The rope knot doorstop from Ballard Designs. A rope napkin ring set I saw at the grocery store. A jute-wrapped chandelier at Jamie Young. All of them were giving me a serious longing for something nautical this summer, so I searched online until I found this knot trivet DIY on Design*Sponge. The 14 feet of quarter-inch sisal rope I picked up at the hardware store was only $3.97, which should make three coasters, but it took me about four tries to get the hang of it. While I love the texture of the sisal, in hindsight, I should have stuck with simple cotton, as shown in the original DIY photo, top. I’ll give that a go on my next try. For now, though, I’m happy with the results. Working on any nautical-inspired projects of your own? — Sarah L.