Coastal Crochet CAL – First 3 Coasters

I have been taking part in Eleonora of Coastal Crochet’s Coasters CAL.  (Link is to day 1.)

I was originally going to take part in a weekend workshop in Dorset that I had been attracted to because of these very coasters. But of course that was earlier this year and we all know what happened. So I was glad to try and make them anyway.

They are designed to use Scheepjes Cahlista which is an Aran weight cotton.

Comparing it with the Rico Essentials DK cotton that I have used in the past for my Celtic coasters.

It has a less smooth finish because it is not mercerised which means that it doesn’t let the hook slide through as easily. It also has less of a twist so tends to spilt more easily. So I can’t say I prefer it, though it does give the coasters a contemporary look somehow.

It would be an interesting exercise to make one in Cahlista and compare the size.

So here are the three coasters that I have made

The first is a fairly simple design that was not one of my favourites but it is growing on me. Not sure what might have inspired it.

The second coaster was one of the ones that I really loved the look of though, finding out as part of the CAL that this was inspired by seaside sunsets, I did change the colours slightly to give it a more evening sunset vibe.

Maybe the original colours would go for a more cool sunrise.

The final one embodies a starfish. This was the one that was hardest on my wrists and on reflection the one that is least suitable as a coaster. 

I love the designs but having made this one, I realised that all my coasters have been designed be fairly solid, especially the Celtic ones, where I have always rejected Celtic patterns that would involve holes, however attractive. This being because I think of coasters as being designed to protect the surface below from heat and or liquid and so holes, certainly large ones, would mitigate against this.

Now of course I don’t need any coasters and had thought that I could maybe string these coasters together as a form of bunting to give my sitting room a seaside vibe in the summer.

Here you can see all three together.

Two more to go. Maybe I will have time to start the fourth one this afternoon.