Black and green mat

I made this Ocean Plait Mat to go on my nightstand or dresser. I used 5/16" utility rope of black with a light green tracer running thru it.

When I empty my pockets of all the every day carry stuff: overloaded key chain, multitool, pocket knife, flashlight, wallet, pens, etc..., I place them on the mat so they don't scratch up the finish on the nightstand or dresser.

I followed a diagram in one of my knot books to learn this mat, but you can give it a try with smaller diameter cord and printing out this diagram from the IGKT website. The diagram is for 2mm cord, but you can adjust your printer settings to make it larger when it prints out and try it with paracord.

Here's one done with some olive drab paracord. The amount of paracord used in this mat with six turns, is about 27 feet. I'd thought about putting it on the top of my boonie hat, secured from underneath with a few safety pins... eh, maybe not.