The Quiet Square Coaster

ByPurlaris
A small square crochet coaster

The Quiet Square is a small cotton coaster worked in single crochet. Its straight rows make it a useful first project when you want to practice turning and counting stitches.

Materials

  • Worsted-weight cotton yarn
  • A crochet hook that suits your yarn, starting with the yarn label’s suggestion
  • Two removable stitch markers, a yarn needle, scissors, and a ruler

Stitches and size

This pattern uses US terms. ch means chain, sc means single crochet, and st means stitch. To make one single crochet, insert the hook, yarn over, and draw up a loop. Yarn over again and pull through both loops.

A sample gauge of 16 stitches across 4 in (10 cm) gives a coaster approximately 4 in wide. Your yarn, hook, and tension determine the finished size. Measure the fabric flat after the first few rows and adjust the starting chain if you want a different width.

The pattern

  1. Foundation. Make a slip knot and ch 17. The loop on the hook doesn’t count as a chain.
  2. Row 1. Sc in the second ch from the hook, then sc in each remaining ch. Count 16 sc.
  3. Row 2. Ch 1 and turn. Sc in the first st, directly below the turning chain, and in every st across. Count 16 sc. The turning chain is for height and doesn’t count as a stitch.
  4. Rows 3–16. Repeat Row 2 fourteen times for the base version. Count 16 sc per row, with 16 rows total. Mark the first and last sc of each row if the edges are hard to see.
  5. Check the shape. Start measuring the coaster around Row 12 and lay it flat without stretching. Finish when the height matches the width, adjusting the number of rows if needed. Keep each row at 16 sc.
  6. Finish. Cut the yarn with a tail and pull the tail through the last loop. Weave in both ends. If the edges curl, dampen the coaster, shape it flat, and let it dry according to your yarn label’s care instructions.

Make a set

Use the same yarn weight and hook for each coaster. Try one in a deep shade, one in a quiet neutral, and a third with a short accent stripe. To change color, pull the new yarn through the last two loops of the final sc before the new row. Turn and work the next row as written.

If a row ends with 15 or 17 stitches, pause and use the single crochet edge guide to find the change before starting another row.