These macrame coasters are round, fluffy, joyful and what’s even better – so EASY to make! Knot them in different colours and you’ve got Easter, Christmas and St Patrick’s day table decorations sorted out!
But Tuija, why don’t my coasters stay flat?
This is the number ONE problem people have when making these super cute macrame coasters. And so far I have not found any other advice out there in the world wide web but 1) don’t pull on the filler cord and 2) add a new cord when there’s a gap. Well, this advice worked only so far, and my mathematical mind kept telling me there must be a GOLDEN RULE for this. So I went on experimenting and found something that works!
Keep reading if you want to learn how to make these lovely macrame coasters, or skip the first few sections and go straight to “Round and round we go – the secret coaster sauce” if you only want to know my “keeping things nice & flat” rule. 😉
Macrame coaster “ingredients”
To make one of these macrame coasters (diameter around 9cm or 3.5″) you will need the following supplies:
- Around 20 meters (22 yd) of 2.5mm (0.1″) single strand macrame cord (if you use a cord that’s different in thickness, please revise your cord needs). I used Lankava’s Minimop cord.
- Scissors (the sharper the better!)
- Tape measure or ruler
- Comb or pet brush to brush out the fringe
- Optional (useful to have): Macrame board, styrofoam board, or paperweight – something to hold your piece when you’re knotting
You will need to master the following knots:
- Reversed lark’s head knot
- Clove hitch
Are you a macrame beginner?
If you’re new to macrame, check out my FREE KNOT LIBRARY by subscribing to my newsletter – you’ll get free access to the ever-expanding macrame knot guide of Macrame Makers Club. There you’ll find photos and videos for all the basic macrame knots, including these two, and then some!
Step-by-step guide for beautiful & FLAT macrame coasters
Watch this full-length Youtube tutorial or read the step-by-step instructions with photos below. I like to cater for different needs. 😀
Step-by-step
The below measurements apply only if you are using a 2.5mm (0.1″) cord and aiming to make a 9cm (3.5″) wide coaster.
Cut a 2 meter (around 80″) piece of cord to use as your filler cord. Make a loop at one end the filler cord.
Cut three 80cm (32″) cords and attach them with reversed lark’s head knots around the filler cord loop.
Round and round we go – the secret coaster sauce
After you have attached the first three cords onto the first row of the coaster, you will start knotting in circles using reversed lark’s head knots to add new cords and knotting clove hitches on the existing cords. (More step-by-step instructions in the next chapter).
I did promise you the secret tip didn’t I? Well here it is:
Add THREE new cords onto every new row. Not more nor less, but THREE.
That’s it, the cat’s out of the bag. Trust me, this will work! And if it doesn’t please tell me in the comments if it doesn’t and I’ll keep on investigating!
Remember these rules too as you knot along and add more cords:
- The classic “don’t pull the filler cord too tight” rule still applies
- Add the new cords more or less equally distanced from each other
- Do not add the new cords exactly where you added new cords on the previous row
Let’s keep knotting – second row
I’ll keep going for a few more rows with you, as the hardest part is to get you started.
Cut another set of three working cords, 3cm (1.2″) shorter than your previous row’s cords. This applies to all the upcoming rows – every new row the new cords should be around 3cm (1.2″) shorter than the previous row’s cords.
Leave the short end of the filler cord at the back of your work
- Attach one new cord with a reversed lark’s head knot onto the filler cord right away
- Knot two clove hitches
- Attach the second new cord with reversed lark’s head
- Knot two more clove hitches
- Attach the last new cord with reversed lark’s head
- Knot two more clove hitches
Cut the end of your filler cord short.
Third row
Now you should have 12 working cords in your work, plus the filler cord. On the third row, add another new cord after every four cords. Start counting from your last added cord (in the second row).
- Knot two clove hitches
- Add new cord with reversed lark’s head
- Knot four clove hitches
- Add new cord with reversed lark’s head
- Knot four clove hitches
- Add new cord with reversed lark’s head
Fourth row
Now you have 18 cords in your work. Cut three more new cords.
Now technically you should add the three new cords onto your work after every 6 cords (because 18 divided by 3 is 6). BUT if you did this, you would keep adding the new cords right next to your last row’s new cords. If you did that, yes you would get a circle, but your circle will be smoother if you avoid adding the new cords where you added them on the last row.
So to avoid this (but also to not leave a gap too big in between the last new cord of the third row and the first new cord of the fourth row), clove hitch first 7 cords and only then add a new cord:
- Knot 7 clove hitches
- Add new cord with reversed lark’s head
- Knot 6 clove hitches
- Add new cord with reversed lark’s head
- Knot 6 clove hitches
- Add new cord with reversed lark’s head
Fifth & subsequent rows
Now you have 24 cords in your work. Cut three more new cords. TIP: If you get lost in the count of how long these new cords should be, that’s alright – just measure how long your working cords are, double it, and add a bit for the initial lark’s head.
My math brain tells me that you should add a new cord every 8 cords, BUT DON’T. Add a new cord every 9 cords instead, to keep steering away from adding new cords around where you added them in the previous row.
- Knot 9 clove hitches
- Add new cord with reversed lark’s head
- Knot 9 clove hitches
- Add new cord with reversed lark’s head
- Knot 9 clove hitches
- Add new cord with reversed lark’s head
After this row you can stop counting. Just think of each new row as three sections formed by the three cords you added in the previous row. On every new row, simply add a new cord roughly in the middle of each section. This does not need to be precise (actually better if it’s not precise) but as long as you keep adding three cords on every row you should end up with a beautiful flat coaster!
To make a 9cm (3.5″) coaster, make in total 11 to 12 rounds. Or you can keep knotting until either your filler cord finishes or your working cords become too short for comfortable knotting.
When you are knotting your final round, do not add any cords.
Finishing touches
One final tip – and this is one of the things that I just love about macrame! If you feel that your coaster is not perfectly round enough for you, use both your hands to “mould” it into shape. Push the edges towards the center until you have a perfectly round circle. Sounds silly, but this makes the cord relax some of the tension it stores, and thus the shape you mould it into stays. Let me know how it goes!
And finally, cut all the cords to your desired length, brush them out with a pet brush or a comb, and trim the edges nice and round.
Then make many, many, MANY more macrame coasters for all your guests.
xo,
Tuija
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Hannah says
Do you know how many cords to add per row if using 4mm rope? Thank you!
Tuija says
Hi Hannah! Thanks for the comment! The number of cords to add is the same no matter what cord size you use. Always add 3 new cords per row. 💛