A free knitting pattern for a square coaster you can do yourself in less than one hour
No matter if you have a glass surface or you are sick of water stains – a knitted coaster can be a great way to keep your table neat and add a lovely spot of color to your dinner setting. So, if you are a beginner and you are looking for an easy knitted coaster pattern, then you came to the right place.
Below, you will find detailed step by step written instructions. That being said, if this is your first time, then kindly read my tutorial on how to knit a coaster first. Also, consider checking out my post on how to read knitting patterns.
This pattern is perfect for practising your stitch definition. So, why don’t you knit a two or three – especially as it only takes 30-60 minutes to finish one. Knitted coasters can be a lovely gift idea!
Anyway, let’s dive right into it, eh?
Hint: Looking for more beginner patterns? Why not try out my mug cozy!
The materials you will need:
Note: I earn a small commission for purchases made through links in this article.
The good part about knitting a coaster: It basically works with every yarn and needle, and you only need the most basic knitting tools every beginner needs. There no need to go on a shopping binge and if you (or someone in your family) has old unused knitting needles, you can pretty much use these.
- 15 meters (12 grams) of the Schachenmayr Catania Grande Cotton Yarn (or any other chunky cotton yarn)
- Knitting needles size 4.0mm / size 6. I am using the Knitter’s Pride Dreamz
- A tapestry needle
- Scissors
Please be aware that if you pick a different yarn/needle combination, you may have to cast on more stitches and/or knit more rows to get a perfect square shape.
The Square Coaster pattern:
Cast on 19 stitches with a longtail cast-on leaving a tail of around 6-8 inches.
- Row 1-5: Knit across all stitches
- Row 6: k3, purl 13, k3
- Row 7: Knit
- Repeat rows 6+7 until you’ve knit 25 rows in total
- Row 26-28: Knit
- Row 29: Bind off all stitches
Note: Click on the respective links if you need help with any of these stitches
Once you finished knitting your coaster, you can cut the working yarn leaving another tail of around 6-8 inches. Then, pick up your tapestry needle and tidy up those tails. Here’s a detailed tutorial on how I weave in the ends.
I recommend blocking your finished project. It makes all the difference and will help you get a perfect square coaster. Simply pin your coaster to a blocking mat or any soft surface and steam it with your iron. If you don’t have that at hand, you can spray it with some water instead and let it dry.
Reading tip: 10 easy projects for knitting beginners
Creating your own knitted coaster patterns
The fun starts when you get creative yourself. If you look closely at this basic pattern, it’s nothing but a swatch in stockinette stitch framed with garter stitch. And you can exchange this middle section with any knitting stitch pattern you like. The star stitch comes to my mind but Bavarian twisted stitches could be a fun alternative as well.
Depending on the gauge of that pattern, you might have to adjust the rows you have to knit, though. But there’s a simple trick that will help you knit a square each time. Simply fold your work in progress into a triangle. When the left edge meets the edge of the garter stitch selvage on the other side, you can stop your pattern repeat and add those last four rows in garter stitch.
Instead of switching out the repeat for the center of this coaster, you can also try to create a unique pattern using purl stitches. With a stockinette stitch, you knit all stitches on the right side. Put if you purl selected stitches, you can actually paint pictures.
I did this for my Christmas tree coaster pattern, which I embellished with some simple embroidery. So, what I’m saying is that this might be an easy project for beginners but that doesn’t mean it has to look simple. Even with such easy techniques, you can achieve some fabulous results.
So, that was my square knitted coaster pattern. Feel free to comment below in case you need any help.
Hey Norman! I have a question: why are the first 5 rows are knitted but only the last 2 are knitted? The borders wont be the same length no?
Hey Julie,
that’s an excellent question. Here are two things to consider:
– when you bind off, you are actually knitting one more row, so that’s why you will want to subtract one row
– also, stockinette stitch and garter stitch have the same repeat on the right side. only the wrong side is different. So, I could have also written: row 1-4 knit in garter stitch, row 5-x stockinette stitch, last 3 rows in garter stitch
hope this makes sense now.
Norman
I get it now, it makes sense. Thanks for the quick reply!
Always a pleasure!
Even with it written “three rows garter, bind off” wouldn’t the ending only be four rows of garter?
yes and no. stockinette stitch and garter stitch share a one common row 🙂
If you wanted to do matching placemats – how many stitches would we need – what size would you recommend?
that depends on your yarn, your needles, and your gauge. There’s no one answer here. especially as I do not know what you think is a good size for a placemat.
