Your Cozy Textured Knit Coaster

On Apr 4, 2025 7 0

Isn’t there something incredibly satisfying about warming your hands around a mug that’s resting on a little piece of handmade goodness? Look at this lovely Knit Coaster in the picture – it has such a wonderful texture and a warm, inviting burnt orange color. It’s a square shape, built from four distinct triangles that meet right in the middle. Each triangle section features prominent knit ribs running parallel to the coaster’s outer edges, and it’s all framed by a neat garter stitch border. Fancy making one yourself? You absolutely can! This guide will walk you through producing your very own textured knit coaster, perfect for adding a touch of handmade charm to your space or gifting to someone special. Let’s gather our supplies and begin this delightful little project together!

What You’ll Need

Here are the bits and bobs required to fashion your coaster:

🧶 Yarn: Worsted weight cotton yarn is ideal for coasters because it’s absorbent and sturdy. The coaster in the image uses a solid burnt orange shade, but feel free to choose your favorite color! You won’t need a whole skein.
🥢 Knitting Needles: A pair of straight knitting needles appropriate for worsted weight yarn, likely around US size 7 (4.5mm) or US size 8 (5.0mm). Check the yarn label for recommendations. (You might also want slightly smaller needles or DPNs/circulars for picking up border stitches later).
✂️ Scissors: For snipping yarn.
🪡 Tapestry Needle: A blunt needle with a large eye, essential for sewing the pieces together and weaving in ends.

Brushing Up On Basics (Simple Explanations!)

Before we jump in, let’s quickly review the techniques we’ll be using. Don’t worry, they’re explained simply!

Casting On: This is how you get your first stitches onto the needle to begin knitting. A simple method like the long-tail cast-on or single cast-on works perfectly. Imagine making little loops securely on your needle.
Knit Stitch (k): The most fundamental stitch in knitting! You insert the right needle into the front of the first loop on the left needle, wrap the yarn around the right needle, pull a new loop through, and slide the old loop off. That’s one knit stitch!
Purl Stitch (p): The second fundamental stitch, often described as the opposite of the knit stitch. Bring the yarn to the front of your work, insert the right needle into the front of the loop from right to left, wrap the yarn around the tip, push the yarn back through the loop, and slide the original loop off.
K2, P2 Ribbing: This is a textured pattern made by alternating knit and purl stitches. For K2, P2 rib, you simply knit two stitches, then purl two stitches, and repeat this sequence across your row (K2, P2, K2, P2…). On the next row (the ‘wrong side’), you’ll work the stitches as they face you to maintain the rib columns – if a stitch looks like a ‘V’, knit it; if it looks like a bump, purl it. This usually means purling the knits and knitting the purls from the previous row (P2, K2, P2, K2…).

Knit Two Together (k2tog): This is a simple decrease method. You just insert your right needle into two loops on the left needle instead of one (as if to knit) and knit them together as a single stitch. This reduces your stitch count by one.
Binding Off (Casting Off): This secures your stitches when you’ve finished knitting a piece, preventing it from unraveling. A standard bind-off involves knitting two stitches, then lifting the first stitch over the second one and off the needle. Repeat (knit one more, lift the previous stitch over) until only one loop remains. Cut the yarn and pull the tail through the final loop.
Picking Up Stitches: This technique allows you to add new knitting (like a border) perpendicularly onto an existing knitted edge. You use a knitting needle to pull new loops of yarn through the edge of your fabric, placing them onto your needle as live stitches.
Garter Stitch: The simplest knit fabric! You achieve this by knitting every single row. This produces horizontal ridges, which is exactly the texture of the border on the coaster.
Seaming: Joining knitted pieces together. We’ll use a tapestry needle and yarn for this.

Fashioning Your Textured Knit Coaster: Step-by-Step

This coaster is assembled from four identical triangles, which gives it that lovely central pattern. We’ll make each triangle first, then put them together.

