Bear Coasters

Bear Coasters by Mel Garcia Tello

What Is Being Made

Bear Coasters are small crocheted coasters designed to protect table surfaces while adding a playful, animal-themed decorative element to your home. These beginner-friendly projects feature a bear face design created through strategic stitch placement and shaping, making them perfect for both new crocheters and experienced makers looking for quick, satisfying projects. The coasters work well as functional table accessories for drinks, candles, or decorative items.

Crochet Techniques and Construction

The Bear Coasters are constructed using fundamental crochet techniques worked in the round, starting from a small center point and expanding outward. The pattern uses a classic circular construction method, beginning with a chain foundation and building subsequent rounds by joining with slip stitches. This approach creates a flat, stable coaster base suitable for table use.

The bear face emerges through intentional stitch distribution and clustering. Increases are strategically placed in early rounds to establish the circular shape, while later rounds employ a combination of double crochets and slip stitches to form facial features. The technique of working multiple stitches into single stitches creates dimensional clusters that suggest the bear's eyes and snout, demonstrating how basic crochet stitches can be arranged to suggest representational forms.

Stitches Used

• Chain (ch): The foundation stitch used to begin the coaster and create turning chains between rounds
• Double Crochet (dc): The primary stitch used throughout the pattern to build height and fabric density, worked both singly and in clusters
• Slip Stitch (slst): Used to join rounds and create the bear's facial details through strategic placement
• Space (sp): The gap or opening created between stitches
• Skip (sk): Technique of passing over stitches to create shaping and feature definition

Materials Required

The Bear Coasters pattern calls for small amounts of yarn in varied weights, allowing crafters flexibility in material selection based on preference and stash availability. A crochet hook sized one size down from the yarn's recommended hook size is specified, which creates a tighter, more durable fabric suitable for coasters that will experience regular use and moisture exposure. Additional materials include a yarn needle for weaving in ends and scissors for cutting yarn.

Pattern Overview

The coaster is worked over four rounds, beginning with a foundation chain of four stitches. Round 1 establishes the base with 13 double crochets joined in a circle. Round 2 doubles the stitch count to 26 through increases in each stitch. Round 3 continues expanding to 39 stitches using a repeating increase pattern. Round 4 creates the bear's distinctive features by concentrating double crochets into specific areas while using slip stitches to define other sections, resulting in a finished coaster with 16 double crochets and 32 slip stitches. The pattern concludes with fastening off and weaving in ends for a finished appearance.

Difficulty Level

Rated as a beginner project, the Bear Coasters require only basic crochet knowledge and familiarity with fundamental stitches. The pattern is ideal for those learning to work in rounds, practice increasing techniques, and understand how simple stitch combinations create recognizable shapes. The small scale and quick completion time make this an excellent confidence-building project for new crocheters.

Designer Information

Bear Coasters was designed by Mel Garcia Tello and published in 2019. This pattern is available as a free, downloadable PDF resource, making it accessible to crocheters of all experience levels.