The Ribbon Mat - Crocheting with Ribbon

This round mat was crocheted with ribbon and a 9mm hook. It came out soft and elastic.

I love my excuses. I am actually quite good at making them. When I don't feel like crocheting, I would use the excuse, "I don't have any yarn". This time, however, I didn't allow myself that excuse and I used ribbon instead. Crocheting with ribbon was better than I would have hoped.

My first try was with soft ribbon, which is the homemade home decoration you can see in the photo. It came out looking smooth and soft, which it is. My second try I didn't bother finishing, as the ribbon was hard and just didn't have the effect I wanted. Hard ribbon does have it's possibilities, but I just didn't want to use it for anything at the time.

The Pattern

It is made in a very ordinary way, so this is simple and quick for those who need either a quick birthday present or just want something new for the house without much effort.

I will only tell you how to do this in a short way. If you don't know how to slip stitch, then you will need to learn that first (I will eventually make a tutorial for this). If anything is unclear, ask away!

Base: Chain 6 and slip stitch into the first chain to make your circle. Chain 1.

Row 1: Single crochet twice into every chain stitch. Slip stitch to finish the row and chain 2.

Row 2: Double crochet (DC) in the back loops only. You will crochet like this: DC x 2 into the first single crochet, DC x 1 into the next single crochet, continue with this pattern until you slip stitch to finish your row. Chain 2.

Row 3: DC in the back loops only. You will crochet like this: DC x 2 into the first single crochet, DC x 1 into the next single crochet, DC x 1 into the next single crochet and then DC x 2 into the stitch after that. Continue with this pattern until you slip stitch to finish your row. Chain 2.

You will continue doing more single DC in the stitches for every new row you make.

Working with Ribbon

One issue is that the softness made it hard to hide the lovely seam...

Working with ribbon is definitely something every crocheter should try at some point in time, as you get experience working with different materials.

I have tried making this with a harder, see-through ribbon, but it came out looking completely different, and not at all in a good way.

If you want to try crocheting with ribbon, I would highly recommend it, as it is fun and nice to work with. However I will say start with soft, silky ribbon. I will definitely work with this ribbon again in future to make a variety of home decorations!

Happy creating!