Sometimes you just want a nice, easy, and relatively quick knitting project to relax with for an afternoon. These free knit potholder patterns are just the ticket! There are plenty of shapes, colors, and stitches to choose from, so you are sure to find something that interests you.
If you are new to the wonderful world of knitting, then knit potholder patterns are a great place to start. You can practice basic knit stitches and keeping your tension consistent while producing something that you will actually use. After all, you really can never have too many potholders.
Some folks may think that knit potholder patterns would be boring, but there are plenty of more interesting designs out there if you are looking for a challenge. These quick projects are perfect for practicing new stitches and techniques on a smaller scale before graduating to larger, more-complicated projects. We are featuring a few patterns today that use different colorwork and construction techniques that you may want to practice.
A popular addition that I’m loving is to add a piece of leather to the corner of the potholder. This makes a little leather handle that is perfect for hanging your potholder when it’s not in use.
What Kind of Yarn Should I Use for Potholders?
You might be wondering what is the best kind of yarn to use for knit potholder patterns. Many patterns call for cotton yarn because it holds up well to high temperatures and is generally quite hard-wearing and long-lasting.
You can throw cotton yarn in the washing machine, which is great because potholders can get dirty and need machine washing. (Sometimes hand wash just doesn’t cut it!)
Another common yarn used for knitting potholders is wool, especially if the finished potholder is going to be felted. The felting process can reduce the size of holes between stitches to practically nonexistent, making the potholder even more effective at keeping your hands and surfaces free from burns.
Are you ready to see these knit potholder patterns for yourself? Scroll down and prepare to be inspired!
Double-Thick Pot Holder
The diagonal construction of these double-thick potholders may look intimidating, but this pattern is actually very easy. All you have to do is a basic garter stitch in the round. You’ll knit a long tube and then fold it and seam it. That doesn’t sound so bad, does it?
Designer: Daniella Taylor for Purl Soho
Yarn: Purl Soho Sunshower Cotton (Worsted Weight #4)
Click here for the free knitting pattern!
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Cat Playtime Potholder
There are plenty of knit potholder patterns out there that employ the double knitting technique to create fun pictures or patterns on the surface of the work. The neat thing about this technique is that the opposite side shows the same image, just with the colors reversed. This playful cat potholder is perfect for feline lovers.
Designer: Nifty Knitter Designs
Yarn: Lion Brand 24/7 Cotton (Worsted Weight #4)
Click here for the free knitting pattern!
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Bubbling Hot
Bobble stitches add tons of texture and dimension to this cheery red potholder. They are not only interesting to look at, but they also increase the thickness and efficacy of the potholder. The flat border around all sides is done in basic garter stitch. The finished project is felted after knitting.
Designer: DROPS Design
Yarn: Garnstudio DROPS Eskimo (Super Bulky Weight #6)
Click here for the free knitting pattern!
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Da Love
These heart-shaped potholders would be a lovely addition to the tablescape for a romantic dinner, especially for special occasions like anniversaries or Valentine’s Day. You could also use this pattern to make a nicely sized spa washcloth. The piece is knit in garter stitch from the corner using the mitered technique.
Designer: Nelkin Designs
Yarn: Harrisville Designs Highland (Worsted Weight #4)
Click here for the free knitting pattern!
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Toasty Plus Potholder
If you have never attempted stranded colorwork before, this might be the kick in the pants that you need. With only 2 colors and a simple geometric design, this potholder is an excellent introduction to this technique. You’ll knit in the round to make a tube and then seam the open sides together to form a double thick square.
Designer: Hannah Maier for Knit Picks
Yarn: Knit Picks Dishie Solids (Worsted Weight #4)
Click here for the free knitting pattern!
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Mitered Hot Pads
A bit of knitting magic turns a long tube into a perfectly flat square that’s double-thick in this clever potholder design. The designer doesn’t list a specific yarn but they recommend using a sturdy, washable wool or cotton. Introducing a second color into the equation really highlights the diagonal lines of the stitchwork.
Designer: Knit-Zilla
Yarn: (Worsted Weight #4)
Click here for the free knitting pattern!
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Magic Stripes Hot Pad
Talk about stitch witchery! A clever bit of slip stitch knitting creates vertical stripes on one side of the work and horizontal stripes on the other side. If that sounds like a mystery you’d love to unravel, then why not give this quick potholder pattern a try?
