This is a free crochet pattern and video tutorial showing how to crochet the Colin Drew Mug Rug, an easy corner to corner mug rug worked in double crochet boxes. This mug rug also works great as a mini washcloth, and as a doily for plants, candles and so much more!
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Find the free crochet pattern instructions below, or purchase a printer-friendly, ad-free PDF on Ravelry by clicking here.
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This fun and easy C2C mug rug is great for using scraps of yarn, and the perfect piece to add to your living room, kitchen or dining room to house your favorite coffee and snack. This mug rug also works great as a mini washcloth, and as a doily for plants, candles and so much more!

Funny thing about this mug rug! I originally started this project back in June of 2020 when I put together the photo tutorial for C2C in DC. I started it in Lily Sugar n Cream worked in a similar blue color called Mod Blue (shown above). I planned on doing a photo tutorial for working the border so it is still sitting in one of my WIP bins waiting to be finished!
I reworked this mug rug using one of my favorite go-to cotton yarns, WeCrochet Dishie, so I could film the video tutorial for the Colin Drew Scarf, and after I started a couple boxes, I thought of the mug rug idea again. Worked up in no time – I’ve even got the ends woven in, and I put it to use right away. I’m so happy, I did a little dance.
Colin Drew is an easy crochet line that features double crochet corner to corner boxes. This is a beginner friendly series, and this mug rug is a great project to pair with watching your favorite TV show or movie, especially if you are working on a few for a gift. You don’t even have to count boxes if you don’t want to! You can use a soft tape measure to measure as you go, and stop at the width and length desired, though I will be providing box counts for each size in the written pattern.
Find more Colin Drew accessory and home decor crochet patterns here on EyeLoveKnots, and Colin Drew accessory and wearables crochet patterns on Cre8tion Crochet.

Prefer a coaster? Make a set of Colin Drew Coasters (free crochet pattern).

Looking for another mug rug crochet pattern? Try out the Delilah Mug Rug (free crochet pattern)!
What is a mug rug?
A mug rug is an oversized coaster (or mini placemat) that is large enough to hold to your cup and a tasty treat together – I use mine for my coffee and an afternoon snack. It keeps everything in one place, and your surface clean and free of crumbs. They also work great as mini washcloths, and doilies for things like a vase, plant (sometimes called a plant rug) and candle.
What is the difference between a mug rug and a coaster?
A mug rug and coaster are very similar in that they both hold your cup, but a mug rug is almost twice as wide as a coaster, and can hold additional items, like a snack and your coffee/tea spoon.
What size should a mug rug be?
The average size of a mug rug is 5″ by 7″, which is the size I aim for in my designs, but they do come in a range from 4″ by 6″ up to 8″ by 10″ depending on your preference.

Where do use a mug rug?
Use a mug rug anywhere you are drinking a delicious beverage and/or snacking since it is large enough to hold to your cup and a tasty treat together. It keeps everything in one place, and your surface clean and free of crumbs. Keep a mug rug handy in the kitchen, dining room, living room and office so it’s easy to grab when you need it.
Mug rugs are so versatile, they don’t stop at being used for coffee and a snack. They are great little mats, similar to doilies, that work for all sorts of items like a vase, plant, candle, pen holder, make up and lotions and more! They are also a great mini washcloth size. Mug rugs could easily work in any room of the house, and make great gifts too!
What is the best yarn to use to crochet a mug rug?
I used WeCrochet Dishie Yarn for my mug rug. I like using WeCrochet Dishie because it’s colorfast, which means the colors are set, plus cotton is more durable and absorbent, but you can use any worsted weight yarn out of your stash! I have a few mug rugs I’ve made myself using Red Heart Super Saver Yarn, which is a 100% acrylic yarn. A hot cup of coffee is not hot enough to melt synthetic fibers, and while it doesn’t quite absorb the same way with cold beverages, it still holds the water and does not seep through to the surface. Lion Brand Wool Ease is another lovely yarn for mug rugs that I have used for some in my personal collection, and the wool adds to the durability and absorbency.
Gauge is not essential for this project and with the corner to corner nature, you can easily substitute in any weight yarn and measure as you go.
Are mug rugs washable?
I like to use yarns for mug rugs that I know are easy to wash, like WeCrochet Dishie, Red Heart Super Saver and Lion Brand Wool Ease. They both hold up well to use, and machine washing and drying, though hand washing and laying flat to dry is always best to preserve your crocheted items. With the yarns I mentioned, I know I can throw the mug rugs into the washing machine (on gentle and in cold water) and then into the dryer (on low heat) when it’s time to clean them.
Do I need to work a border around my mug rug?
I did add a border to my mug rug for a more finished edging, but you do not need to add one. If you opt not to work a border, you may want to add an extra box to width and height so the mug rug will come out to about the same finished size.
Behind the Scenes with EyeLoveKnots

