Faux Coiled Rope Coasters

These coasters were inspired by this beautiful hemp basket, made out of manila rope and cotton yarn. I did not have any rope in hand. And as usual, I tried to substitute the rope with something else. After rummaging my yarn stash, I found some super bulky yarn whose color resembled very close to a rope. I also had the idea to use a finer yarn/thread ( and smaller hook) for the crochet. The design turned out to be similar to those coiled rope coasters you see in handicraft shops. The only twist here was I used a colorful yarn to work around the bulkier yarn. And I'm thinking there is a lot of possibilities, since you can color co-ordinate both of the yarns to you desired decor. I'm also thinking, the pattern can be used to make bigger pieces (may be place mats) if you repeat Round 5 - 8 (although I haven't tested it yet).

Materials

• Some super bulky yarn (wt #6) - I used Hometown USA® Yarn in Little Rock Granite
• One skein crochet yarn/thread (wt #1) - I had Aunt Lydia's® Fashion Crochet Thread in size 3 (color: Maize)
• Crochet hook- US E/4 (3.50mm) hook
• Matching felt and thread (optional)
• tapestry needle

Finished Size

Approximately 4.5 inch in diameter

You have to work with the finer crochet thread around the bulkier yarn. Also, the pattern is worked in spirals; do not join after each round. Use a stitch marker to mark the beginning of a round. Since this pattern is based on the hemp basket pattern, I recommend to go ahead and see the steps for a more clear idea. All the sc from round 1 and beyond, are around the bulkier yarn, if not mentioned otherwise.

Begin
Make a magic ring, sc8 in ring, ch1, place marker. (8 st)
Round 1: *sc on next st, ch1; repeat from *. Move marker. (16 st)
Round 2: *sc on next ch sp, ch2; repeat from *. MM (24 st)
Round 3: *sc on next ch sp, ch1, sc on same ch sp, ch1; repeat from *. MM (32 st)
Round 4: *sc on next ch sp, ch2, sc on next ch sp, ch1; repeat from *. MM (40 st)
Round 5: *sc on next ch sp, ch1, sc on same ch sp, ch1; repeat from *. MM (64 st)
Round 6: *sc on next ch sp, ch2, sc on next ch sp, ch1; repeat from *. MM (80 st)
Round 7: *sc on next ch sp, ch1, sc on same ch sp, ch1, sc on next ch sp, ch1; repeat from *. MM (96 st)
Round 8: *sc on next ch sp, ch1; repeat from *. (96 st) ss on the first sc of the round.

Cut yarns. Tuck in the extra bulky yarn under the finer yarn, while weaving the ends. If desired, you can attach some felt on the bottom to make it look more polished.