A Christmas bauble coaster gives a familiar holiday ornament a useful place on the table. The cream circle is framed with sage green, with a small rectangular cap and a separate chain loop above it. The central surface stays plain so the outline carries the decoration.
This original version uses half double crochet for a compact six-round disk. A single-crochet border firms the edge, then four short rows are worked directly into six border stitches to create the cap. There is no separate cap rectangle to sew onto the circle.
Make one coaster and check it with your intended cup before planning a set. The flat crochet baubles use a different double-crochet ornament construction. This pattern develops the bauble idea into a plain coaster with an attached cap and green outline.
About this Christmas bauble coaster
This is an original interpretation inspired by the reference image, not the exact recipe behind the photograph. The stitch arithmetic has been checked, but the pattern has not been physically tested. No measured gauge, diameter or yarn consumption is supplied. Use the instructions and diagrams for placement; the photographs illustrate the intended style.
The cream disk grows by eight stitches per round. Half double crochet is shorter than double crochet, so the increase rhythm differs from the twelve-increase disk used in the hanging baubles. The cap is worked after the green border, keeping the point where the two shapes meet easy to identify.
Choose cotton and a suitable hook
- Smooth cotton yarn in cream and sage green, both of similar thickness.
- A hook suited to your yarn. For DK cotton, a 3 mm hook is a starting option rather than a tested gauge recommendation.
- A blunt yarn needle, scissors and a removable stitch marker.
- A flat drying surface and rustproof pins if the yarn label permits damp blocking.
Choose a yarn with clear stitch definition. Very fuzzy yarn can hide the first hdc top and the nearby joining stitch. Use the same yarn family for both colors so the narrow border does not pull against the cream disk.
This project suits a crocheter familiar with basic increases and turning short rows. It contains no stuffing or backing. The loop is decorative and useful for storage; keep it outside the area beneath the cup.
US crochet abbreviations
- MR: magic ring.
- ch: chain; sl st: slip stitch.
- sc: single crochet; hdc: half double crochet.
- inc: 2 hdc in the same stitch for the cream disk.
- st/sts: stitch/stitches.
The Craft Yarn Council abbreviation guide is a useful reference for standard US names. A half double crochet starts with one yarn over, then closes three loops together.
Half double crochet and its stitch top
Yarn over, insert the hook into the indicated stitch, yarn over and pull up a loop. Yarn over and draw through all three loops. Work the following round through both loops of the V-shaped top. Do not use the extra horizontal bar behind that top for this pattern.
An increase is two complete hdc in one base stitch. The two stitches have separate tops. Count those tops when checking each round, keeping the beginning chains and joining slip stitch separate.
Christmas bauble coaster: cream disk
Work joined rounds without turning. Ch 1 at the start of every round; it does not count as a stitch. Begin in the same stitch as the previous join. Join each round to its first actual hdc, never to the beginning chain.
Round 1: eight-stitch center
With cream, make an MR. Ch 1 and work 8 hdc into the ring. Close the ring gently and join with a sl st to the first hdc. Count: 8 hdc.
Mark the first hdc before starting the next round. Leave a tail long enough to weave through the backs of several stitches, changing direction to secure the ring later.
Round 2: increase in every stitch
Ch 1. Work 2 hdc in each stitch around. Join to the first hdc. Count: 16 hdc. Eight base stitches each receive two stitches.
Round 3: one plain stitch, then an increase
Ch 1. Repeat [hdc in the next stitch, 2 hdc in the next stitch] eight times. Join to the first hdc. Count: 24 hdc.
Each repeat uses two base stitches and produces three. Eight repeats use all sixteen stitches from Round 2. Keep the first repeat next to the join rather than starting in the next stitch.
Round 4: two plain stitches, then an increase
Ch 1. Repeat [hdc in each of the next 2 stitches, 2 hdc in the next stitch] eight times. Join. Count: 32 hdc.
Round 5: three plain stitches, then an increase
Ch 1. Repeat [hdc in each of the next 3 stitches, 2 hdc in the next stitch] eight times. Join. Count: 40 hdc.
Round 6: four plain stitches, then an increase
Ch 1. Repeat [hdc in each of the next 4 stitches, 2 hdc in the next stitch] eight times. Join to the first hdc and fasten off cream. Count: 48 hdc.
