Teardrop Retro Crochet Pot Holder Free Pattern: Mid-Century Denim & Cream Hot Pad

Teardrop Retro Crochet Pot Holder: Mid-Century Denim & Cream Hot Pad

Introduction

If you have never held a crochet hook before, this is the perfect very first project to make with your own hands. This little teardrop pot holder is worked flat in the simplest stitch there is, so you only ever need to know one move to finish the whole blue body. It is special because it looks like a treasure from a 1960s kitchen: a rounded, curved teardrop in muted denim blue, framed by a wide soft cream border and finished with a tiny hanging loop at the pointed top. When it is done it feels thick, sturdy, and double-sided, because two identical pieces are joined together with the border so your hands stay protected from hot pans. Best of all, it works up in an evening or two, uses only about 90 yards of cotton, and gives you a finished object you will actually use every day.

Materials Needed

• Yarn: Worsted weight (category 4) 100% cotton yarn, approximately 90 yards total: about 55 yards denim blue (Main Color, MC) and about 35 yards cream (Contrast Color, CC). Cotton is important here because it handles heat far better than acrylic or wool.
• Crochet hook: Size I/9 (5.5 mm).
• Stitch markers: 2 or 3, to mark your first stitch of a row and the tip stitch.
• Tapestry needle: A blunt-tipped yarn needle for weaving in ends.
• Scissors: Any sharp pair for cutting yarn.
• Optional: A steam iron and a pressing cloth for blocking.
• Finished size: Approximately 7 inches (18 cm) wide at the widest point and 8 inches (20 cm) tall from the base to the top of the loop. The teardrop body alone is about 7 inches tall.

Abbreviations and Beginner Glossary

Read this list once before you begin. Every single term used in the pattern is explained here in plain English, so you never have to guess.

• ch – chain. Make a loop of yarn on your hook, wrap the yarn over the hook, and pull it through the loop already on the hook. That is one chain.
• sc – single crochet. Insert your hook into the stitch, wrap the yarn over the hook, pull up a loop (you now have 2 loops on the hook), wrap the yarn over again, and pull it through both loops. One single crochet made.
• sc2tog – single crochet two stitches together (a decrease). Insert your hook into the first stitch, pull up a loop (2 loops on hook). Insert your hook into the next stitch, pull up a loop (3 loops on hook). Wrap the yarn over and pull through all 3 loops at once. Two stitches have become one.
• 2 sc in next st – work two single crochets into the same single stitch. This is an increase and it makes the piece wider.
• st / sts – stitch / stitches. The little V shapes you are working into.
• slip stitch (sl st) – insert your hook into the stitch, wrap the yarn over, and pull it straight through both the stitch and the loop on your hook in one motion. It makes an almost invisible join.
• turn – flip your work over so you can crochet back along the row you just made.
• fasten off – cut the yarn a few inches from your work, then pull the tail all the way through the last loop to lock it.
• right side – the side of the fabric that faces out and will be seen. Wrong side is the back.
• row-end – the little edge on the sloped side of the piece, where each row ends. You will work into these when you add the border.
• MC / CC – Main Color (denim blue) and Contrast Color (cream).

Gauge

14 single crochet stitches x 16 rows = 4 inches (10 cm).

Gauge means how big your stitches come out. It matters because it decides the final size of your pot holder: if your stitches are much bigger than this, the pad will be floppy and thin; if they are much smaller, it will be stiff and small. For a hot pad, a slightly tighter gauge than listed is actually better, because denser fabric protects your hands from heat.

How to make a gauge swatch: Chain 20, then work single crochet rows until the swatch is about 4 inches tall. Lay it flat and measure 4 inches across the middle and count the stitches; then measure 4 inches up and count the rows. If you have more stitches than 14, your tension is tight, so try a larger hook. If you have fewer, try a smaller hook. Do not skip this step, even for a small project.

Beginner Tips Before You Start

• Count every row. This pattern changes stitch count on almost every row, so read the number in parentheses at the end of each line and check it before you turn. It is your built-in safety net.
• Do not pull the yarn too tight. Hold the yarn with a relaxed hand. Tight, choking tension makes it very hard to insert your hook into the next stitch, which is the number one frustration for new crocheters.
• Use a stitch marker. Place one in the very first stitch of each row so you always know where the row begins, and one in the tip stitch at the top so you can find it again when you add the border.
• Remember the ch 1 does not count as a stitch. At the start of every row you chain 1 and turn, then work your first single crochet into the first stitch, not into the chain.
• Make both pieces before you join. Work the two blue teardrops one after the other while your tension is fresh and consistent, so both halves match.
• Keep your hook size the same for the border. The cream border is worked with the same 5.5 mm hook so the two layers stay snug together.

Step-by-Step Instructions

Notes: The pot holder is worked flat in single crochet, starting at the rounded bottom and narrowing to a point at the top. You make two identical teardrop pieces, then join them with a cream border worked around both layers at once. The ch 1 at the start of a row does not count as a stitch; work the first sc of each row into the first stitch.

