Some Halloween decorations take all October. These take one evening. Four flat white ghost coasters — a finished circle each, a wavy hem that reads as a floating ghost, and a little embroidered face — are the fastest way I know to make a table look like Halloween happened here on purpose. Each coaster takes about twenty minutes once you find your rhythm, so a full set of four fits comfortably between dinner and bedtime.
If you made this morning's post your project, this evening is its opposite: no new techniques to study, just rounds you already know, worked into something you will use every day until November.
What You'll Need
- Yarn: worsted-weight (Category 4) cotton yarn — white, about 40 g for a set of four coasters, plus a small amount of black cotton for the embroidered faces. Cotton, not acrylic, is the honest choice here: it absorbs condensation and survives a hot mug without the synthetic sheen.
- Hook: 4.0 mm (US G-6).
- Notions: a stitch marker, a tapestry needle, and sharp scissors.
- Optional: a small piece of twine if you plan to tie the set into a gift bundle.
The Stitches
Everything in this pattern is beginner material: a magic ring (or a chain-4 start if you prefer), single crochet, half double crochet, double crochet for the wavy edge, increases, and a slip stitch to close rounds. If single crochet rounds feel new, work the first coaster slowly — the next three will fly.
The Ghost Coaster
Finished size: about 11 cm (4.5 in) across — a true mug-size circle. Gauge is forgiving here; if your coaster measures 10–12 cm, it is exactly right.
Round 1: Magic ring, 6 sc into the ring. Pull tight, place a marker. (6)
Round 2: 2 sc in each stitch around. (12)
Round 3: *1 sc, inc* around. (18)
Round 4: *2 sc, inc* around. (24)
Round 5: *3 sc, inc* around. (30)
Round 6: *4 sc, inc* around. (36)
Round 7: *5 sc, inc* around. (42)
Round 8: *6 sc, inc* around. (48)
Round 9: *7 sc, inc* around. (54)
Check your work now: the circle should lie perfectly flat on the table. A quick honest note — flat circles like this use evenly spaced increases so the fabric stays level; that is a different job from the invisible increases that shape an amigurumi head, like the ones we looked at this morning. Smooth rounds, flat photo, flat coaster.
Round 10 — the wavy ghost hem: Slip stitch into the next stitch, then work nine scallops around the circle: *sc, hdc, dc, dc, hdc, sc* — each scallop takes 6 stitches, and 9 scallops × 6 = 54, exactly your round. Join with a slip stitch to the first sc, fasten off, and weave in the ends.
The Face
Thread your tapestry needle with the black cotton. Working on the front of the coaster, embroider two small eyes — French knots or a few satin stitches each — about 2 cm apart, centered just above the middle. Add a small oval mouth below, roughly 1 cm tall. Two tips from experience: embroider the face after you block the coaster flat, and pin the circle to a cushion first — a face stitched into a drifting coaster always lands somewhere you didn't intend.
Blocking: The Two-Minute Finish
Mist each coaster lightly with water, press it flat under a heavy book for an hour (or overnight if you are not in a hurry), and let it dry completely. Blocking is what turns "handmade circle" into "ghost" — the hem flattens into that floating-ghost edge and the face sits exactly where you put it.
Three Sizes From One Pattern
The beauty of a flat circle is that it scales without any rewriting:
- Appliqué: stop after Round 5 (30 stitches, about 6 cm) and you have a ghost appliqué for a treat bag — it pairs perfectly with the Halloween treat bag we made on October 8.
- Mug rug: keep increasing past Round 9 — *8 sc, inc*, *9 sc, inc* — and turn one coaster into a rectangular-free oversized mug rug for the desk.
- Shadow ghosts: work the whole pattern in soft grey cotton for a moody "shadow ghost" set. Black faces on grey read beautifully in candlelight.
Where They Belong
Four coasters is a set, and sets want occasions. Scatter them across your Halloween party table; tie them with twine next to a mug for the easiest host gift of the season; drop one on a coworker's desk; or make a stack of sets for a craft fair — flat, light, and quick to produce, they are the rare fair item that actually earns its table fee. They also sit happily beside the pumpkin cozy from October 15 — a mug in the cozy, on the coaster, next to the small pumpkin. That is the whole October mood in about twenty square centimeters.
Troubleshooting
- The coaster curls like a bowl: too few increases, or tension pulled too tight. Frog back one round, add the increase round you skipped, and relax your grip.
- The wavy edge looks wild: space the scallops wider — work the hem as *sc, hdc, dc, dc, hdc, sc* over 8 stitches instead of 6, and the waves calm down.
- The face drifts off-center: always embroider on the blocked coaster, pinned flat. Trust the pins.
Four ghosts, one evening, one very festive table. Make the set tonight, stack it next to the pumpkin, and photograph the whole scene — your October table is officially done.