Tulip Potholder

Crochet potholders make great gifts and they are art objects on their own. The Tulip Potholder is an endless square which can be grown into a baby blanket or even large square throw. You can use any yarn and any colors, and this project can also become a great stash buster. But if you would like to make a potholder, please, use 100% cotton yarn.

Tutorials

• Chain
• Single Crochet (sc)
• Double Crochet (dc)

Yarn

Yarn in 4 colors. I used Catona by Scheepjes in shades 251 (46g), 205 (16g), 263 (14g), 257 (10g)

Color Key:  

• C1 – Rose (251)
• C2 – Green (205)
• C3 – Pink (263)
• C4 – Beige (257)

Hook

Crochet hook 2.75mm (C) or size needed to obtain acceptable gauge. (Please, feel free to choose another yarn weight and the appropriate hook to get larger or smaller potholder).

Notions

Scissors

Tapestry needle to weave in ends.

Size

The size of the finished potholder depends on the yarn and hook you use, and you can easily adjust it. My potholder is approx. 23cm (9”) large.

Gauge

Not critical for this pattern.

Abbreviations

Please see our Standard Crochet Abbreviations.
US standard abbreviations are used in this pattern.

NJ – needle join

Important Notes

• Attaching new yarn. New yarn is attached by simply pulling a loop of new color in the indicated st and making ch1/ch2, which doesn’t count as a st. 1^st st of the rnd is made in same st as join (unless otherwise stated in the pattern).
• Needle join. Some rounds are finished with a needle join (NJ). I use a hook instead of a needle to join.

1. Fasten yarn off leaving a long tail approx. 10 cm (4 inches). Insert hook under “V” (both loops) of the indicated st from the back to front, yo the yarn tail and pull it through lps.
2. Insert hook under BL of the last stitch of the last Rnd from back to front, yo the yarn tail and pull it through BL.

If you use this technique, you give the stitch at the beginning of the round a new BL and FL. Weave in the end and clip it close to the surface of the piece. Please, read more information about the needle join and weaving in yarn tails as-you-go.

• Skipping sts. Dtr2tog’s stitches “hide” the stitches on the background and this is the reason, sc of the working round should be skipped.

Instructions

Top part:

Rnd 1:  (RS) With C1 make magic ring, ch2 (doesn’t count as dc here and throughout), *3dc in magic ring, ch2* 4 times, tighten the ring, finish with ss in 1^st dc after ch2. [12 dc, 4 ch2-sps]

Rnd 2: Ch2, *3dc (1^st dc is made in same st as join here and throughout), (2dc, ch2, 2dc) in next ch2-sp* 4 times, finish with ss in 1^st dc after ch2, turn. [7 dc on each side, 4 ch2-sps]

Rnd 3: (WS) Ch1, skip ss, *1sc in each st until ch2-sp, (1sc, ch2, 1sc) in next ch2-sp* 4 times, 1sc in each st to end making last sc in same st as join; NJ in 2^nd sc after ch1, turn [9 sc on each side, 4 ch2-sps]

Rnd 4: (RS) Change to C2. Attach yarn in any sc (BL) just after ch2-sp. Work in BLO!

Ch2, *1dc in each st until next ch2-sp, (2dc, ch2, 2dc) in next ch2-sp* 4 times, join with ss in 1^st dc after ch2, turn. [13 dc on each side, 4 ch2-sps]

Rnd 5: Continue with C2. As Rnd 3. [15 sc on each side, 4 ch2-sps]

Rnd 6: (RS) Change to C3. Attach yarn in any sc just after ch2-sp.

Ch1, *1sc in each st until next ch2-sp, (1sc, ch2, 1sc) in next ch2-sp* 4 times, join with ss in 1^st sc after ch1, turn. [17 sc on each side, 4 ch2-sps]

Rnd 7. Continue with C3. As Rnd 3. [19 sc on each side, 4 ch2-sps]

Rnd 8. (RS) Change to C1. Attach yarn in any sc (BL) just after ch2-sp. Work in BLO.