Designer: Sara H. Baldwin
Yarn: Pisgah Yarn & Dyeing Co. Peaches & Creme Solids (Worsted Weight #4)
Click here for the free knitting pattern!
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Hot Heart
The hot heart potholder is very similar to the bobble and garter stitch potholder we mentioned earlier in the knit potholder patterns round-up. It uses the same super bulky weight yarn and it is felted at the end. I still wanted to include it to give you a spark of inspiration for ways you could jazz up that basic design. Add a second color into the mix to make a heart shape on the surface.
Designer: DROPS Design
Yarn: Garnstudio DROPS Snow (Super Bulky Weight #6)
Click here for the free knitting pattern!
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Coffee and Tea Potholders
Do you prefer coffee or tea? You can have them both with this neat potholder design. It uses the double knitting technique to make the image of a coffee cup or the image of a teapot. The image is the same on the opposite side, just with the colors reversed.
Designer: Gravityslave
Yarn: Lion Brand Fishermen’s Wool (Worsted Weight #4)
Click here for the free knitting pattern!
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Sunflower Prayers Potholder
This knit potholder pattern is extra special. It uses the blue and yellow colors of the Ukrainian flag to create a beautiful two-tone sunflower with the double knitting technique. It was designed to show support for Ukraine during the Russian invasion.
Designer: The Knitting Coach
Yarn: Cotton Kings Cotton 8/4 (Fingering Weight #1)
Click here for the free knitting pattern!
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Citrus Fruit Potholder
Now we’re thinking outside the box! Not all knit potholder patterns have to be square, you know. These special round potholders resemble slices of sweet citrus fruit. Special techniques involve short rows and intarsia colorwork. You could make them look like oranges, grapefruits, lemons, or limes!
Designer: Knitting and So On
Yarn: (DK Weight #3)
Click here for the free knitting pattern!
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Tea Party
If you’ve been dreaming of making an intricate fair-isle sweater, then maybe start with this potholder pattern instead. It will help you develop a good footing in the stranded colorwork technique before you dive into larger, more complicated patterns.
Designer: DROPS Design
Yarn: Garnstudio DROPS Paris (Aran Weight #4)
Click here for the free knitting pattern!
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Folksy Hot Pads
The bold geometric design of the Folksy Hot Pads was inspired by modern quilting. Using the double knitting technique, the colorful array of square and triangle shapes are built up stitch by stitch. There are 2 different designs to choose from – the larger black and pink one on the left or the smaller gold and white one on the right.
Designer: Shelli Can
Yarn: Cascade Yarns ® Cascade 220® (Worsted Weight #4)
Click here for the free knitting pattern!
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Sunny & Warm
Texture is a welcome addition in almost any knitting project, but especially in knit potholder patterns. The extra dimension that texture adds is perfect for keeping hot pots elevated from surfaces. The waffle-like texture of the Sunny & Warm potholders is created through a combination of knitting into previous rows, dropping stitches, and lifting loops up around stitches.
Designer: DROPS Design
Yarn: Garnstudio DROPS Paris (Aran Weight #4)
Click here for the free knitting pattern!
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Afternoon Trivet
You don’t have to do anything special to make a really nice basic potholder like this one. New and seasoned knitters alike will appreciate the straightforward simplicity of this design. The piece is knit double stranded in garter stitch. The icord is knit separately and then attached around the sides to form the border and hanging loop.
Designer: Knit Julep
Yarn: Lion Brand Comfy Cotton Blend (DK Weight #3)
Click here for the free knitting pattern!
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Jamie’s Potholders
One easy way to make your knit potholders extra sturdy is to hold multiple strands of yarn at the same time. The pattern for Jamie’s Potholders is knit in rows of garter stitch using 3 strands of worsted weight yarn held together. This produces a very thick and dense fabric that’s perfect for protecting your hands and surfaces.
Designer: DROPS Design
Yarn: Garnstudio DROPS Paris (Aran Weight #4)
Click here for the free knitting pattern!
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Hot Potholder
There’s something about this basic potholder design that’s very aesthetically pleasing. Maybe it’s the striping detail or maybe it’s the handsomely buttoned hanging loops in a contrasting color. Who knew that something made with the humble garter stitch could look this good?
