9 Minute Coaster | Free Crochet Pattern

This might well be the quickest crochet project I’ve ever made! I did actually time myself, and this crochet coaster can absolutely be made in 9 minutes or less. I’m not the fastest crocheter by any stretch so if I bet there are loads of you who could beat me 🙂

It’s a super quick project, but I went through several rounds of experimentation before I felt like I had it right. I really wanted the joins to be completely seamless between rounds, and I especially wanted to avoid that “slip stitch seam” that you can get when you work in the round.

After much trial and error, I’m really excited to share what I have come up with.

Techniques needed to make this crochet coaster

There are three techniques you need to know in order to crochet these coasters:

1. Waistcoat stitch (sometimes called the knit stitch or shallow single crochet)

This stitch is a simple variation on a single crochet, but instead of working into the top of each stitch you work into the “v”. This requires a little bit more effort but results in a very dense, sturdy fabric.

2. Seamless join (first and middle rounds)

With this join, you finish off the rounds a little differently than you normally would. Instead of joining with a sl st, you remove your hook, pull your loop through to the back and pick it up again for the next st. It sounds a lot more complicated than it is and there is a full photo and video tutorial in the pattern 🙂

3. Seamless join (last round)

At the end of your last round, you will stop after the second last st, cut your yarn and pull it through, and then create a “false” stitch to join to the start of the round. Again, it is much easier than it sounds and all the instructions are below.

More patterns

If you are after more T-Shirt yarn projects, or more projects for the home, you might also like these patterns:

Bunny Wall Hanging | Free Crochet Pattern

Easy Crochet Heart Pillow – Free Pattern

Double Oven Mitt Crochet Pattern

Round Crochet Rug with T-Shirt Yarn – Free Pattern

Photo & Video Tutorial

Photo tutorials for how to work a “seamless join” to end each round are provided in the pattern below.

Alternatively, you can view a video tutorial for the full project here:

Note: even if you have a preference for video tutorials, it will be really helpful to read the notes and tips below before watching the video!

Yarn

I used Hoooked Zpagetti T-Shirt yarn for my crochet coasters and I found that working 3 rounds was absolutely plenty to get the size that I wanted.

However, I did have some other T-Shirt yarn that was slightly thinner so I worked an extra round with this yarn. I have included instructions below on how to work an extra round or two if you need to.

Finished Measurements

4”/10cm in diameter

Gauge

4 sts x 3 rows = 2”/5cm measured over “waistcoat stitch”, worked in the round.

Materials

Hook: 7mm/K-10.5 to 9mm/M-13 (or hook that allows you to work easily with your chosen yarn – see Notes)

Yarn: #6 / Super Bulky / T-Shirt yarn

The amounts given here are for Hoooked Zpagetti T-Shirt Yarn (120m (131yds) per 850g skein; #6/Super Bulky)

One coaster: 6.5m / 7yds (45g)

Notes

Please read through the entire pattern before beginning.

Yarn Substitution

Possible substitutes for T-Shirt yarn are:

• Any #6/Super Bulky yarn (you’ll more than likely need to work 4 rounds)
• Any #5/Bulky yarn e.g. Bernat Maker Home Décor (you might need 5 rounds)
• 2 strands of any #4/Medium/Worsted yarn held together (you might need 5 rounds)

Please note that, depending on your yarn, you may need to crochet an extra round or two to make your coasters large enough. The pattern includes instructions on adding extra rounds.

Hook Size

Usually, when you work with a really bulky yarn or T-Shirt yarn, you would choose quite a large hook i.e. 10mm – 12mm.

However, for this project, since it uses the waistcoat stitch (or knit stitch), I decided to go down to a 7mm hook to make it easier to get through the “v” part of the single crochet. If using a smaller hook, you will need to pull up your loop a bit higher to avoid the stitches being too tight.

I have found that T-Shirt yarn can vary a lot in thickness, even within the same brand, so you might need to experiment a little bit with your yarn and hook size.

Additional Notes

• Ch 1 at the start of each round does count as a stitch.
• Stitch counts are given in [ ] at the end of each round.