Shiloh wanted to so badly to lick the cream cheese off my bagel. Hehe!
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What Supplies Do I Need to Crochet a C2C Mug Rug?
- 55 Yards of Worsted Weight Cotton Yarn – I used WeCrochet Dishie Yarn in the Azure colorway
- H8/5mm Crochet Hook – I love this Koi Fish Ergonomic Clay one from SiennasBowtique on Etsy
- Tapestry Needle
- Optional, Jewelry Pliers
- Optional, Tape Measure if you want to take gauge or measure as you go
Material Notes:
Yarn Alternatives: Lily Sugar n Cream, Crafters Secret Cotton
Dishie Yarn is a touch thinner than Lily Sugar n Cream – you may need to go down a hook size with this yarn if it’s your choice, though gauge is not essential in this project if the finished size isn’t.
I like to use cotton yarn because it’s durable and absorbent, but if you are only making a mug rug that will house a cold or hot beverage, you can use acrylic as an alternative with an I9/5.5mm hook – just do not put anything fresh from the oven on the acrylic mug rug, or you will melt the fibers and risk burning yourself.
If you wanted to use a wool or synthetic, some great yarns I recommend are {wools} WeCrochet Swish, Lion Brand Wool Ease, {non-wools} WeCrochet Brava, and Red Heart Super Saver with an I9/5.5mm crochet hook.
I usually recommend jewelry pliers to use to help weave in ends, as cotton yarn can be quite tough on the fingers when weaving in with just fingers and a tapestry needle. Dishie Yarn is really smooth, and easy to weave the yarn in and out of.
How Long Does it Take to Crochet a C2C Mug Rug?
Just over half an hour.
Measurements:
7 1/4″ Wide by 5 1/4″ Tall
Gauge – Not Essential:
6 Boxes Wide by 6 Boxes Tall = 4 1/4″ by 4″
With the nature of this stitch pattern, the easiest way to measure is to do so in pattern. Measure the width (before the border), and this will be about 1/2″ smaller than finished width. Same goes for the height. You can easily add or take away boxes as you go.
Abbreviations (US Terms)
- DC – Double Crochet (Photo Tutorial)
- SC – Single Crochet (Photo Tutorial)
- C2C – Corner to Corner (Photo Tutorial for DC Boxes)
Pattern Notes:
Beginning chain 2 counts as a double crochet. Beginning chain 1 does not count as a stitch.
A box is comprised of four double crochet’s.
Working the final double crochet into the foundation chain from the previous row helps to keep the edge more even. After completing the first box, your edge may look a little wonky. You can use your fingers to manipulate the fabric, but the border will cover it up and it will look nice and straight.
The border adds about 1/2″ to the height and width. You can add more rounds of single crochet to increase the width and height with each round adding about the same 1/2″ (working the second round as a single crochet into each single crochet, 2 single crochets into each chain space, and the same corner increase in each corner chain space).
If you do not want to add a border, you may want to add 1 box to width and height to get closer to the finished measurements.
Through 08/31/23 at 11:59pm EST, you can grab a free copy of the PDF for the Colin Drew Mug Rug on Ravelry using code FREECROCHET202319. I earn my income from the number of pageviews my blog sees, so please do not share the code, but instead share the link to this post so others can find it. Thank you!
Colin Drew Mug Rug, Video Tutorial:
Colin Drew Mug Rug, Written Pattern:
Chain 6. DC into the 4th chain, and into each of the next 2. (1 Box)
R2: Chain 6, and turn. DC into the 4th, 5th and 6th chains. You now have an alligator mouth shape. Flip the bottom fabric so it’s mirrored and slip stitch into the top of the next chain 2, which is the stitch that is the most natural to work into when you lay your 2 boxes together. Chain 2. Looking at the next box, you see the stitches laying horizontally. Work 2 DC into the space in between the top 2 stitches. To help keep a straight edge, work the last DC into the foundation chain on the left side. (2 Boxes)
R3: (I) Chain 6, and turn. DC into the 4th chain, and into each of the next 2. Flip your fabric and slip stitch into the top of the next chain 2;
(II) Chain 2, work 3 DC into the space in between the top 2 stitches of the same box, slip stitch into the top of the next chain;
(III) Chain 2, work 2 DC into the space in between the top 2 stitches of the same box, DC into the foundation chain on the left side. (3 Boxes)
R4 – 7: Using Row 3 as a base, you will continue working in the same manner repeating (II) one extra time each row to increase the number of boxes by one each row. At the end of row 7, you will have 7 boxes.

