Place mat & Napkin Holder

I'm going to introduce the place mat and napkin holder I made for my friend today. My friend is Japanese, and she lives in Thailand. Actually, she is my blog friend, so I've never met her. She has been introducing Thai food and Thai culture in her blog. 

When I saw the Bencharong ceramics she made in her blog, I really became interested in them. Those are so beautiful! I had been looking for ceramic for cream and sugar, so I asked her if she would mind to make it for me. She made this ceramics for me with my favorite colors!

I love it so much, so I use it only when I hold lunch party at my house. 

To thank her, I decided to make a place mat and napkin holder set, because she likes cooking.

I used cotton yarn for the project, because place mat frequently can get dirty from food. Cotton yarn is washable in washer machine, so it's good material. When I choose yarn, I put my emphasis on use. 

Since I heard that the friend likes pink and green color like me,  I chose country green and tumbleweed (mix color) from Lily cotton, and designed the pattern for her. I placed a clover in each corner, and used clover flower as napkin holder.

I used experienced skill, which is called Catherine's Wheel, in the place mat. The pattern is composed of shell stitches. I worked the pattern with mix color this time, but I want to try the pattern with one color next time. I think that one color can show the pattern clearly. 

I used a button made from shell this time. The button shows you which side of the place mat is the front. People who don't know about crochet well, they can't recognize which side is front, that's why I used the button. However, the button is part of the design as well.

I hope the place mat and napkin holder make the friend and her fiance's meal time more fun!

Stitches that I used the project.

Chain, slip stitch, single crochet, half double crochet, double crochet, shell stitch.

Yarn that I used the project.

• Lily Sugar'n Cream : Country Green
• Lily Sugar'n Cream Naturals : Tumbleweed
• Red Heart Eco-Cotton : Vanilla ( clover flower)