From the book “Deep South Knitting” and inspired by Asheville, North Carolina. Now available for download. Pattern includes North Carolina travel info and Creamy Sweet Potato Pie recipe.

Biltmore, perched in the Smoky Mountains at Asheville, North Carolina, is the country’s largest private home and a stunning remnant of the Gilded Age of steel tycoons and robber barons. These placemats are a nod to the glittering table settings of that time, but with a modern twist, pairing surreal flatware designs with molten-metal look yarns. So set your table and get a little of that glam for yourself -- even if your dinner comes straight from the microwave rather than being presented in silver salvers by your household wait staff.

This project is worked in “stranded intarsia” -- stranding the background color behind the contrast color only, but not stranding the contrast color behind the background. The result is a double layer of yarn in the flatware design elements, but a single layer for the background, giving a slightly raised appearance that helps set them apart from the background.