Old Fashioned Potholder

Love. This. Pattern! This pattern is called "Old Fashioned Potholder" by Cathy Irish, and can be found on Ravelry. I am in a couple of potholder swaps and wanted to find an easy pattern that was quick to make. This is the winner! I can make about 1 a day just crocheting in between the other things I do all day long. The pattern is simple, but the colors make the potholders fun to make! I used Elann Sonata, with Paton's Grace and Takhi Stacy Charles Cotton Classic thrown in sometimes, also. One potholder is made entirely with Red Heart Creme de la Creme yarn, because it is a rougher yarn than the Elann, Grace, and Takhi. Love the colors of the Creme de la Creme, but the potholder isn't quite the quality that I was looking for.

Swappin

The top two potholders are a couple that I sent to my friend Claudia in Houston as part of our 3 potholder swap. The top pattern is Potholders by Bea Aarebrot and the second one is the Gehaekelte Topflappen by Creadoo. I also sent a fish potholder from a pattern I made up a couple of years ago. Below are two more she sent my way as a "thank you" for helping her a little bit with getting started on her blog. The pattern is one she created and the pattern can be found on her blog, Delights-Gems.

Grape Cluster Potholder

Here is a potholder pattern I am currently experimenting with. It is the free Grape Cluster Potholder by Maggie Weldon. I improvised and added the last couple of rows around the edge. The yarn I am using here is Hobby Lobby "I Love this Yarn". Actually, I don't really "love this yarn" too much. It's a little "soft" for potholders in my opinion, even when doubled. I might have to insert potholder insulation from JoAnn Fabric to stiffen it up. I do like the yarn size and the colors. I am in another Crochet Potholder Swap and we are supposed to swap 4 times a year. I need to have my first 4 potholders made by July 5. I have already made two and another front side of this pattern with different sized hooks, trying to get it down to a size I like. I think the general rule of thumb for a good sized potholder is between 6 to 9 inches wide. My personal preference is about 7 to 8" wide. The G hook produced a 9", the F hook produced 8 1/2", and the front side I am still working on was made with an E hook. I am hoping the E hook will produce the "magic size" that I like! I'm not really sure why my bottom photo turned out so dark, but it is the back side to the potholder. I almost like it better than the "grape" side! I will try to post better photos of all the potholders later.