Snowflake Coaster

Felted Snowflake Coaster by Sheila O'Keefe

What Is Being Made

The Felted Snowflake Coaster is a small decorative table accessory designed to protect surfaces from moisture and heat. This knitted project creates a coaster that measures 6.5 inches by 6.5 inches before felting and shrinks to 3.5 inches by 3.5 inches after the felting process. The finished coaster features a snowflake motif worked in contrasting colors, making it both functional and visually appealing for seasonal table settings or year-round home décor.

Craft and Techniques

Primary Craft: Knitting

This project is specifically designed as an excellent introduction to stranded knitting, a colorwork technique where two colors are worked simultaneously across a row. The pattern is particularly forgiving for beginners learning this method because the felting process helps even out inconsistencies in tension that naturally occur when first learning to manage multiple yarn colors. The designer notes that almost any tension irregularities will be corrected during the felting wash.

Felting Technique: The coaster undergoes a felting process that significantly reduces its finished dimensions. This wet felting shrinks the knitted fabric while also matting the fibers together, creating a durable, dense material suitable for functional use. The felting process is integral to the final appearance and performance of the coaster.

Stitches and Stitch Techniques

• Knit stitch (k) for basic fabric construction
• Stranded knitting for colorwork, carrying the main color while working with the contrasting color
• Float management: the pattern specifies not using floats over more than 2 stitches, as longer floats can cause problems during the felting process and compromise the integrity of the finished piece

Materials

Yarn: Worsted weight yarn is used for this project. Per coaster, you will need approximately 30 yards of main color yarn (the background) and 20 yards of contrasting color yarn (the border). Worsted weight is ideal for this project as it felts effectively and creates a fabric with good body and durability after the felting process.

Additional Materials: The pattern calls for a contrasting color to cast on with, and knitting needles appropriate for worsted weight yarn (typically US 8-10 or 5-6mm needles, though specific needle size recommendations should be verified in the complete pattern).

Project Characteristics

Difficulty Level: Intermediate. While the pattern is marketed as a good learning project for stranded knitting, it requires familiarity with basic knitting techniques and the ability to manage two colors simultaneously.

Project Type: Quick and practical, this coaster is designed as an efficient way to use up worsted weight yarn leftovers from other projects, making it economical and sustainable for crafters with yarn stashes.