Citrus Slice Crochet Coasters with Raised White Segments

Citrus slice crochet coasters get their fruit-like appearance from raised white ribs rather than embroidery added afterward. The original uses eleven sections, with bright wedges sitting behind front-post stitches and a contrasting outer peel. Lemon, lime, orange and grapefruit share one construction. This guide follows the five-page source and explains the unusual two-round-below placement, which is the key to keeping those white segment lines continuous.

Materials and color choices

The source uses Scheepjes Catona cotton, a 3 mm / US D/3 hook, a stitch marker and a yarn needle. It lists Snow White (106) for the membranes. The fruit pairs are Lemonade (403) with Lemon (280), Lime Juice (392) with Forest Green (412), Yellow Gold (208) with Tangerine (281), and Watermelon (252) with Apricot (524).

Each fruit color and peel color is listed as one 10 g mini skein, with a 50 g white skein for the set. The finished diameter is approximately 11 cm. The gauge checkpoint is ten pattern rounds over 10 cm, before the final outer edging expands the circle.

Understand the two-layer effect

US dc means double crochet, hdc means half double crochet, sc means single crochet, BLO means back loop only and FPdc means front-post double crochet. The white posts attach around earlier white posts. The fruit stitches also reach down to the previous fruit-colored round, passing in front of the intervening chain spaces.

Keep a marker in the source’s designated fruit stitch. Remove and replace it when working into that stitch, but leave it in position when working around the associated post. Mixing those two operations makes the round start drift and can offset the fruit segments.

Follow the round checkpoints

1. The white center contains eleven counted dc, including its starting chain. The next white round establishes eleven FPdc with a ch-2 space between each pair.
2. The first fruit round places two dc into each corresponding center stitch, giving 22 dc and eleven chain spaces.
3. Alternate the white relief round and the fruit round. The white spans grow from ch 3 to ch 4 and ch 5, while the colored sections expand to 33 and then 44 dc.
4. Round nine shapes each wedge with sc, hdc and dc rather than continuing an all-dc wedge. Each section has six colored stitches, plus its separating chain space.
5. Round ten combines the eleven white posts with back-loop stitches along the colored wedges, giving 77 working stitches. The next white increase round gives 84 sc, and the peel-colored round gives 91 sc.

Use the original round-by-round instructions and close-up photographs on PDF pages three to five for exact stitch placement. In particular, a front-post stitch belongs around a post, not into the top loops of the nearest visible stitch. Pulling it across the front of the wrong round can hide a wedge rather than outline it.

Make clean color changes

The source changes color in the closing slip stitch. Drop the old color at the end of the round, complete that join with the next color and begin the next round as directed. Keep carried strands and tails on the wrong side. Long, tight floats can pull the circle out of shape, so check the back before starting the next pair of rounds.

The last two rounds increase by seven stitches each: 77 to 84, then 84 to 91. Counting those rim rounds is a useful final check because a missed front-post stitch earlier can be difficult to spot among the white lines.

Finish a coordinated fruit set

Weave in every color end securely, then dampen and shape the coaster according to the cotton care instructions. Pin it into a circle without stretching the raised posts flat. Let it dry completely and compare it with the 11 cm target. Repeat the same yarn, hook and tension for the other fruit colors so the set stacks neatly.

The source photos show both completed fruit slices and the marked stitches during construction. The separate checklist is a reading aid, not an additional crochet chart.

Frequently asked questions

How many citrus segments are there?

The source establishes eleven radiating segments and eleven raised white post lines.

Where do the white front-post stitches go?

Around the white post stitches two rounds below, following the same color through the fabric.

What are the final stitch counts?

Round ten has 77 stitches; the white rim has 84 sc and the peel-colored outer round has 91 sc.

Original source and more crochet projects

Design credit: Citrus Slice Coasters, five-page source supplied in Drive. This article explains the supplied source and its construction; it does not claim an independently tested sample. The photographs are from that source, and the checklist is an editorial reading aid.

Open the original pattern in Drive. Source location: Whole PDF. Keep the original instructions and diagrams beside you when working the project.

For another project, explore Anima Floris crochet coasters, or Strand Basket pattern.