1. Make the First Triangle

Cast On: Using your chosen needles and yarn, cast on 24 stitches.
Row 1 (Right Side – RS): Start the rib pattern. *Knit 2 stitches, Purl 2 stitches. Repeat from * across the row. You should end with P2. (24 sts)
Row 2 (Wrong Side – WS): Work the stitches as they appear to maintain the rib. *Purl 2 stitches, Knit 2 stitches. Repeat from * across the row. You should end with K2. (24 sts)
Row 3 (RS – Decrease Row): Now we start shaping the triangle. Knit 1, then k2tog (knit two stitches together – 1 stitch decreased). Work in your established K2, P2 rib pattern until you have 3 stitches left on the needle. k2tog (1 stitch decreased), then Knit 1. (22 sts remain)
- Tip: The K1 at the beginning and end helps maintain a slightly neater edge for seaming later. Remember to keep the rib pattern correct in the middle section between the decreases!
Row 4 (WS): Work all stitches as they appear (knit the knits, purl the purls) across the row. No decreasing on this side. (22 sts)
Repeat Rows 3 and 4: Continue repeating these last two rows (decreasing one stitch at each end of every Right Side row, and working straight on Wrong Side rows). Your triangle will get narrower and narrower.

Keep Going: Continue until you have just 4 stitches left on your needle, ending after completing a WS row.
Next Row (RS): K1, k2tog, K1. (3 sts)
Next Row (WS): Purl 3. (Or work as they appear: P1, K1, P1).
Final Decrease Row (RS): K3tog (Knit three stitches together). (1 st) OR k1, k2tog, pass first stitch over.
Finishing: Cut the yarn, leaving about a 6-inch tail. Pull this tail through the very last loop on your needle and tighten gently to secure it.

2. Make Three More Triangles

Repeat Step 1 exactly three more times. You need a total of four identical ribbed triangles. Take your time with each one! Enjoy the rhythm of the stitches.

3. Assemble the Coaster

Arrange: Lay your four triangles flat on a table. Position them so they form a square, with the diagonal (decrease) edges meeting in the center and the cast-on edges forming the square’s outer perimeter. The points where you finished knitting should meet at the exact center.
Seam: Thread your tapestry needle with a length of matching yarn. Carefully sew the triangles together along the diagonal edges using a neat stitch like the mattress stitch (which is invisible from the right side) or a simple whip stitch. First, seam two triangles together along one diagonal. Then seam the other two together. Finally, seam the two halves together along the remaining central diagonal. Ensure the center point where all four triangles meet is tidy.

4. Add the Border

The coaster in the image has a distinct garter stitch border around the outside edge.
Pick Up Stitches: Using your knitting needle (DPNs, a circular needle, or even your straight needles one side at a time might work), start at one corner and begin picking up stitches along the outer edge (the cast-on edges of your triangles). Insert your needle into the edge of the fabric (aim for about 1 stitch picked up for every cast-on stitch or row-end, keeping it even) wrap the yarn, and pull through a loop onto your needle. Continue evenly all the way around the square. You should have roughly the same number of stitches on each side. Don’t worry about the exact number, just aim for consistency so the border doesn’t pull or ruffle.

Knit the Border: Once all stitches are picked up, join to work in the round if using circulars/DPNs, or work back and forth if using straight needles (you’ll need to seam the border corners if working flat). Work 2 or 3 rows/rounds entirely in Knit Stitch. This forms the Garter Stitch border.
Bind Off: Bind off all stitches loosely (important so the edge doesn’t curl inwards!). Knit the first two stitches, lift the first over the second. Knit one more, lift the previous stitch over. Repeat until one stitch remains.

5. Finishing Touches

Weave in Ends: Use your tapestry needle to carefully weave in all loose yarn tails (from casting on, binding off, seaming, and joining yarn if needed) on the back side of your coaster. Trim any excess yarn.

Enjoy Your Handiwork!

And there you have it! Your very own textured knit coaster, looking just like the lovely one in the picture. Feel that lovely ribbed texture and admire how the four triangles join so neatly. Making something useful and beautiful with your own hands is such a rewarding feeling, isn’t it?

Don’t be discouraged if your first attempt isn’t perfect. Knitting is a journey, and every stitch is practice. The beauty of handmade items often lies in their unique character. Now, go put that kettle on and enjoy a well-deserved drink – your mug has a cozy new spot to rest!

We’d love to see the coasters you produce! Feel free to share pictures of your finished pieces. Happy knitting!