Appendix

I have added all the photo tutorials for each round to a single Appendix at the end of this post. This is to avoid breaking up the pattern with step-by-step photos.

Special Stitch

Waistcoat Stitch (also called Knit Stitch or Shallow Single Crochet)

This stitch is a variation on the single crochet (sc) stitch.

Instead of working your sc into the top of the sc in the row below, insert hook into the “v” of the sc.

This requires a little bit more effort but results in a very dense, sturdy fabric.

Written Pattern (US Terms)

ch = chain             

st = stitch    

sc = single crochet          

wc = waistcoat single crochet

beg = beginning

ROUND 1: Magic circle, ch 1 (does count as a st, here and throughout), 5 sc in circle. [6]

Seamless join to end round. (see Appendix A: ROUND 1)

ROUND 2: Ch 1, 1 wc (waistcoat sc) in same st, *2 wc in next st; repeat from * ending with 2 wc in beg ch-1 of previous round. [12]

Seamless join to end round. (see Appendix B: ROUND 2)

ROUND 3: Ch 1, 1 wc in same st, 1 wc in next st, *2 wc in next st, 1 wc in next st; repeat from * ending with 1 wc in beg ch-1 of previous round. [18]

If your coaster is large enough at this point:

This round is finished in a different manner to the previous round.Allow enough yarn to finish the border round, cut yarn, and work a seamless join to end round. (see Appendix C: ROUND 3). Go to BORDER ROUND.

If you wish to add extra rounds:

N.B. At the end of ROUND 3, do not cut yarn.

Follow seamless join instructions as per Appendix B.

ROUND 4: Ch 1, 1 wc in next st, *2 wc in next st, 1 wc in each of next 2 sts; repeat from * until 1 st and ch-1 remain, *2 wc in last st, 1 wc in beg ch-1 of previous round. [24]

If this is your last round:

Finish round as per Appendix C. Go to BORDER ROUND.

If you wish to add another round:

Finish round as per Appendix B. Go to ROUND 5.

ROUND 5: Ch 1, 1 wc in same st, 1 wc in each of next 3 sts,

*2 wc in next st, 1 wc in each of next three sts; repeat from * until 2 sts and ch-1 remain, *1 wc in each of next 2 sts, 1 wc in beg ch-1 of previous round. [30]

Finish round as per Appendix C. Go to BORDER ROUND.

BORDER ROUND: Sl st in each st around. [18]

Seamless join to end round.

(see Appendix D: BORDER ROUND)

Finishing

Using a smaller hook, weave in yarn at back of coaster.

All done!

If you wish, you can purchase an inexpensive, ad-free PDF version of this pattern through Ravelry, Etsy or LoveCrafts.

I hope you have enjoyed this pattern, if you have questions at all, please don't hesitate to contact me. And be sure to tag your finished project on Instagram or Facebook using @nedandmimi or #nedandmimi!

Happy crocheting!

Sarah

APPENDIX

Appendix A: ROUND 1

1. At end of round, do not join. Pull up a long loop (approx. 3 times the size of a regular loop).

2. Pull loop through from front to back as shown

3. Insert hook through “v” of first sc, and bring working yarn under hook as shown.

4. Pull loop through to front. You are now ready to start Round 2.

Appendix B: ROUND 2

ROUND 2 – START

Ch 1, wc in same st

ROUND 2 – END

1. 2 wc in each st around, ending with 2 wc in sp between ch-1 and first sc

2. Pull up a long loop and pull from front to back

Appendix C: ROUND 3

ROUND 3 – START

1. Pull loop to back. Ch 1.

2. Work [2 wc, 1 wc] around, ending with 1 sc in center of ch-1.

ROUND 3 – END

1. Allow a length of yarn equal to 6 times the circumference of your work to finish the border. Cut yarn and pull through last st.

2. Pull yarn from front to back through top of first sc.

3. Create a ‘false’ stitch by drawing yarn down through center of last st.

4. Flip around to front again

Appendix D: BORDER ROUND

1. Pull up a loop.

2. Slip stitch around and pull yarn through second last st.

3. Pull yarn up through first sl st, and then back through center of last sl st.

4. Weave in tail. All done.