Now the width is as wide as we want it to be, we will no longer be starting with a chain 6 width-wise (though we will continue to start with a chain 6 height-wise). Instead, each time we are starting from this side, we will chain 1 and slip stitch over, then begin with a chain 2 to form a straight edge.
If you want to add width here, you can work an additional row before beginning the decrease on this side.
R8: Chain 1, and turn. Slip stitch into the 2nd, 3rd and 4th stitches. Chain 2, work 3 DC into the space in between the top 2 stitches of the same box, slip stitch into the top of the next chain;
(chain 2, work 3 DC into the space in between the top 2 stitches of the same box, slip stitch into the top of the next chain) over to last box;
Chain 2, work 2 DC into the space in between the top 2 stitches of the same box, skip the next 3 DC, DC into the foundation chain on the left side. (7 Boxes)
We still want to add height, so when we are starting from this side, we will continue to begin with a chain 6 and work down to form the 1st box. As we work across this row, we will slip stitch to the last box, and not chain 2 to work an additional box on top (because the width is already as wide as we need it).
R9: Chain 6, and turn. DC into the 4th chain, and into each of the next 2. Flip your fabric and slip stitch into the top of the next chain 2;
(chain 2, work 3 DC into the space in between the top 2 stitches of the same box, slip stitch into the top of the next chain) over to the last box. (Same Number of Boxes)

Continue alternating these last two rows until you have 10 boxes tall counting vertically (not counting in pattern rows, just counting vertically from the first box). You will maintain the same number of boxes (counting width-wise).
Now the height is as tall as we want it to be, we will no longer be starting with a chain 6 at all. Regardless of the side, we will chain 1 and slip stitch over, then begin with a chain 2. With each row, the number of boxes will decrease by 1.
If you want to add height here, you can work an additional row before beginning the decrease on this side.
Remaining Rows Until You Have 3 Boxes Left: Chain 1, and turn. Slip stitch into the 2nd, 3rd and 4th stitches. Chain 2, work 3 DC into the space in between the top 2 stitches of the same box, slip stitch into the top of the next chain;
(chain 2, work 3 DC into the space in between the top 2 stitches of the same box, slip stitch into the top of the next chain) over to last box.
3 Boxes Left: Chain 1, and turn. Slip stitch into the 2nd, 3rd and 4th stitches. Chain 2, work 3 DC into the space in between the top 2 stitches of the same box, slip stitch into the top of the next chain, chain 2, work 3 DC into the space in between the top 2 stitches of the same box, slip stitch into the top of the next chain. (2 Boxes)
Last Row: Chain 1, and turn. Slip stitch into the 2nd, 3rd and 4th stitches. Chain 2, work 3 DC into the space in between the top 2 stitches of the same box, slip stitch into the top of the last stitch. (1 Box)

Border – basically it is 1 SC in the space in between each box, a chain 2 in between SCs over each box, and we’ll increase in each corner stitch.
For a more rounded corner, do (SC, chain 1, SC) or 3 SC, and for a more square corner, do (SC, chain 2, SC) or (SC, HDC, SC).
Chain 1, turn. SC into the space between the boxes just under your current place, chain 2, (SC, chain 3, SC) into the corner stitch, [chain 2, (SC into the space in between the next 2 boxes, chain 2) across, (SC, chain 3, SC) into the corner stitch, chain 2] 3x, chain 2, (SC into the space in between the next 2 boxes, chain 2) across until you’re back to the beginning, then join to the 1st SC.
Fasten off, and weave in ends.

Please feel free to make and sell your own items made using this pattern, but keep in mind, this written pattern and my photos are protected by copyright. Please DO NOT claim this pattern as your own nor should you sell my pattern. DO NOT re-publish my photos as your own. DO NOT copy and paste my pattern anywhere, link to it instead so other’s can visit. Making videos providing instructions how to make my projects on any social media platform is also not permitted.
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I love the look of C2C! This is such a nice project!
Thank you! One of my favorite stitch patterns.