First project · free small project
Garter stitch coaster
A first useful square: practise casting on, knitting every row and binding off without shaping. Its size follows your measured garter-stitch gauge, so the instructions remain useful with a different yarn.
Original Purlgrid recipe · engine-checked counts · diagrams are previews, not photographs of a physically made sample.
Supplies and skills
Washable cotton yarn, knitting needles suited to it, a blunt yarn needle and a ruler.
- Cast on
- Knit stitch
- Bind off
How to make it
- Make a garter-stitch swatch with the same yarn and needles. Wash and dry it as you intend to care for the coaster, then count stitches and rows inside a measured area. Enter those counts per 10 cm below.
- Cast on the calculated number of stitches. Knit every stitch on every row, turning the work after each row. Count the stitches again at the end of the first few rows.
- Work exactly the listed rows. Bind off in knit on the following row without pulling the edge tight. The bind-off edge can slightly affect the final measured size.
- Thread each loose end into a yarn needle and weave it through several stitches on the back. Wash, lay flat and gently square the corners without stretching them.
Keep the cast-on and bind-off edges relaxed. Measure the dry square before making a matching set.
- Stitches across
- 20
- Fabric rows
- 36
- Calculated rectangle
- 10 × 10 cm
- Cast on
- 20
The target size is 10 × 10 cm. Whole stitches and rows give the calculated size shown above, before finishing.
Gauge used: 20 sts and 36 rows per 10 cm in this fabric.
Working instructions
Cast on 20 stitches. Turn after every row. Knit and purl abbreviations use the stitch count of the complete row.
- Rows 1–36: k20 (20 sts in every row).
After the listed fabric rows, bind off on the following row. The bind-off edge is outside the calculated fabric-row count.
No yarn quantity is assumed. Add a weighed, measured swatch below for an area-based estimate.
Approximate time: about 0.6–1.2 hours of stitching: 720 stitches at 10–20 stitches per minute. Every pace above is an assumed range, not a timed sample. Finishing (seams, weaving in ends, blocking) is not included.
Stitch totals: 720 knitted stitches (20 × 36 rows), 20 cast on.
- ✓ Every row keeps the same stitch count.
- ✓ The instructions cover every row exactly once.
- ✓ The optional lettering fits inside the patch.
Questions about this project
Why is my square wider at the top?
Count your live stitches. An accidental yarn-over or working into the gap beside the first stitch can add stitches. If the count is unchanged, compare tension and the tightness of your cast-on edge.
Can I make a larger mat?
Yes. Change the width and length independently and enter the gauge of your own fabric. The engine recalculates the full rectangle and reports the actual size after rounding to whole stitches and rows.
Terms and next steps
k = knit; p = purl; sc = US single crochet; MC = main colour; CC = contrast colour. A number after a stitch abbreviation is the number of stitches to work. Read repeat instructions as written.
Abbreviation references: Craft Yarn Council knitting terms · Craft Yarn Council crochet terms and US/UK comparison.
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