This coaster looks like a peppermint candy. A red and cream spiral turns out from the center, a solid cream round frames it, and 12 red scallops finish the edge. It’s a quick holiday make that works as a gift, a table decoration or something for your own cocoa mug.
You’ll use two colors: deep cranberry red and soft cream. The spiral is made with two balls of yarn worked at the same time, so the stripes are continuous arms instead of separate rings. You won’t need to join stripes or weave in ends in the middle. Each arm starts and ends with shorter stitches, so the center comes to a point and the outer edge stays level.
This pattern uses US crochet terms. The finished coaster measures 5.75 in (14.6 cm) across, measured from scallop tip to scallop tip.
How it’s made: You work 8 spiral rounds of half double crochet, switching between the two colors. Next comes one cream round of single crochet with a few increases. A red scalloped border finishes the piece. It’s one piece with no joining, and the only sewing is weaving in ends.
Finished Size and Construction
- Finished size: 5.75 in (14.6 cm) diameter, scallop tip to scallop tip
- Skill level: Advanced beginner
- Terminology: US crochet terms
- Yarn weight: Sport weight (#2) cotton
- Hook: 3.5 mm (E-4)
- Number of pieces: 1
- Layout: One round coaster
- Spiral size (after Round 8): 4.25 in (10.8 cm)
- Size before border (after Round 9): 4.75 in (12.1 cm)
- Border depth: 0.5 in (1.3 cm)
Materials
Yarn: Use a smooth, mercerized or combed sport-weight cotton. Cotton holds the scallops crisply, takes hot mugs well and doesn’t stretch out when it gets damp. Pick a red with a slight blue tone for a true candy-cane look, and an off-white cream rather than a stark white.
- Color A, cranberry red: about 12 g / 37 m (40 yd). This covers one spiral arm and the scalloped border.
- Color B, cream: about 9 g / 28 m (31 yd). This covers one spiral arm and Round 9.
These quantities include a margin of about 15% for your gauge swatch and for weaving in ends.
Tools:
- 3.5 mm (E-4) crochet hook
- 2 locking stitch markers
- Tapestry needle
- Scissors
- Ruler or tape measure
- Blocking mat and rust-proof pins
- Spray bottle with water
Abbreviations (US Terms)
- ch: chain
- sl st: slip stitch
- sc: single crochet
- hdc: half double crochet
- dc: double crochet
- st(s): stitch(es)
- sk: skip
- rnd: round
- MR: magic ring
- standing sc: start with a slip knot on the hook, insert the hook in the stitch, yarn over and pull up a loop, then yarn over and pull through 2 loops
Special technique: two-color spiral. Both colors are always active. Work a section with one color until you reach the other color’s live loop. Enlarge your current loop, take the hook out and leave the loop resting on top of the work. Then pick up the other color’s loop and continue. Each color always works into the stitches the other color just made. Keep a stitch marker in each idle loop so it can’t unravel.
Gauge and Checkpoints
Gauge: 6 hdc = 1 in (2.5 cm) along the outer edge of a round, and each hdc round adds about 0.25 in (0.6 cm) to the radius.
Make Rounds 1–4 first and use them as your swatch. A coaster this small is its own gauge test.
Measurement checkpoints (measure flat, without stretching):
- After Rnd 1: 0.75 in (1.9 cm)
- After Rnd 2: 1.25 in (3.2 cm)
- After Rnd 4: 2.25 in (5.7 cm)
- After Rnd 6: 3.25 in (8.3 cm)
- After Rnd 8: 4.25 in (10.8 cm)
- After Rnd 9: 4.75 in (12.1 cm)
- After Rnd 10: 5.75 in (14.6 cm)
If your piece is too big by more than 0.125 in (0.3 cm) at Rnd 4, go down to a 3.25 mm hook. If it’s too small, go up to a 3.75 mm hook. Change the hook rather than the stitch counts, because the border repeat depends on exactly 84 stitches in Round 9.
If the piece ruffles, your stitches are probably too short for the increases, so try a larger hook. If it cups, your stitches are too tall or too loose, so try a smaller hook.
Spiral Center (Rounds 1–8)
The spiral has 10 increases per round, 5 for each color. A “round” means both color sections together.
Round 1:
Make a magic ring with Color A (red). Ch 1. Into the ring, work sc, 4 hdc (5 sts). Enlarge the loop, take the hook out and place a marker in the loop.
With Color B (cream), make a slip knot and place it on the hook. Into the same ring, work sc, 4 hdc (5 sts). Enlarge the loop, take the hook out and mark it.
Pull the ring tight. Total: 10 sts (5 red, 5 cream).
The sc at the start of each color makes the tapered point in the center.
Round 2:
Pick up the red loop. Work 2 hdc in each of the next 5 sts, which are the cream stitches (10 red sts). You’ll arrive at the cream loop. Drop red.
Pick up cream. Work 2 hdc in each of the next 5 sts, which are the red stitches (10 cream sts). You’ll arrive at the red loop. Drop cream.
Total: 20 sts.
Round 3:
With each color in turn: [hdc in next st, 2 hdc in next st] 5 times.
15 sts per color. Total: 30 sts.
Round 4:
With each color: [hdc in next 2 sts, 2 hdc in next st] 5 times.
20 sts per color. Total: 40 sts.
Checkpoint: 2.25 in (5.7 cm) across. You should see two clearly separate arms, each one stitch wide.
Round 5:
With each color: [hdc in next 3 sts, 2 hdc in next st] 5 times.
25 sts per color. Total: 50 sts.
Round 6:
With each color: [hdc in next 4 sts, 2 hdc in next st] 5 times.
