You should have seen the state of the glass end table next to my favorite chair in the living room, after a week of breakfasting there. Crumbs are not my problem. Water stains from a sweating coffee press, on the other hand…
A little spritz of glass cleaner and a wash cloth take care of that right away, but why let it get that way at all? Yeah, it took me about a month of this new coffee routine of mine to think of it, but eventually I did: I needed a coaster. A big, cotton, absorbent one.
And then I had another brainstorm, which made me drop what I was doing and go check my cheap cotton yarn stash for the appropriate colors: I could make the coaster match the carpet! Definitely. Our throw rug features a square-in-a-square design that is just perfect for crochet motifs.
I almost made a granny square (in fact, I got through round 2 before I changed my mind) but I decided a design with fewer holes would be a more effective coaster. That’s where Blair’s Granny Square Sampler project came in handy. I still haven’t finished the poor old blanket, but I do fairly clearly remember some of my favorite squares, and one of them would be perfect for this job.
And so I made a big ol’ coaster for my big ol’ coffee press, and all was right with the world.
Except… I started thinking about my coffee cup itself. Maybe it should have a coaster, too. And what if I have a few friends over for coffee? What then?
Ok, so I made four more coasters. Little ones, coffee cup size. And now all is right with the world. Phew.
The details
Pattern: Granny Square Sampler Week 3
Yarn: Miscellaneous inexpensive cottons (Peaches & Creme, Sugar ‘n Cream, etc.)
Hook: G
Modifications: I chose colors to (somewhat) match particular blocks on the carpet. The big coaster had 6 rounds, two of each color. The small coasters had 3 rounds, one of each color.
P.S. Why the new “coffee routine,” as I put it up there? Well, I was a big fan of the cold-pressed method for some time, but I kept breaking my coffee presses. As in, five broken presses in two years. Yeah. I was not happy. So I finally gave up the attractive glass models for one that I could not possibly break. It’s been a month, and all is well. Plus, the new press has thermal properties which can keep coffee warm for a few hours. Oooh! And so now instead of the cold-pressed stuff, I freshly-press two cups steaming hot in the morning, and slowly work my way through it until lunch time. I rarely finish the whole two cups. It’s just nice to be able to refresh my mug without leaving the chair!
I love your new coasters. They look so great on your rug – and on your table.
Having to stop what I am doing and make something right away, happens to me quite often.
I have never seen the thermal press before. I love my glass press and use it daily without any breakages yet. I’ll know what to buy if that day comes.
I suspect you have never forced your glass coffee press into a part of your dishwasher where it didn’t *quite* fit. Or put it too close to another glass item in the dishwasher. All of my breakages were dishwasher related, but I stubbornly kept using it, because the coffee press was supposed to be dishwasher safe. It took me far too long to learn that it wasn’t safe in *my* dishwasher, LOL!
Something tells me our conversation yesterday about Blair’s sampler may have contributed to your “pressing need.” 😉
Actually, it was the other way around! I had already written that post when we had our conversation 🙂
This is great, Lisa. Not only do I love your new coasters but I LOVE your carpet too. WANT! I used to use a Bodum press but it just didn’t make enough coffee. So we opted for a regular coffee maker (not nearly as good coffee) and then for a Keurig (surprisingly good coffee). I never had the glass one break either. I think it must have been the universe telling you to get the thermal one!
Either the universe or my dishwasher 🙂
That carpet came from Target about a year ago. Maybe they still have them!
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