Free Pattern: Cameo Mountain Appliqué Crochet Placemat in Butter Yellow and White

A Quiet Little Mountain for Your Table

If you have ever wanted to make something that looks like it came from a Victorian parlor but is actually simple enough for your very first project, this Cameo Mountain placemat is for you. It is a crisp white square of single crochet with one small butter-yellow triangle tucked into a corner, and around that triangle runs a raised outline of white spike stitches that make it look like a carved cameo brooch. The finished piece is 14 inches square, soft and matte in bulky wool, with a gentle ridged texture and a neat two-round border. You only need to know one main stitch, and every single step is written out below.

Materials Needed

• Yarn: Bulky (weight 5) wool yarn — approximately 180 yards of white and approximately 25 yards of butter yellow.
• Hook: Size J/10 (6.0 mm) crochet hook, or whatever size gives you the gauge below.
• Stitch markers: At least 4, to mark corners and the appliqué placement.
• Tapestry needle: A blunt, large-eyed needle for seaming and weaving in ends.
• Scissors: For cutting yarn.
• Pins and a blocking surface: For the final blocking step.
• Finished size: 14 in (35.5 cm) square. The yellow mountain appliqué is about 4.5 in (11.5 cm) wide at its base and 4 in (10 cm) tall, and it sits within the square.

Abbreviations and Beginner Glossary

• ch — chain. Make a loop with the yarn, pull a new loop through it. Each loop you pull through is one chain.
• sc — single crochet. Insert your hook into the stitch, yarn over (wrap yarn around hook), pull up a loop (2 loops on hook), yarn over again, pull through both loops. One single crochet made.
• sc2tog — single crochet two stitches together (a decrease). Insert hook into the first stitch, yarn over, pull up a loop, insert hook into the next stitch, yarn over, pull up a loop (3 loops on hook), yarn over, pull through all 3 loops. Two stitches become one.
• spike — spike stitch. Insert your hook into the stitch or space one row below the current row, draw up a loop to the height of the current row, yarn over, pull through both loops on hook.
• st / sts — stitch / stitches.
• sl st — slip stitch. Insert hook into the stitch, yarn over, pull the yarn straight through both the stitch and the loop on your hook. It joins without adding height.
• yarn over — wrap the working yarn around your hook from back to front.
• turn — flip your work over so you can crochet back along the row you just made.
• fasten off — cut the yarn, pull the tail all the way through the last loop, and tug gently to lock it.
• whipstitch — a simple seaming stitch: bring the needle up through both layers, over the edge, and back down, repeating in small even stitches.
• blocking — dampening the finished piece and pinning it to its final measurements so it dries flat and even.

Gauge

12 sc x 14 rows = 4 in (10 cm) in single crochet, blocked.

Gauge is simply how big your stitches come out. It matters because it decides the finished size: 42 stitches across at 12 stitches per 4 inches gives 14 inches wide, and 49 rows at 14 rows per 4 inches gives 14 inches tall. To check yours, crochet a small square about 5 inches wide and 5 inches tall in single crochet, block it lightly, then lay a ruler across the middle and count how many stitches fit in 4 inches and how many rows fit in 4 inches. If you have more stitches than 12, your work is tight — try a larger hook. If you have fewer, try a smaller hook.

Beginner Tips Before You Start

• Count every row. Single crochet rows all look alike. Keep a tally on paper so you never lose your place in the 49-row body.
• Use stitch markers. Place one in each corner of the placemat before you start the border, and use two more to mark where the mountain's base corners will sit.
• Do not pull the yarn too tight. Tension is the number one beginner struggle. Let the yarn flow; tight stitches make a stiff, curling placemat.
• Keep spike loops relaxed. Spike stitches are drawn up from one row below. If you yank them, the cameo outline puckers. Let them sit tall and loose; blocking will settle them flat.
• Work the appliqué first if you are nervous. The little triangle is a perfect practice piece for single crochet and sc2tog before you tackle the big square.
• Always chain 1 at the start of a row. That turning chain gives your row height. It does not count as a stitch.

