Knit Potholders Two Ways

I am on a mega potholder kick right now — mostly because they’re so easy to customize and super quick to make (I finished each of these in about 3-4 hours).

This crafty obsession of mine all started with these knit potholder/ trivets. I made them two different ways and both are very beginner friendly. You should be comfortable with the basic knit stitch and for the second pattern, simple increases and decreases in knit stitch.

These patterns are super adaptable to the yarn you have on hand. The biggest yarn requirement though: heat tolerance. You’ll want something nice and thick like a bulky weight yarn. If you have a lighter yarn, you can knit with double strands to make it thicker. Since it doesn’t require a whole lot of yarn, it’s a great stash busting project.

For these pot holders you will need:

• Less than 70 yards of yarn (see yarn requirements)

• Size US 7 or 8 knitting needles

• size 6 crochet hook (optional)
  
  

Yarn Requirements:

As I mentioned above, the big one here is heat tolerance. The first set I made with a bulky weight yarn (size US 8 needles) and they easily passed the heat test. For the white with orange pattern, I wanted to use up some scraps I had of a worsted yarn. To adapt to this, simple knit double stranded for a tighter fabric and more heat tolerance.

For one 8” square, single knit potholder, I used about 55 yards of bulky yarn.

Diagonal Stripes

Horizontal stripes

This version of the pattern is just a tad trickier because it involves increases and decreases. If you’ve never done these before, I’ve linked some helpful tutorials below. It’s a pretty common knitting technique so it’s useful to learn on a simple flat piece like this.

1. Cast on 3 stitches.

2. Knit 1 into the first stitch, increase into the second stitch (k1f&b), knit for the rest of the row. Turn and repeat this pattern until you have 35 stitches on your needle.

3. Knit one row regularly.

4. Now we start the decreases. Knit 1 into the first stitch, slip 2 stitches and knit into both (SSK), knit for the rest of the row. Turn and repeat this pattern until you have 1 stitch left on your hook.

Reference videos for this pattern: Increase (K1f&b), Decrease (SSK)

For this pattern, you simply knit a square to the size of your choice in garter stitch. The instructions below can be altered for different sizes

1. Cast on 35 stitches.

2. Now knit one into each stitch until the end of the row. Turn your work and continue. This is called the garter stitch.

   For a neater edge, I like to slip the first stitch of each row purl-wise.

3. Repeat step 2 until your pot holder is a perfect square (you can check by folding your finished work in half diagonally to see if the corners line up)

4. Cast off.

Reference videos for this pattern: Cast On, Garter Stitch, Slip a Stitch, Cast Off

For both patterns

Finish off your potholder by cutting the end of your yarn and pulling your final stitch through to secure it. Weave in the loose ends with a tapestry needle.

To create a simple loop for hanging, insert a crochet hook into your final stitch before pulling through and make a chain of 15-20 stitches. When you’re satisfied with the length of your chain, cut the end of your yarn and pull the end through to secure it. Fold the chain in a loop shape and use the loose end of your yarn to sew the loop in place.

Zero-Waste Terrazzo Effect

The second time I made this pattern, I wanted to use up some scraps from a sweater I’m working on. I am loving this technique because it creates such a beautifully unarranged pattern and I get to use up something that would otherwise be trash.

The base of my pattern is knit with 2 strands of white worsted yarn. It’s actually two different shades of white, but I quite enjoy the way they subtly twist in and out of the pattern and create a little more dimension. To incorporate the colored strands, just tie a single knot at the base of the next stitch and continue knitting as normal. This means that some stitches are knit with 3 strands (both white strands we started with, plus a colored strand). This ended up being the easiest way to do this, with the least amount of loose ends to sew in at the end.

I’ve already started stocking up on these to give as handmade gifts this holiday season! I’m thinking a nice bottle of olive oil, some home grown herbs and a set of hand-made potholders — a gift your loved one will use forever (or the perfect upgrade to the old oven mitts in your kitchen!)

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