I have to thank my wonderful mother-in-law for providing the inspiration for this project! She recently sent me one of her favorite, handmade potholders. Hers was crocheted, likely by some lovely friend or family member. The pretty stripes and simple design inspired me to create my own knit version.
Don't blink, because the stitch pattern for this one is an easy linen stitch worked in the round.
Materials
- 1 - 2.5 oz skein of Lily Sugar 'n Cream Stripes in Natural Stripes
- Clover Takumi US size 5 circular needles
- stitch marker
- tapestry needle
Gauge
To ensure the fabric is nice and firm, you will need to use needles that are slightly smaller than recommended on the yarn label.
24 sts or 36 rows = 4 inches in linen stitch
Finished Dimensions
approximately 7 inches square
Abbreviations
co - cast on
k - knit
yf - yarn to the front
yb - yarn to the back
Directions
CO 119 sts leaving a long tail.
Place a stitch marker at the beginning of the round. However, there's no need to count rounds.
*K1, yf, sl 1, yb* repeat until the piece measures 1/4 of the total cast on length ending at the stitch marker. Continue in the stitch pattern for 30 stitches (that's 1/4 of a round in case you are wondering).
My cast on edge was 19 3/4 inches around, so I worked the stitch pattern until my piece was slightly less than 5 inches from the from the cast on edge.
Bind off all stitches leaving a long tail. Notice that the yarn tails are offset.
Fold the cast on edge in half so that the yarn tail is at the beginning of the fold. Like magic, the cast on and bound off edges form perpendicular diagonals on the front and back of the potholder.
Use the first yarn tail to join the cast on edge. Then use the other yarn tail to join the bound off edge.
Of course, make sure to be careful when you are using potholders and working around hot pans and dishes in the kitchen because you don't want to burn yourself.
A printable version of my Grammy's Favorite Potholders Pattern is available in my pattern shop. Happy knitting!
