Merry Stripes Christmas Coaster

A quick, festive coaster in classic Christmas colors. The fabric is a dense half double crochet square with simple two-row stripes and a tidy single crochet frame — easy enough for a first color-change project and sturdy enough for mugs and tumblers. Make one for a hostess gift, or a set of four for the holiday table.

Skill level: Easy

Finished size

4½ × 4½ inches (11.5 × 11.5 cm) after the border, unblocked.

Body is a 4 × 4 inch (10 × 10 cm) square; one round of single crochet adds about ¼ inch (6 mm) on each side.

Yarn

Worsted weight (category 4) cotton yarn, three colors. Cotton is recommended: it is absorbent, washable, and holds its shape under a cold or warm mug.

Sample colors:

• Color A (Evergreen): 15 yd / 14 m per coaster
• Color B (White): 12 yd / 11 m per coaster
• Color C (Christmas Red): 18 yd / 16 m per coaster (includes border)

Set of 4: about 60 yd (55 m) A, 48 yd (44 m) B, and 72 yd (66 m) C — one typical 120 yd / 109 m cotton skein of each color is plenty.

Total per coaster: about 45 yd / 41 m.

Acrylic will work if that is what you have, but cotton is the better coaster fiber.

Hook and notions

• US H-8 / 5 mm crochet hook, or size needed to obtain a firm gauge
• Yarn needle
• Scissors
• Optional: stitch marker for the border join; blocking pins

If your swatch looks holey, go down to US G-6 / 4 mm. A coaster should not have gaps a drink can drip through.

Gauge

14 hdc and 10 rows = 4 × 4 inches (10 × 10 cm) in half double crochet with US H-8 / 5 mm, unblocked.

Work a small swatch, measure the center, and change hook size until the fabric is dense and square. Gauge matters here for size and for a leak-resistant fabric — not for fit.

Abbreviations (US)

Turning chain: Ch 1 at the start of a row does not count as a stitch. Work the first hdc into the first stitch of the row.

Pattern notes

• US crochet terms throughout (sc, hdc). Do not substitute UK names.
• Coaster is worked flat, in rows, then finished with one round of sc.
• Right side is Row 1 (and all odd-numbered rows). Stripe changes happen at the end of even rows so the RS shows clean color bands.
• Color change: On the last hdc of the row, work until 3 loops remain on the hook. Drop the old color, yo with the new color, and pull through all 3 loops. Fasten off the old color, leaving a 4 inch (10 cm) tail.
• Weave tails in before the border so the sc round locks them in.
• Keep a consistent turning-chain tension so the side edges stay straight; the border will even out small wiggles.
• Counts are given in bold at the end of each row/round. Check them as you go.

Stripe sequence

Work 2 rows in each color, in this order (10 rows total):

Border is Color C (red).

Coaster

Body

With Color A, ch 16.

Row 1 (RS): Hdc in 3rd ch from hook and in each ch across, changing to Color B in the last st of Row 2 (see below).
(16 ch − 2 skipped turning ch = 14 hdc ✓)
Ch 1, turn.

Row 2 (WS): Hdc in each st across, changing to Color B in the last hdc. FO A.
(14 hdc ✓)
Ch 1, turn.

Rows 3–4: With Color B, hdc in each st across. Change to Color C in the last hdc of Row 4. FO B.
(14 hdc each row ✓)
Ch 1, turn.

Rows 5–6: With Color C, hdc in each st across. Change to Color B in the last hdc of Row 6. FO C.
(14 hdc each row ✓)
Ch 1, turn.

Rows 7–8: With Color B, hdc in each st across. Change to Color A in the last hdc of Row 8. FO B.
(14 hdc each row ✓)
Ch 1, turn.

Rows 9–10: With Color A, hdc in each st across. FO A at the end of Row 10. Do not turn after Row 10.
(14 hdc each row ✓)
(10 rows × 4" / 10 rows = 4" height ✓; 14 hdc × 4" / 14 sts = 4" width ✓)

You now have a 4 × 4 inch (10 × 10 cm) striped square. Weave in all body ends on the WS before starting the border.

Border

Join Color C with a sl st in the first hdc of Row 10 (top-right corner if RS is facing and Row 10 is at the top). Ch 1.

Border round (RS):

• Top edge (Row 10): 3 sc in the same st as join (first corner), sc in each of next 12 hdc, 3 sc in last hdc (second corner).
  (3 + 12 + 3 = 18 sc along top, including corners ✓)
• Left side: Work 14 sc evenly spaced along the row-ends (about 3 sc for every 2 hdc rows).
  (14 sc ✓)
• Bottom edge (foundation chain): 3 sc in the first foundation ch (third corner), sc in each of next 12 foundation ch, 3 sc in last foundation ch (fourth corner).
  (3 + 12 + 3 = 18 sc along bottom, including corners ✓)
• Right side: Work 14 sc evenly spaced along the remaining row-ends.
  (14 sc ✓)

Join with sl st to first sc. FO.

(18 + 14 + 18 + 14 = 64 sc ✓)

Corner reminder: Each corner is 3 sc in the same stitch or chain. That extra pair of stitches at every corner is what keeps the border flat. If a side pulls in, add 1 extra sc on that side; if a side ruffles, skip 1 sc. The square should lie flat with no cupping.

Finished measurement: 4½ × 4½ inches (11.5 × 11.5 cm ✓).

Finishing

1. Weave in the two border tails on the WS.
2. Block for a crisp square (optional but recommended):
   • Cotton: Wet block. Soak briefly, press out water in a towel, pin to 4½ inches square, and dry flat.
   • Light steam: Hover an iron over the RS; do not crush the stitches.
3. Check that no tails sit on the RS and that the fabric is firm.

Set of four

Repeat the pattern four times. For a coordinated table set, keep the stripe order the same on every coaster. For a mix-and-match set, rotate which color is the center band and which color is the border.

Easy variations

Candy cane: Use only red and white. Rows 1–2 red, 3–4 white, 5–6 red, 7–8 white, 9–10 red; white border (or red border).

Holly: Work all 10 rows in evergreen. Border in red. Optional: embroider or sew three small red French-knot “berries” in one corner after blocking.

Larger coaster (about 5½ inches): Ch 20 (18 hdc after skipping 2 ch). Work 12 rows, adding one extra row to the first and last green bands (3 rows green, 2 white, 2 red, 2 white, 3 green). Border as written, with 16 sc between corner groups on top and bottom (18 sts − 2 corner sts = 16) and 16 sc evenly on each side.

Do not enlarge past about 6 inches if you want a coaster rather than a mini cloth.

Care

Machine wash cool, gentle cycle; tumble dry low or lay flat to dry. Cotton will soften and even out after the first wash. Do not iron on high heat if you used acrylic.

Pattern uses US crochet terminology and imperial measurements (metric in parentheses). Gauge is given in stitches and rows, not tension.