Designer: Ute Rehner
Yarn: Rowan Creative Linen (DK Weight #3)
Click here for the free knitting pattern!
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Hanabi Potholder
It’s almost a shame to hide this potholder away underneath a hot pan. The beautiful star-like design is a work of art and it’s sure to make you smile every time you see it. Special techniques for this design include short rows, intarsia colorwork and grafting in garter stitch.
Designer: Knitting and So On
Yarn: (Aran Weight #4)
Click here for the free knitting pattern!
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Pot Holder
2 colors of cotton yarn join forces to create an attractive waffle-like lattice on the surface of this cheery potholder. It may look complicated, but the pattern calls for just knit and slip stitches. There aren’t even any purl stitches so you really have no excuse for not giving this one a try!
Designer: Paintbox Yarns
Yarn: Paintbox Yarns Recycled Cotton Worsted (Worsted Weight #4)
Click here for the free knitting pattern!
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Cornish Blues Potholder
If you are looking for knit potholder patterns in the farmhouse style, then look no further than the Cornish Blues Potholder. The pattern is knit double stranded in a textured stitch pattern using only knit and purl stitches. The wide ribbed borders on either side are knit simultaneously with the body of the potholder.
Designer: DROPS Design
Yarn: Garnstudio DROPS Paris (Aran Weight #4)
Click here for the free knitting pattern!
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Checkered Pot Holder
Bold checkered patterns have long been a staple of kitchen decor schemes. Sometimes they pop up in the backsplash, sometimes the flooring, and now you can feature them in a potholder too. The pattern is knit flat in stockinette stitch using the intarsia colorwork technique. Afterwards, the piece is felted to make it extra sturdy.
Designer: How Stuff Works
Yarn: Knit Picks Wool of the Andes Worsted (Worsted Weight #4)
Click here for the free knitting pattern!
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Project: Handy
At first glance, you may think that these crisp white potholders are knit in stockinette stitch but that is not the case. The pattern uses knit and slip stitches to create a beautifully flat surface that doesn’t have any tendency to curl. The faux leather hanging loops are a particularly nice touch that really complete the sophisticated look.
Designer: Brome Fields
Yarn: Knit Picks Simply Cotton Organic Worsted (Worsted Weight #4)
Click here for the free knitting pattern!
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World’s Best Mitten Potholder
My personal favorite kind of knit potholder patterns are the kind you can stick your hand into. This potholder design is triple thick with 2 layers between your hand and the hot thing it’s holding as well as one layer on top of your hand to keep it snugly inside the “mitten” potholder. It is worked double-stranded throughout.
Designer: Flax & Twine
Yarn: Lily Sugar’n Cream Solids & Denim (Worsted Weight #4)
Click here for the free knitting pattern!
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Fruity Trivets and Potholders
Unlike the previous fruit-inspired potholders we have seen, these are knit in the round on double pointed needles. The pattern uses two strands of worsted weight yarn held together for extra density. Squishy garter stitch gives these potholders their scrumptious texture and simple embroidery techniques add the little seeds in contrasting colors.
Designer: Purl Soho
Yarn: Blue Sky Fibers Organic Cotton (Worsted Weight #4)
Click here for the free knitting pattern!
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Flower Hot Pad
This flower hot pad is sure to be the center of attention at your next dinner party. Each layer of the flower is knit separately from the center out using knit and purl stitches. Some increasing is also involved. The last row of each layer is knit directly onto the base layer so there’s no sewing involved.
Designer: Lily Sugar n’ Cream
Yarn: Lily Sugar’n Cream Solids & Denim (Worsted Weight #4)
Click here for the free knitting pattern!
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Final Thoughts on Knit Potholder Patterns
Wow, these are some of my favorite patterns! I hope you whip some up for your own kitchen. It’s great to make your own to match your kitchen décor, and you can make a set of kitchen items with a dish cloth and scrubbies. (This also makes a great gift for a housewarming!)
Don’t forget, sharing is caring! Send this free knitting pattern round-up to all your knitting friends so they can join in on the fun too! Bookmark this page or save the link to your Pinterest board for amazing knitting patterns.
I’ll see you next week for another free knitting pattern round-up. Make sure to follow the blog so you never miss a post. <3
Happy Knitting!
Amanda
