Textured Potholder - Free Crochet Pattern

Textured Potholder – Free Crochet Pattern. There’s something a bit retro about a pot holder. Most modern homes, in the UK at least, favour oven gloves.

The first time I ever came across a potholder, other than the ones I’d only half noticed on Ravelry, was in a cottage I’d rented in Belgium with some friends. I was rooting through the drawers looking for a tea towel and in the process found a smallish square of beautifully crocheted cotton. It was a relatively fine cotton, made with a small hook making a dense yet still flexible fabric. At the time I was an avid knitter and not so much into crochet but it was still obvious that this item had been made with great care and skill and although it was clearly quite old, it was still going strong. Throughout the holiday, it was an unexpected pleasure to use the pot holder for various tasks round the kitchen. From taking off the hot lids of pans, protecting my hands from overheated metal frying pan handles, to removing hot trays from the oven and avoiding burn marks by using as a trivet on the wooden table, it didn’t take me long to realize that this unassuming kitchen accessory was far more versatile than the oven gloves I was used to.

Then there was the pondering about the potholder’s origin. Who made it? How long ago? Was it someone’s gran? Maybe a young girl learning to crochet? Perhaps it was made by a man? How did it get here?

Since then, I have made many different versions of pot holders, even using them as small starter project in my beginner’s classes. And here is my latest pot holder pattern which I’m offering here for free so that you too can become a potholder convert!

Important Safety Notes

Most of what I’m about to write, probably goes without saying, but just to be on the safe side, I will say it!
1. Make sure you use a natural fiber such as cotton or wool – synthetic & acrylic yarns are not only bad for the environment but can also become a hot sticky and extremely dangerous mess when accidentally set alight – think hot burning jam on your skin!
2. If you are making a single thickness pot holder, make sure you have a dense enough stitch structure so that your fingers won’t accidentally poke through the fabric when you are handling hot items. For this reason, I find finer yarns work better than thicker yarns.
3. Make sure the pot holder is large enough for your hand.
4. Weave in all ends before use! Otherwise you risk the dangling bits of thread catching alight.