I have another crochet project for you this week crochet potholders for beginners!
A couple of weeks ago, my mom requested that I figure out how to make a pair of potholders similar to the ones my great-grandmother made her over 50 years ago. I didn’t even have to ask which potholders she was referring to. I knew the pair well, as I witnessed them being used and used them myself my entire childhood. Through every move, in every military housing kitchen, those potholders were a constant.
These crochet potholders were thick, white, and made with tight stitches and a loop on one corner that was frayed from time and use.
So, I went to my yarn stash to see if I had a cotton yarn that would be suitable for the project. I selected the Cotton XXL by Yarn Bee. I have worked with it enough to know it would be a great weight for a set of crocheted potholders. I started working with it and it was perfect. It makes a thick potholder that will stand up to heat and the cotton is an easy, washable material that also stands up well to heat.
Crochet Potholders Supply List
- 9mm crochet hook – I love THESE, but THIS is the one I use in the video
- Yarn Bee Cotton XXL in White – Hobby Lobby
- Scissors – https://amzn.to/365S6LL
- Tapestry needle – https://amzn.to/2RrWrU7
- Safety pins or stitch markers – https://amzn.to/35WuitD
And here is the video tutorial showing how to make these super-simple crochet potholders…
You can download and print the PDF printable pattern for the Farmhouse-style crochet potholders HERE.
This is a great project for practicing your tension and to work on making even stitches. It’s also quick! I made one potholder in about 30 minutes…
Now I need to make a set of these crochet potholders for my mom!
In other crochet news, I have been working for weeks trying to figure out the best yarn and pattern to replicate some vintage glass cozies (we call them socks in my family) I bought at an antique store a few years ago and I finally have it figured out! I’ll share that pattern, the yarn, a video tutorial, and all of that good stuff next week.
And here are a few other crochet tutorials and resources…
Your post brought up memories of my beloved Grandma.
My grandmother was taught crochet as a child in Italy and was an an artist in filet crochet using #10 thread and a tiny steel hook. She often worked without a pattern making items depicting flowers or people. She made small items like antimacassar sets and large ones like double bedspreads. One of my cherished possessions is the poster size filet crochet panel depicting the Nativity scene which was her Christmas present to me when I was five.
I have several glass cozies made by her in #20 colorful, variegated threads in lacy patterns. In the days before A/C, these were essential to keep condensation from cold drinks ruing the nice furniture.
Yet her most enduring crochet pieces may be the hotpads. Grandma made hotpads for the table from the string and twine she saved from parcels and packages. You can see the various materials like sturdy postal string and the twine form bakery boxes she incorporated in them. These hotpads are still in use today and going strong. My sister daily uses the ones that Grandma gave Mom when we moved to our house in 1956 and as well as some inherited ones (maybe 70 or more years in use) that Grandma and then our aunt used.
Wow, Chris, I love your post! This is an amazing story about your grandmother! I had an Italian grandmother, too, but have no treasures from her. As Lisa P says below, pictures of your grandmother’s work would be a delight to see!
Chris, what wonderful treasures your grandmother created for your family! I’m sure that I am not the only one who would LOVE to see photos (especially those hotpads)!
Thank you, Marian, for the tutorial. Inspiring and encouraging as always!
For those who don’t have the thicker yarn, you can use 2 strands of worsted weight crocheted together. I have also made many Potholders by crocheting two in the same pattern and then joining them to make one by single crocheting the edges together.
Like Chris’s grandmother, i learned crochet at age 10. I crocheted doilies with size 12 steel hooks and thin thread. I also crocheted a lace tablecloth which I still have.
Thank you Shirley as I haven’t been able to find the yarn that Marian suggested….it’s all out of stock.
Thank you for sharing, Marian! This has given me a grand idea! I was cleaning our church kitchen today and happened to go in the potholder drawer…ewwwww! I was chatting with a “senior” friend of mine last week and she mention that she didn’t have any projects to work on. Aha! I know our church kitchen would be receiving quite the blessing if she would consider a potholder project and she would be blessed by using her gift for her church and her Lord!! Thanks again for the details, video, and idea!!! 🙂
So, I just had to let you know that today I threw out all of the musty old stained hot pads that we have had in the church kitchen for far tooooo many years! In their place are THIRTY beautiful newly crocheted potholders in a rainbow of colors! Thanks for the idea, Marian. And thanks to some very sweet friends who put a lot of love into each stitch! 🙂
Wondeful timing.Just started to dig out my hooks and yarns from 20 years ago.You now put a fire in me to start again.Thanks.:)
I love the potholders! So thick and chunky!
On a totally separate note, I would love it if you shared the recipe for the soup in the copper pot!
Thanks for all of your inspiring work!
Yep, I can do that. It’s chicken and wild rice soup. I just throw this and that in, so I’ll have to nail down the measurements, so I can share it.
I’m anxious to try my hand at this- as well as a dishcloth per your instruction. Thank you for sharing! My Mom tried to teach me to tat, as her mother had taught her, but it’s so time-consuming! Is that something you’d ever try?
No, I haven’t even looked into tatting, yet! 🙂
I agree that you have inspired me to dust off my crochet hooks. I have recently been going through my mom’s closets (I waited 6 years after her passing) and have found so many treasures that my MawMaw crocheted: needlepoint pocketbooks, baby clothes, afgans and even beaded necklaces. I’m passing along to cousins who may not have as many of these precious items.
Thank you Marian. I will be making these. A really fun way to learn new stitches is to join a CAL (crochet along) group on FB or through blogs. You learn a new stitch each week until the project is completed. The group provides support and encouragement too. Keep these patterns coming- they’re so great!!!
Hooray! Another project for this beginner. Now I just need clear roads so I can get to the yarn shop. Thank you!
Thank you for this pattern. I’m adding these to my gift ideas. This past Christmas I made all rugs for my grandchildren and niece. I am planning on making market bags and soap scrubby bags for gifts this year. As a family, we try to give homemade gifts like crochet, sewing, baking, jams etc for Christmas and birthdays.
Oh thank you Marian! Am enjoying a renewed interest in crochet since you started sharing and t hff e pot holder is next…blessings
How many potholders do you get from a skein?
I get one potholder but have some leftover yarn. It’s not enough to make another one, but two skeins would probably make 3 potholders.
Thank you for this tutorial, Marian! I admired your crochet potholders in a previous post so much I went out and bought some chunky wool in white to do the same. I have tried crocheting before and find knitting easier, but I am ready to try again—much appreciated!
I am so disappointed that the cotton yarn is out of stock! We will have to look for a substitute.
I just purchased the yarn you recommended for the crochet dishcloth and am looking forward to that project. Since the yarn for the potholder is out of stock, can I use the dishcloth yarn? I’d like to try this project as well.