Disclaimer: This website contains affiliate links. When you click on an affiliate ad and make a purchase I may receive a small commission (at no extra cost to you) and you help keep the free crochet patterns coming!

Picnic Pocket Napkin – Free Crochet Pattern Review

The CAL Central Crochet-a-Long has just started, with the “Picnic Pocket Napkin” a free crochet pattern from American Crochet. I couldn’t wait to get started! Our family likes to go camping, and these will be just perfect for that. Less paper napkins, less waste. Any time we can replace disposable items with reusable ones, I’m all for it. To be extra “green”, use real silverware instead of plastic. Mother Earth and future generations thank you.

The pattern was really easy, and quick to work up. Make four of them as a set and you have a fabulous gift for family or friends. You could even put together a “Picnic” themed gift basket if you want to go the extra mile. Put the napkins in a nice basket with some crackers and fancy cheese. Bonus points if there’s a bottle of wine included!

Don’t be afraid, but the pattern does start out with foundation half-double-crochet. I know…some crocheters love it, some don’t. For this particular project, instead of 43 FHDC, I just chained 44 to start and worked my first half double crochet in the 2nd chain from the hook and all the way across. Then start from row 1 in the pattern as written and you’re golden!

If you want to make a set, American Crochet also has a matching placemat pattern. Cool, right?! It’s free, and available here: Picnic Placemat – Free Crochet Pattern

This last napkin doesn’t really fit in the set I made, but I couldn’t resist. Scrappy projects are my favorite! Minus the weaving in of ends/tails, of course.

For any dishcloth, napkin, or placemat projects you definitely want to use a cotton yarn. Cotton is super absorbent, sturdy, and can withstand high temperatures of hot pans or plates. My favorite cotton at the moment (and the brand I used for all the napkins) is Premier Home Cotton. It’s a worsted weight yarn, though I find it to be a teensier lighter than Sugar N Cream, and it is SO soft. And it gets softer after each time I wash it.

Premier® Yarns Home™ Cotton Violet Splash

If you are interested in joining in on the crochet a long, visit my “mother” post on here: 2017 Summer Crochet-a-Long from CAL Central
You can also join the CAL Central Facebook Group or Ravelry Group. Don’t forget to tag your pictures on Instagram, Facebook, or Twitter with #CALCentralCrochet, so we can all see! Happy hooking!