The full disk sequence is 8, 16, 24, 32, 40 and 48. Each round after the center adds eight stitches. If the disk cups strongly or ripples, check these counts before adding the border.
Sage green border
Attach sage green with a sl st in any cream hdc. Ch 1 without counting it. Starting in that same stitch, work 1 sc in each of the 48 hdc. Join to the first green sc and fasten off.
Count: 48 sc. No increases are added in the border. Work into stitch tops, not between hdc posts. The border should outline the cream rather than squeeze it into a bowl.
Work the cap directly onto the border
Choose six consecutive green border stitches at the top of the circle. Mark the first and sixth. Keep the coaster’s front facing you for Row 1. The cap is worked through both top loops of those six stitches.
Cap Row 1
Attach green with a sl st in the first marked border stitch. Ch 1. Sc in that same stitch and in each of the next five border stitches. Count: 6 sc. Stop at the sixth marked stitch rather than continuing around the border.
Cap Rows 2–4
Ch 1 and turn. Sc in each of the six stitches across. Repeat for three rows total after Row 1. Fasten off after Row 4. Count: 6 sc per row, 24 sc across the cap.
There are four height chains: the first ch 1 after attachment and three turning chains. None counts as a sc. Keep the first and last stitch of each row visible; dropping an end stitch makes a tapered cap instead of a small rectangle.
Make and sew the loop
With sage green, make a separate chain of 16. Fasten off with sewing tails at both ends. There is no crochet joining stitch in this strand.
Fold the chain into a loop. Sew one end to the back of cap stitch 3 in Row 4, then sew the other end to the back of cap stitch 4. Pass each tail through several cap stitches, change direction and secure it without pulling the cap together. Keep knots and loose tails out of the disk center.
Count check for the Christmas bauble coaster
| Section | Finished count |
|---|---|
| Cream rounds 1–6 | 8, 16, 24, 32, 40, 48 hdc |
| Green border | 48 sc |
| Cap rows 1–4 | 6 sc each row; 24 sc total |
| Separate loop | 16 chains |
The complete chart shows every working stitch, beginning chain and join. Chart inks separate the cream rounds for readability; they do not instruct extra yarn colors. Only the outer sc round, cap and loop are green.
Finish flat and check the cup area
Weave cream ends through cream stitches and green ends through green stitches, changing direction before trimming. Secure the center ring tail carefully. Avoid a bulky knot underneath the center where it could make a cup rock.
If the yarn care label permits damp blocking, dampen the coaster lightly and arrange the disk into an even circle. Shape the cap as a short rectangle and leave the loop relaxed above it. Let the piece dry fully before using it.
Place your intended cup on the dry cream disk and check that it stands steadily. Its base should fit inside the plain area, clear of the cap and loop. If the cup rocks or reaches beyond the usable center, choose a different coaster or use this piece decoratively. Heat resistance has not been tested; this is not a tested trivet for cookware.
Troubleshooting
The circle has a raised ridge at the join
Check that each beginning ch 1 is left unworked and the join goes into the first real hdc. Adding a hdc in the slip stitch at every round makes extra stitches and a lump at the seam. Mark the first stitch before moving on.
The edge pulls inward
Count forty-eight green sc, with one in every cream hdc. A missed stitch makes the border shorter. If the count is correct, loosen the green tension or use a hook adjustment suitable for your yarn on a new attempt. Do not stretch the loop to flatten the disk.
The cap loses a stitch
Count six sc at the end of each cap row. The first sc after turning goes into the stitch directly beneath the turning chain, while the final sc goes into the last real sc of the previous row. Do not work into the turning chain.
Build a quiet Christmas table set
Keep cream and sage for a softer palette, or replace sage with burgundy while retaining the counts. Make one complete Christmas bauble coaster first so you can check the usable cup area and how the cap sits with your yarn.
For a more decorative border, try the holly crochet coaster. The crochet wreath coaster adds a red bow to another festive table option. Store these cotton motifs flat and follow the yarn label for washing.
Photos and complete stitch guides
The three Pin layouts are followed by a complete chart on a paper sheet beside the finished coaster on the same table. The other two diagrams enlarge the eight-increase disk rhythm and the attached cap with its separate loop. Read each guide with the written counts; this is an original interpretation without a physically tested sample.
