DIY Coasters & Trivets using Turk’s Head Knot

Ever wonder how to make a Turk’s Head Knot Coaster? A flat Turk’s Head Knot is perfect for rope coasters and trivets. I’ll show you how to tie a Turk’s Head Knot with this DIY coaster tutorial, step-by-step instructions, and a video tutorial.

So, I think the official definition of a ‘crafter’ or ‘DIY-er’ must somewhere contain a reference to the fact that we are prone to see something somewhere and say to ourselves, “Hey, I bet I can do that! Sure, I will teach myself how to tie a Turk’s Head Knot.”

And I’ve seen the joke floating around the internet that goes something like this “Why buy it for $5 when you can make it with $90 of craft supplies.” Guilty as charged…sometimes.

But, for those of us who need to have something to keep our hands busy while traveling or watching ‘Game of Thrones’ (counting down the days to the season premiere…in May 2017!?) or just because we like to make things, the ‘crafter’ hat is one we gladly wear. That “Hey, I bet I can do that!” crafter who loves a challenge is the one who saw these Turk’s Head Coasters & Trivets in a charming little shop in New York last month and came home determined to use a flat Turk’s Head Knot to make DIY coasters and trivets.

Now, lest you think that these lovely knots take some sort of knotting expertise, I can attest that they don’t. While I was a Girl Scout many, many moons ago (and actually won some award for selling great quantities of cookies because I hit up all the sailors on the ship my dad served on), my knotting know-how began and ended with the making of a sit-upon during a camping trip on a beach on the island of Saipan with the largest coconut crabs my 7th-grade eyes had ever seen.

Not surprisingly, that camping trip was my last camping trip. (Have you ever seen a coconut crab? If not, check them out here and then tell me having these critters outside of your tent when you had hit the latrine in the middle of the night wouldn’t have scarred you!)

This disclaimer also holds to all the bonafide knotters out there who may be aghast at my ‘knotting’ technique. This is the Lynn ‘layman’s’ version of how to make Turk’s Head Knot Coasters & Trivets and is in no way to be interpreted as the ‘official’ sailor, Boy Scout, mountain climber, or what-have-you version of the Turk’s Head Knot.

I’m sure that the ‘real’ knotters out there don’t use a little cushion with push pins; I mean, they’re scaling a mountain or rigging a boat or surviving in the wilderness with only beef jerky and a piece of rope, and surely wouldn’t have, or need, such cushion, cardboard, and pushpins. OK…now that we have that out of the way, let the knotting shenanigans begin.

Supplies Needed for Turk’s Head Knot DIY Coasters & Trivets:

Some of these are affiliate links, and I will earn a small commission off the sale of these products, but the price you are charged is not affected. You can see my full disclosure policy here.

• I used a 3/16″ triple-ply cotton rope.  You’ll want to find the stiffest you can. I had to look around and finally found my best option on an Etsy storefront that sells bird toy supplies! Here’s the link to the rope I used. I bought 100′, which will make 12 (3.5″-4″) coasters or 2 (6″) trivets and 6-8 coasters.
• Cardboard, either one thick piece (think from a corrugated box) or 2 thinner pieces (like from the back of a pad of paper or notebook)
• Foam or cushion or corkboard. I used the backside of a computer lap desk.
• Push Pins
• Ruler or Yardstick
• Tape
• Needle and Thread (I used a heavy-duty thread)

How to Make DIY Turk’s Head Coasters & Trivets:

• Determine the size of the rope trivet or coaster that you want. (I find that the coasters lie a little flatter when closer to 4″ than they do at 3.5″) Multiply the dimension in inches by 2.1 to determine how many feet of rope you need. Make sure to tape where you will cut so that your rope doesn’t unwind.
• Using a compass or other device, trace a circle the size of the trivet/coaster that you want on a piece of cardboard. I taped my cardboard onto the back cushion of a computer lap desk, but a piece of foam or cork bulletin board would work well too.
• Use pushpins to make points of a star approximately equidistant apart.

  

• Print off or refer to the diagram showing how the rope is woven under or over to make the Turk’s Head knot. You can print the PDF here.

  

• In addition to the diagram, here’s a video tutorial with instructions on how to tie a Turks’ Head Knot. This video is longer than my usual ditty, but it shows the process from start to finish.  

• Once your knot is finished, sew the raw ends as shown in the following video.

• While the coasters don’t need it, I opt to shore up my trivets just a tad. I do this by running a stitch through each of the bights, where it wouldn’t be seen from the top. Once again, knot purists might shudder at this practice, but I am not a knot purist and just want to ensure the trivet is as snug as possible. 

  

Once you have made 1-2 of these coasters or trivets and get the hang of it, you’ll be able to whip them out rather quickly. I made the 6″ trivet in the video in less than 13 minutes, complete with all my editorial comments! You could easily whip up quite a stash of DIY rope coasters & trivets in a weekend and have a store for giving as gifts when you need them in a pinch.

Turk’s Head Knot Coasters & Trivets…Perfect for Gifting!

So there you have it, my friends… I’m crushing on the Turk’s Head knot right now, especially in these DIY coasters & trivets. It was a good chance to don my ‘Hey, I bet I could do that!’ hat and have something to show for it in the end. 

Thanks again for spending a few minutes of your busy day with me today.

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Hugs,

Thanks for making my day by SHARING!!