Pattern for my coaster (new version):
Ch 10 stitches.
* Ch 3 (to count as first dc), dc in next 9 ch stitches.
Ch 1 (to count as first sc), sc in next 9 dc.
Repeat from * 3 more times.
Ch 3 (to count as first dc), dc in next 8 sc.
In next stitch (2 dc, ch, 2dc)
You should now be working down the left side of the coaster and the next stitch is the last dc of row 7.
Work 2 dc around the last dc in row 7, 1 dc around the last sc of row 6.
Continue in this fashion until you have completed 2 dc around the last dc in row 1.
Finish off. Feed both the starting and ending end through the final loop.
I'm still learning to knit and created a swatch to figure out how to increase and decrease and have come to the conclusion that decreasing is much easier. I was able to memorize how to decrease after a couple of rows. After more than a dozen rows of increases, I'm still looking at the diagrams for every single increase stitch.