My placemat project

So, as a start to the introduction to my yarn stash, I thought I should explain a bit about my placemat project. The last time I was back home (Athens, Georgia) picking out yarn, I decided that I wanted to make a set of placemats. Not only did I not have any, but I also thought they would be a good way to practice various stitches. I also decided that the placemats had to be primary or secondary colors only. And they had to be cotton. To start, I bought some green, yellow and blue cotton yarn that were on sale--50-gram balls (ca. 100m each) of 100% mercerized cotton by Tahki. I didn't get all the colors because, hey, I didn't have the money... I found some patterns and knit away. The placemats ended up being a little short... Big enough for a plate and silverware, but not big enough for a glass to go with it. So I decided that I would crochet matching coasters. Here's what I have so far:

Because I didn't get all the colors I wanted, I've been looking for cotton yarn for my project when I travel. In Prague, I got three 100-gram (ca. 250m each) balls of purple MarLen cotton yarn:

And in Bergamo, I got three 50-gram balls (ca. 100 m each) of red multi-ply combed Egyptian cotton by GPTex:

Next, I'll be on the hunt for orange!