30 sts per color. Total: 60 sts.
Checkpoint: 3.25 in (8.3 cm).
Round 7:
With each color: [hdc in next 5 sts, 2 hdc in next st] 5 times.
35 sts per color. Total: 70 sts.
Round 8 (tapered finish):
Work each color as follows.
[Hdc in next 6 sts, 2 hdc in next st] 4 times (32 sts), then hdc in next 4 sts, sc in next 2 sts, and (sc, sl st) in the last st.
That makes 8 sts in the last repeat: 4 hdc + 2 sc + 2 (sc and sl st). 40 sts per color.
Fasten off each color after its taper. Total: 80 sts.
The sc and sl st at the end of each arm bring the edge down smoothly. That way the outer circle has no step where the spiral ends. The sl st counts as a stitch for Round 9.
Checkpoint: 4.25 in (10.8 cm) across, lying flat.
Cream Accent Round (Round 9)
This is a trim round worked mostly 1 sc per stitch.
Round 9:
Join Color B (cream) with a standing sc in the first hdc after one of the tapers. This counts as the first sc.
Sc in next 18 sts, 2 sc in next st, then [sc in next 19 sts, 2 sc in next st] 3 times. Sl st to the first sc. Fasten off.
Count: 80 sts worked 1-per-stitch + 4 extra sts = 84 sts.
Check the repeat: 4 × (19 + 2) = 84.
Checkpoint: 4.75 in (12.1 cm). This round makes the solid cream frame. The 4 increases only keep the edge flat, and they set up the stitch count the border needs.
Scalloped Border (Round 10)
Border gauge: Each scallop uses 7 sts of Round 9 and measures about 1.25 in (3.2 cm) along the edge. The 7-dc fans stand 0.5 in (1.3 cm) beyond Round 9.
Round 10:
Join Color A (red) with a standing sc in any st of Round 9, then sc in next st.
[Sk 2 sts, 7 dc in next st, sk 2 sts, sc in next 2 sts] 11 times.
Sk 2 sts, 7 dc in next st, sk 2 sts, sl st to the first sc. Fasten off.
Stitches used: 2 (opening sc) + 11 × 7 (repeats) + 5 (final scallop) = 84 sts, exactly the Round 9 count.
Stitches made: 12 scallops × 7 dc = 84 dc, plus 12 pairs of sc = 24 sc, for a total of 108 sts and 12 scallops.
Why the math works: Each repeat is sk 2, 1 fan stitch, sk 2, 2 sc, which uses 7 stitches. 84 ÷ 7 = 12, with nothing left over. The pair of sc between fans holds the scallops down so each one curves up into a full half-circle. Skipping 2 stitches on each side of a fan gives the 7 dc enough room without crowding.
Checkpoint: 5.75 in (14.6 cm) from scallop tip to opposite scallop tip.
Final Blocking
- Weave in all ends on the wrong side. Sew each spiral tail into stitches of its own color so it can’t show through.
- Lay the coaster right side up on the blocking mat.
- Mist it evenly until it’s damp but not dripping.
- Smooth the spiral flat from the center outward with your palm.
- Measure the diameter and ease it to 5.75 in (14.6 cm).
- Pin the tip of each scallop, working on opposite sides in turn (12 o’clock, then 6, then 3, then 9, and so on) so the circle stays round.
- Shape each fan into an even arc with your fingertips.
- Let it dry completely, which usually takes 4–6 hours, before removing the pins.
For a firmer coaster, you can steam it lightly instead. Hold the iron above the cotton without touching it.
Final Quality-Control Checklist
- [ ] The spiral has two continuous arms with no breaks or color jogs
- [ ] The center comes to a neat point with no hole
- [ ] Both arms taper smoothly into Round 9
- [ ] Round 9 has exactly 84 sts
- [ ] The cream round is solid and even all the way around
- [ ] There are exactly 12 scallops, evenly spaced
- [ ] Each scallop has 7 dc
- [ ] The coaster lies completely flat with no ruffle or cupping
- [ ] Diameter is 5.75 in (14.6 cm)
- [ ] All ends are woven in invisibly
Troubleshooting
The spiral arms look uneven in width.
One color was probably worked tighter. Keep the same hand tension for both yarns, and make sure each color made the same count in every round.
There’s a hole in the center.
Pull the magic ring tighter after both colors have worked into it. Then secure the tail by weaving it through the first stitches of both colors.
The yarns are twisting together.
Always drop the old color to the same side, either toward you or away from you. Untwist the balls every few rounds.
There’s a step where the spiral ends.
Check that you worked the full taper: hdc, then sc, then sc and sl st. Don’t skip the shorter stitches.
The border doesn’t come out to 12 even scallops.
Recount Round 9. It must have exactly 84 sts. If you have 83 or 85, rework the round rather than squeezing the difference into one scallop.
The scallops flip or curl.
Your dc are tighter than your sc. Loosen your tension on the fans, or block them firmly.
The coaster cups after the border.
Go up half a hook size for Round 10 only.
Care
Hand wash or machine wash on a gentle cold cycle in a laundry bag, then reshape and dry flat. Test a red cotton for colorfastness before the first wash so it doesn’t bleed into the cream.
Final Notes
Every measurement leads to the next. The spiral grows by 10 stitches per round to reach 80 sts at 4.25 in (10.8 cm). The cream round converts this to 84 sts at 4.75 in (12.1 cm). The border turns those 84 sts into 12 scallops of 7 sts each for a finished size of 5.75 in (14.6 cm). If your Round 4 checkpoint is right, the rest will come out right too. Make one coaster as a gift tag topper, or make a few for holiday cocoa.
Happy crocheting!