Step-by-Step Instructions

Part 1: Placemat Body (white, worked flat in rows)

Row 1: Ch 43. Sc in the 2nd ch from hook and in each ch across. (42 sc)

Row 2: Ch 1, turn. Sc in each st across. (42 sc)

Rows 3–48: Repeat Row 2. (42 sc per row)

Row 49: Ch 1, turn. Sc in each st across. (42 sc)

You now have 49 rows total, which at 14 rows per 4 inches gives 14 inches tall. Do not fasten off yet — keep the white working yarn attached; you will use it for the spike outline and border.

Part 2: Mountain Appliqué (butter yellow, worked separately)

The triangle is worked flat in single crochet, decreasing one stitch at each end of every other row to form a peak.

Row 1: With butter yellow, ch 15. Sc in 2nd ch from hook and in each ch across. (14 sc)

Row 2: Ch 1, turn. Sc in each st across. (14 sc)

Row 3: Ch 1, turn. Sc2tog over first 2 sts, sc in each st to last 2 sts, sc2tog. (12 sc)

Row 4: Ch 1, turn. Sc in each st across. (12 sc)

Row 5: Ch 1, turn. Sc2tog, sc in each st to last 2 sts, sc2tog. (10 sc)

Row 6: Ch 1, turn. Sc in each st across. (10 sc)

Row 7: Ch 1, turn. Sc2tog, sc in each st to last 2 sts, sc2tog. (8 sc)

Row 8: Ch 1, turn. Sc in each st across. (8 sc)

Row 9: Ch 1, turn. Sc2tog, sc in each st to last 2 sts, sc2tog. (6 sc)

Row 10: Ch 1, turn. Sc in each st across. (6 sc)

Row 11: Ch 1, turn. Sc2tog, sc in each st to last 2 sts, sc2tog. (4 sc)

Row 12: Ch 1, turn. Sc in each st across. (4 sc)

Row 13: Ch 1, turn. Sc2tog, sc2tog. (2 sc)

Row 14: Ch 1, turn. Sc2tog. (1 sc)

Fasten off, leaving a 10 in (25 cm) tail for seaming.

Part 3: Attaching the Appliqué

Step 1: Block the white square lightly so it lies flat. Place the yellow triangle on the placemat with its base parallel to one corner, about 1 in (2.5 cm) in from the two adjacent edges, peak pointing toward the center of the placemat. Pin in place.

Step 2: Using white yarn and a tapestry needle, whipstitch the triangle to the placemat along all three sides, catching only the back loops of the appliqué so the front stays smooth.

Step 3: Do not trim the yellow tail yet; weave it in on the wrong side after the spike outline is complete.

Part 4: Spike-Stitch Cameo Outline (white)

Work directly into the placemat surface around the sewn triangle, using the white working yarn from the body.

Round 1 (outline): Join white with a sl st at the bottom-left corner of the triangle base. Work spike stitches spaced about 1/2 in (1.3 cm) apart along the base, up the left slope, down the right slope, and back along the base, inserting the hook one row below the surface so each spike rises to the height of the outline. Work approximately 24 spike stitches in total around the triangle. Join with a sl st to the first spike. Fasten off.

Part 5: Border (white)

Round 1: Join white with a sl st in any corner. Ch 1, work sc evenly around the entire placemat edge, working 3 sc in each corner. Join with a sl st to the first sc.

Round 2: Ch 1, sc in each sc around, working 3 sc in each corner. Join with a sl st. Fasten off.

Assembly and Finishing

Weaving in ends: Thread each tail onto the tapestry needle and run it back and forth through the back of several stitches, changing direction once so it cannot work loose. Trim close to the fabric. Weave in the yellow tail on the wrong side now.

Blocking: Soak the placemat in cool water for 10 minutes, press it gently in a towel to remove excess water, then pin it out to 14 in (35.5 cm) square on a blocking mat. Pin the spike-stitch outline flat so each spike sits proud and even. Allow to dry completely before use.

Pro Tips and Variations

• Change the mountain color: Swap butter yellow for dusty rose, sage, or slate blue for a different cameo mood. Keep the outline white so it still reads as a cameo.
• Resize the placemat: For a runner, start with a longer chain (add 12 chains per extra 4 inches) and keep the same row count for height. For a coaster, chain 19 and work 25 rows.
• Substitute yarn: Cotton or cotton-blend bulky yarn works beautifully and is more washable; just check your gauge again, since cotton behaves differently from wool.
• Make a set: Work four placemats and rotate the mountain corner on each one so the set has a playful, mismatched charm.