Ch2, *1dc in each st until next ch2-sp, (2dc, ch2, 2dc) in next ch2-sp* 4 times, NJ in 2^nd dc after ch2. [23 dc on each side, 4 ch2-sps]

Rnd 9: (RS) Change to C4. Attach yarn in any dc just after ch2-sp. Please, feel free to either make tr2tog’s or dtr2tog’s on this rnd.

Note 1 (valid for 1^st (d)tr2tog in each repeat): make 1^st leg in 1^st sc of rnd 7 just after ch2-sp, sk 5 sts on rnd 7 and make 2^nd leg in next st of rnd 7.

Note 2 (valid for all the rest (d)tr2tog’s): make 1^st leg in same st of rnd 7 as previous leg, sk 5 sts on rnd 7, make 2^nd leg in next st of rnd 7.

Note 3: While making each (d)tr2tog insert the hook under both lps of sts on rnd 7 (see pics below)

Ch1,*[ 5sc, 1(d)tr2tog, sk 1 st on rnd 8] repeat until 5 sts are left before next ch2-sp, 5sc, (1sc, ch2, 1sc) in next ch2-sp* 4 times, finish with ss in 1^st sc after ch1, turn. [25 sts on each side, 4 ch2-sps]

Rnd 10: Continue with C4. As Rnd 3. [27 sc on each side, 4 ch2-sps]

Rnd 11: Change to C2. As Rnd 4. [31 dc on each side, 4 ch2-sps]

Rnd 12: Continue with C2. As Rnd 3. [33 sc on each side, 4 ch2-sps]

Rnds 13-14: With C1. As Rnds 6-7. [37 sc on each side, 4 ch2-sps]

Rnd 15: With C3. As Rnd 8. [41 dc on each side, 4 ch2-sps]

Rnd 16-17: With C2. As Rnds 9-10. [45 sc on each side, 4 ch2-sps]

Rnd 18: With C4. As Rnd 4. [49 dc on each side, 4 ch2-sps]

If you would like to grow your square, leave out Rnd 18 and repeat Rnds 4-11 as many times as needed changing yarn according to your taste.

Bottom Layer

Rnd 1:  (RS) With C1 make magic ring, ch2 (doesn’t count as dc here and throughout), *3dc in magic ring, ch2* 4 times, tighten the ring, finish with ss in 1^st dc after ch2. [12 dc, 4 ch2-sps]

Rnd 2: Ch2, *3dc (1^st dc is made in same st as join), (2dc, ch2, 2dc) in next ch2-sp* 4 times, finish with ss in 1^st dc after ch2. [7 dc on each side, 4 ch2-sps]

Rnds 3-9: Ch2, *1dc in each st until next ch2-sp, (2dc, ch2, 2dc) in next ch2-sp* 4 times, 1dc in each st to end, finish with ss in 1^st dc after ch2. [after Rnd 9 – 35 dc on each side, 4 ch2-sps]

Rnds 10-12: Ch2, *1hdc in each st until next ch2-sp, (2hdc, ch2, 2hdc) in next ch2-sp* 4 times, 1hdc in each st to end, finish with ss in 1^st hdc after ch2. [after Rnd 12 – 47 hdc on each side, 4 ch2-sps]

Rnd 13: Ch1, *1sc in each st until next ch2-sp, (1sc, ch2, 1sc) in next ch2-sp* 4 times, 1sc in each st to end, NJ in 2^nd sc after ch1. [49 sc on each side, 4 ch2-sps]

Joining

To join top and bottom layers of the potholder put wrong sides facing each other. Work joining rnd in C3 (with sc) on RS of top part inserting the hook through both lps of the last rnd of both layers.

You can also make a loop while putting your potholder together: continue with sc until you come to any ch2-sp, make (1sc, ch10, 1sc) in this ch2-sp forming a loop. Continue with the joining rnd until the end, finish with a ss in the first sc of joining rnd, don’t fasten off, turn. Ch1, sk ss, 1sc in each st and ch2-sp around till you come to the loop. Make 15sc into the loop and continue with sc to the end making last sc in same st as join; NJ in 2^nd sc after ch1.

Congratulations! Your Tulip potholder is now finished!