2
- Coaster set:
- 1 ball of Chunky Cotton - Colour 1
- 1 ball Chunky Cotton - Colour 2
- A darning needle
- Made by me tag
You also want to have a pair of scissors handy.
⚡️Test your tension
Before you start your project, make sure your tension (how tightly or loosely your knitting is) is juuuust right 🥣 We do this by knitting a “tension swatch”. It's a bit like goldilocks, if the tension is too tight, your piece will be too small, and if it's too loose it may not hold its shape and might be too big.
Gauge: If done correctly, your 10x10cm knitted swatch should be 11 stitches wide and 16 rows high when knitted in stockinette stitch on your 6mm needles.
To test this, jump on your needles - use the yarn and needles that came in your kit. Cast on around 15-18 stitches, then knit in stockinette stitch (knit all stitches in your first row, purl all stitches in the next - repeat) for around 20 rows. Then measure a 10x10cm square and count your stitches and rows within that space to make sure you're knitting at the correct tension.
If you've got more stitches or rows than the instructions say you should have, your knitting is a little too tight, and if you've got less your knitting is too loose. Adjust your tension by holding the yarn a little more tightly/loosely as you knit.
💡 We know knitting a tension swatch can seem like a bit of a drain, but it's really important because the difference of a few millimetres in your tension can lead to a finished piece this is quite different in size to what you intended.
🧶 Let's knit up a storm!
Time to get click-clacking and whip up your super-sweet tableware.
We knit our placemats and coasters in thick stripes, alternating our use of colours 1 and 2 so that we use an even allowance of each colour.
Cast on
First thing first, cast on your stitches. Your stitches will run onto the tubing that connects your needles a little. That's fine!
💭 Casting on, like many things in knitting, can be done in a number of ways so if you don't like the technique we suggested, you can pick any that’s right for you.
GARTER STITCH
You're going to start with some rows of garter stitch. Garter stitch is the simplest stitch in the knitting world! It's created by knitting every stitch in every row - super simple hey?! 😎
BODY
Okay, now let's get into the guts of our piece. We're going to follow a 2-row sequence to knit the placemat or coaster.
The first and last 4 (placemat) / 3 (coaster) stitches of every row will always be knit stitches. This will continue the garter stitch border.
For the centre stitches, we'll alternate knit and purl rows which go together to create a stockinette stitch. Stockinette stitch is a basic stitch that most knitting patterns often don't explain! It's created by knitting one row and purling the next and the 'right' side of the stitch is the one with the V's facing upwards.
Let's dive in 🤿
Row 1 of our 2-row sequence: Knit your first 4/3 stitches, then purl your stitches until you've got 4/3 stitches left on your left needle. Knit those stitches.
Row 2 of our 2-row sequence: Knit all stitches.
Repeat this sequence as instructed until you reach your first colour change.
CHANGE COLOUR
When your pattern instructs, it's time to make your first colour change. We always change colours at the end of a row. Attach your new colour and knit this row with colour 2.
KNIT KNIT KNIT
Continue following your 2-row sequence and change colours as instructed. Knit, knit, knit 😎
Damn, this is looking goooood! 🔥
You'll finish your piece with more rows of garter stitch to complete the border.
CAST OFF
✔️ When you've done the allocated number of rows for your placement or coaster it's time to cast all your stitches off your needle.
When you cast off the second last stitch you'll be left with one stitch on your right needle. Cut your yarn from the ball (give yourself about a 25cm tail) and thread the tail back through the last stitch to secure it.
FINISHING
🪡 Grab your darning needle, the final thing we need to do is weave in the ends so that all your yarn tails are sewn back into the blanket and out of sight.
BLOCKING
Blocking is an optional step in the knitting process but it's one we highly recommend for your coasters and placements. Blocking will help to ensure your pieces lay flat and keep their shape.
VIDEO COMING
D.O.N.E! You've finished, well done! Epic work 🤩 If this was your first-ever knitting project or one of many, we hope you had a blast click-clacking and making your sweet, sweet tableware 💥❤️
In a bind and need a little more help?
Email us at stitchup@cardigang.com.au and we'll be able to help! Whether you're just starting out, or you've got a specific question or problem (dropped a stitch, no stress!), we're here to get you out of a bind.