20+ Pot Holders To Make

Here’s a nice mix of crochet & knit patterns for pot holders and hot pads that I’ve gathered from my bookmarks and found online. To keep things organized, I’ve separated them into two sections for easy browsing plus added a few vintage patterns at the bottom (all crochet), enjoy!

Crochet

Knitting

For free sewing patterns, see this big list here.

Kitschy Teacups

*First published October 30, 2011 and moved to this page for better organization

Oh I had fun making these! If you like kitschy kitchen stuff, this is a pattern you’ll want to tuck into your files…they’re surprisingly easy to make and quick to whip up.

They measure a generous 9″ wide and 7 3/4″ tall (widest points, excluding handles) and are a double layer for extra protection (you make two pieces per potholder and sew them together). You can line them with extra padding if you wish (I didn’t). The teacup handle functions as its hanger.

(made with dishcloth cotton yarn)

Teacup Base

• Starting at bottom with 1st color, ch 14.
• 1st row: H dc in 3rd ch from hook, sc in same ch, sc in each ch across, in last ch make sc and h dc (14 sts). Ch 3, turn.
• 2nd, 3rd and 4th rows: In first st make h dc and sc; sc in each st across, making sc, h dc and dc in last st or turning ch, as the case may be. Ch 3, turn. At the end of the 4th row, ch 1 (instead of ch 3), turn.
• 5th row: 2 sc in 1st st, sc in each st across. Ch 1, turn. Repeat 5th row until there are 37 sts on row. Work straight for 5 rows. Fasten off. Attach 2nd color. Ch 3, turn.

Band

• 1st row: 2 dc in same place where 2nd color was attached (half shell), * skip 2 sts, sc in next st, skip 2 sts, 5 dc in next st (shell). Repeat from * across, ending with 3 dc in last st (half shell). Ch 1, turn.
• 2nd row: Sc in 1st dc, * shell in next sc, sc in center st of next shell. Repeat from * across, ending with sc in top st of turning ch. Ch 3, turn.
• 3rd row: Half shell in sc, * sc in center st of next shell, shell in next sc. Repeat from * across, ending with half shell. Ch 1, turn. Repeat 2nd and 3rd rows again. Fasten off 2nd color. Attach 1st color, ch 2, turn.
• Next row: Work sc in each dc and h dc in each sc across (37 sts). Ch 1, turn.
• Following row: Sc in each st across. Ch 1, turn. Repeat last row 2 times. Fasten off.
• Embroider lazy daisy flowers on edges of border (I just did three petals in the example pieces). Make another piece same as this.

Handle

• With 1st color ch 6.
• 1st row: Sc in 2nd ch from hook and in each ch across (5 sts). Ch 1, turn.
• 2nd row: Sc in each st across. Ch 1, turn. Repeat 2nd row until piece measures 6″. Fasten off. Fold in half and whip long edges together.

Place padding between two potholder pieces (optional). Pin ends of handle in place and whip edges together neatly, using self colors.

Make another pot holder same as this, reversing colors.

Source: This pattern is based on a vintage pattern from 1943 that was designed to use crochet thread, I’ve made some tweaks so that it will work with today’s dishcloth cotton yarn.

Update: Whoops! I didn’t note the hook size…I’m sure I used an “H” 5.00 mm but it may have been a “G” 4.00 mm since I have both hooks in that project bag (was intending on starting another set). I’m sorry I missed that, I’ll be more careful to note the hook size in the future!

Vintage Booklet

These were previously published on separate pages here on Tipnut (January 4, 2008 and March 14, 2008) and moved to this page for better organization.

Do you love kitschy kitchen items? Retro kitchen accessories? Then you’ll love these crochet patterns, I believe they’re from the 1940s (1944). They were very creative with crochet designs back in the day .

For the first pattern, I thought it was a potholder set depicting a sugar bowl and creamer, but I’m leaning more now toward a teapot and a sugar bowl? Not sure, but it’s quite a charming set that has a very retro feel to it. The teapot (or creamer) has a clock face and the sugar bowl has a cartoon expression.

You can download the full pattern here (pdf): Sugar Bowl & Creamer Set.

The printout text for the pattern may be a bit too small for some of you to read, you can adjust this by zooming in on the pdf or scanning a larger copy for yourself. I did the best I could with the print quality and I’m able to read it myself, but I can see the text size & clarity being a problem for some.

The recipe on the pattern page is the following:

Parsley Puffs

1 bunch of parsley
1 egg
2 tsp flour
1 TBS water
1 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper

• Wash parsley and break into small sprigs and put in ice water to crisp. Separate egg; to the beaten yolk, add flour, water, and seasonings, and beat until thoroughly mixed. Then fold in egg whites beaten stiff. Dip the parsley sprigs into this batter and fry in deep fat at 390°F until golden brown. Drain and serve hot. This is a tempting garnish for meats.

For this second pattern, I did a better job this time with the print quality and compiling the information (I hope!). This is a set of three crochet patterns, but with a unique twist–they also have appliquéd fruit on top. There are no patterns for the fruit items, they are to be your own design. But I’ve included a large picture on the download file of the finished items so you can get a better idea of what the potholders can look like.

The download file is in pdf, here: 3 Pattern Set. There’s one pattern per page.

If you’d like to try the recipe included on the pattern page, here it is:

Iced Fruit Soup

1 cup orange juice
1 cup canned pineapple juice
3/4 cup grapefruit juice
1 TBS arrowroot or cornstarch
1/3 cup cold water
1/4 cup sugar
5 cloves
2 inch piece cinnamon
1/8 tsp salt

• Add cloves and cinnamon to orange and grapefruit juices. Let stand several hours or overnight in a cool place. Bring pineapple juice to boiling point. Cook 3 minutes, add sugar, salt, and fruit juices. Strain, pack in ice and salt, or in drawer of refrigerator until very cold. Serves 4 or 6.

These patterns come from the book “STAR Pot Holders”, Book No. 32, American Thread Company. Feel free to share the files if you like, I just ask that you keep the Tipnut information intact, thank you .