DIY Coasters & Trivets Using Turk’s Head Knot
4 Materials
The “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 make them. Lest you think that these lovely knots take some sort of knotting expertise, I can attest that they don’t. The extent of my knot tying expertise starts and ends with the square knots I learned many years ago as a Girl Scout.
And to all the bona fide knotters out there who may be aghast at my ‘knotting’ technique. This is the Lynn ‘layman’s’ version of making 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. 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.
And to all the bona fide knotters out there who may be aghast at my ‘knotting’ technique. This is the Lynn ‘layman’s’ version of making 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. 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 Coasters & Trivets:
How to Make Turk’s Head Coasters & Trivets:
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 from my website.
n addition to the diagram, here’s a video showing how to make the knot. This video is longer than my usual ditty, but it shows the process from start to finish.
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Once your knot is finished, sew the raw ends as shown in the following video.
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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 make sure 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 coasters & trivets in a weekend and have a store for giving as a gifts when you need them in a pinch.
Want more details about this and other DIY projects? Check out my blog post!
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2 of 30 comments
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Those are way kool.
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Thanks Renata!
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