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Striped Crochet Potholder Pattern
Create a charming striped potholder with alternating ridges and bold single-crochet accents. The textured design, made with Ecru and Red, adds a classic yet vibrant touch to any kitchen. You’ll work double crochets for the main body, adding back-ridge stitches for depth and single-crochet rows in red for striking stripes. These stripes, worked on alternating ridges, pop against the neutral background, providing both visual and tactile interest.
This potholder is crafted with double-thread size 10 crochet thread for durability, but you can substitute lightweight #1 yarn for similar results. The design includes space for padding or double-layer construction, making it both functional and decorative. A bone ring at the corner provides an easy way to hang this beautiful creation.
Perfect for vintage-style kitchens, this versatile design is a great project for gifts or personal use. With its sturdy texture and eye-catching stripes, it blends practical use with timeless charm.
About the Images
To help bring this design to life, we’ve included an AI-generated image of the finished pattern alongside the original vintage illustration. The original image highlights the charm and craftsmanship of the vintage design, while the AI rendering provides a detailed and colorized view of how the completed sweater will look. This combination ensures you have both a historical reference and a modern interpretation to guide you in your crafting journey.
This pattern is transformed, adapted, and expanded from a public domain design originally published in Potholders by The Spool Cotton Company Book No. 222 (1945). While the original design is in the public domain, the rewritten instructions and supplementary content on this site are © Tiffany Bliss Mullins, 2025. All rights reserved. Have questions about this pattern, public domain, or copyright? Visit the FAQ page for answers and resources.
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Striped Crochet Potholder Pattern
Materials:
- Size 10 crochet thread: 2 balls of Ecru and 1 ball of Red (the pattern originally used J. & P. Coats Crochet Cord).
- Optional substitution: If you prefer not to use 2 strands of size #10 thread, you can substitute with lightweight #1 yarn. Be sure to check your gauge and adjust your hook size as needed to match the pattern’s dimensions.
- Steel Crochet Hook No. 7.
- Bone ring.
Instructions:
Potholder Body
- Foundation Chain: Using Ecru, chain 60 (approximately 6½ inches).
- Row 1: Double crochet (dc) in the 4th chain from the hook and in each chain across. Chain 3, turn.
- Row 2 (Back Ridge Row): To make a double crochet behind the next dc, insert the hook from the back of the work between the 1st and 2nd dc, pass the hook across the next dc, and insert it (from front to back) between this and the next dc. Yarn over, pull up a loop, yarn over, and complete the stitch as a dc. Continue making a dc behind each dc across the row in the same manner, ending with a dc behind the turning chain. Chain 3, turn.
- Row 3 (Ordinary Row): Work a regular dc in the next and each dc across, ending with a dc in the top stitch of the turning chain. Chain 3, turn.
- Repeat Rows 2 and 3 alternately until the piece is square, ensuring there is an odd number of ridges, and ending with Row 3. Break off.
Adding Stripes
- Attach Red to the back loop of the first stitch on the 1st ridge and make single crochet (sc) in each stitch along the row. Break off.
- Work another row of sc on the free loops of the same ridge, ensuring the right sides of the sc rows face outward.
- Repeat this process on every other ridge only.
Make a second piece in the same manner.
Assembly
- Press the Red sc rows flat.
- For padding, cut flannel or cotton batting slightly smaller, and lining material slightly larger, than the crocheted piece.
- Place the padding between the crocheted piece and the lining. Turn under the edges of the lining and sew to the edges of the crocheted piece using neat over-and-over stitches.
- If making a double-layer potholder, insert padding between the two crocheted pieces and sew them together along the edges.
- Sew the bone ring onto the corner for hanging.
Finishing:
- Block the finished potholder for a neat and professional look.