What if I dont have a yarn needle?
Then, quite frankly you should buy one. You will need it for (almost) every knitting project. It’s such an essential tool.
So excited to try out your coaster patterns! Do you have one with a leaf shape?
no, I am sorry I don’t have that yet
Perfect pattern for a tiny ball of yarn. Thank you for sharing!
Do you count casting on as the first row in this pattern?
The longtail cast-on creates the first row in the same breath. However, you still don’t count it.
I decided to learn knitting on Sunday and and your coaster was my very first project. Very easy, great instructions and videos that helped me finished in a few hours! Thanks you!
I just saw your patterns on Etsy! I’m going to get the pillow case pattern. Wish me luck!
Thank you so much for this pattern! I just recently learned to knit, and this was the first actual pattern I tried out. I got the yarn you recommended, which is really beautiful. I have a question: it seems like the side borders of my coaster (formed by the k3 part of the pattern) lie flatter than the top and bottom borders, and the reverse side of the side borders is more raised (so it would match the height of the top and bottom borders). Do you know what I might have done wrong? I can’t figure it out… Or maybe this is how it should look? The rest of the coaster looks great, with the stockinette stitch in the middle and the raised garter stitch borders on top and bottom.
Thanks for any help!
Your cast-on might be a bit too tight. But I actually recommend blocking it. knitting tends to curl a little bit right off the needles.
What is the stitch in the centre of (within the garter frame) in the 3rd-last image on this page, the one with the caption “The triangle trick: If the left edge meets the garter stitch selvage it’s time to start knitting the top edge”? It looks like semi-circles facing away from each other (though maybe that’s a bad description), but it certainly looks different than the stockinette-framed-by-garter that the rest of the main page is showing and addressing.
that’s just stockinette stitch. Well, the wrong side of it.
Ah, yes, of course! Your purl bumps are just so neat that it seems I wasn’t able to recognise them :). Thank you.
It’s a great pattern, and makes a really nice square, but, it’s too big to be a coaster.
the outcome will depend on your gauge. If it’s too big for your taste, go down a needle size or cast on fewer stitches (and reduce the stitch count by 2/3/4 and the row count by 3/4/5)
Do you think this pattern needs a selvage?
I don’t quite understand the question. This pattern already has a selvage. Why would you want to add one on top of that.
Hi Norman,
Can you explain / demonstrate how on earth you have such a clean boarder between the knit and purl side boarders? My top and bottom boarders seem to be fine – it’s just the sides. If this is a practice thing, then I’ll concede defeat, if there is something I’m missing, I’d love to know the secret.
Aside form that, I cannot wrap my head around the seed stitch. Might you have a tutorial for this?
Without seeing any pictures, I can’t say 100% but I’d say this is a practise thing. As for seed stitch. Sure, there is a tutorial here on my blog: https://nimble-needles.com/stitches/seed-stitch-knitting-pattern-for-beginners/
Hi Norman, I’ve tried doing this pattern three times and I’m stumped. Just picked up knitting a week ago but after I do the 6th row (knitting and purl stitch) I seem to end up with 2 extra stitches. Im noticing an inconsistent cast stitch after the first k3 and when it started to go into the purl stitch. Im making sure to go down and up infrknt of the stitch and wrapping the yarn ball end counter-clockwise but I keep getting those 2 extra stitches. Is this supposed to happen or am I doing something wrong?
I cannot really tell you what you are doing but I can tel you it’s not supposed to happen. there’s a video over on my youtube channel you can watch to see me knitting this coaster.
I suspsect, as you switch from knit to purl stitch, you are catching the yarn creating an accidental yarn over. And as you switch back, you do it again. THe yarn needs to stay BELOW the needle as you switch
I love this, it’s a nice, simple, easy project to practice different stitch patterns. I adapted it to have a moss stitch centre, with a stockinette stitch cat in the middle (:
Thanks for the pattern
It’s only my first week, and I am finding the longtail cast on tricky, because when I put the yarn around my thumb again after pulling through, the yarn loosens. Do you have any tips to stop this?
Not really, other than practise and patience. Sometimes the slippery yarn is also the culprit.
This is a great beginner pattern. These coasters were instrumental in me learning to knit this year. Fun to make and fun to use. They don’t take too much time so there is a great payout when you are finished. It also showcases both knit and purl so you are practicing two essential stitches. Thanks Norman!