Part 1: Teardrop Piece (make 2 with denim blue MC)

Row 1: Ch 2, work 3 sc into the 2nd ch from hook. (3 sc)

Row 2: Ch 1, turn. 2 sc in each st across. (6 sc)

Row 3: Ch 1, turn. 1 sc in first st, 2 sc in next st, 1 sc in next 2 sts, 2 sc in next st, 1 sc in last st. (8 sc)

Row 4: Ch 1, turn. 1 sc in first 2 sts, 2 sc in next st, 1 sc in next 2 sts, 2 sc in next st, 1 sc in last 2 sts. (10 sc)

Row 5: Ch 1, turn. 1 sc in first 3 sts, 2 sc in next st, 1 sc in next 2 sts, 2 sc in next st, 1 sc in last 3 sts. (12 sc)

Row 6: Ch 1, turn. 1 sc in first 4 sts, 2 sc in next st, 1 sc in next 2 sts, 2 sc in next st, 1 sc in last 4 sts. (14 sc)

Row 7: Ch 1, turn. 1 sc in first 5 sts, 2 sc in next st, 1 sc in next 2 sts, 2 sc in next st, 1 sc in last 5 sts. (16 sc)

Row 8: Ch 1, turn. 1 sc in first 6 sts, 2 sc in next st, 1 sc in next 2 sts, 2 sc in next st, 1 sc in last 6 sts. (18 sc)

Row 9: Ch 1, turn. 1 sc in first 7 sts, 2 sc in next st, 1 sc in next 2 sts, 2 sc in next st, 1 sc in last 7 sts. (20 sc)

Row 10: Ch 1, turn. 1 sc in first 8 sts, 2 sc in next st, 1 sc in next 2 sts, 2 sc in next st, 1 sc in last 8 sts. (22 sc)

Row 11: Ch 1, turn. 1 sc in first 9 sts, 2 sc in next st, 1 sc in next 2 sts, 2 sc in next st, 1 sc in last 9 sts. (24 sc)

Row 12: Ch 1, turn. 1 sc in first 10 sts, 2 sc in next st, 1 sc in next 2 sts, 2 sc in next st, 1 sc in last 10 sts. (26 sc)

Row 13: Ch 1, turn. 1 sc in first 11 sts, 2 sc in next st, 1 sc in next 2 sts, 2 sc in next st, 1 sc in last 11 sts. (28 sc)

Row 14: Ch 1, turn. 1 sc in first 12 sts, 2 sc in next st, 1 sc in next 2 sts, 2 sc in next st, 1 sc in last 12 sts. (30 sc)

Row 15: Ch 1, turn. 1 sc in first 13 sts, 2 sc in next st, 1 sc in next 2 sts, 2 sc in next st, 1 sc in last 13 sts. (32 sc)

Row 16: Ch 1, turn. 1 sc in first 14 sts, 2 sc in next st, 1 sc in next 2 sts, 2 sc in next st, 1 sc in last 14 sts. (34 sc)

Row 17: Ch 1, turn. 1 sc in first 15 sts, 2 sc in next st, 1 sc in next 2 sts, 2 sc in next st, 1 sc in last 15 sts. (36 sc)

Rows 18–19: Ch 1, turn. 1 sc in each st across. (36 sc)

Row 20: Ch 1, turn. 1 sc in first 16 sts, sc2tog, 1 sc in next 2 sts, sc2tog, 1 sc in last 16 sts. (34 sc)

Row 21: Ch 1, turn. 1 sc in first 15 sts, sc2tog, 1 sc in next 2 sts, sc2tog, 1 sc in last 15 sts. (32 sc)

Row 22: Ch 1, turn. 1 sc in first 14 sts, sc2tog, 1 sc in next 2 sts, sc2tog, 1 sc in last 14 sts. (30 sc)

Row 23: Ch 1, turn. 1 sc in first 13 sts, sc2tog, 1 sc in next 2 sts, sc2tog, 1 sc in last 13 sts. (28 sc)

Row 24: Ch 1, turn. 1 sc in first 12 sts, sc2tog, 1 sc in next 2 sts, sc2tog, 1 sc in last 12 sts. (26 sc)

Row 25: Ch 1, turn. 1 sc in first 11 sts, sc2tog, 1 sc in next 2 sts, sc2tog, 1 sc in last 11 sts. (24 sc)

Row 26: Ch 1, turn. 1 sc in first 10 sts, sc2tog, 1 sc in next 2 sts, sc2tog, 1 sc in last 10 sts. (22 sc)

Row 27: Ch 1, turn. 1 sc in first 9 sts, sc2tog, 1 sc in next 2 sts, sc2tog, 1 sc in last 9 sts. (20 sc)

Row 28: Ch 1, turn. 1 sc in first 8 sts, sc2tog, 1 sc in next 2 sts, sc2tog, 1 sc in last 8 sts. (18 sc)

Row 29: Ch 1, turn. 1 sc in first 7 sts, sc2tog, 1 sc in next 2 sts, sc2tog, 1 sc in last 7 sts. (16 sc)

Row 30: Ch 1, turn. 1 sc in first 6 sts, sc2tog, 1 sc in next 2 sts, sc2tog, 1 sc in last 6 sts. (14 sc)

Row 31: Ch 1, turn. 1 sc in first 5 sts, sc2tog, 1 sc in next 2 sts, sc2tog, 1 sc in last 5 sts. (12 sc)

Row 32: Ch 1, turn. 1 sc in first 4 sts, sc2tog, 1 sc in next 2 sts, sc2tog, 1 sc in last 4 sts. (10 sc)

Row 33: Ch 1, turn. 1 sc in first 3 sts, sc2tog, 1 sc in next 2 sts, sc2tog, 1 sc in last 3 sts. (8 sc)

Row 34: Ch 1, turn. 1 sc in first 2 sts, sc2tog, 1 sc in next 2 sts, sc2tog, 1 sc in last 2 sts. (6 sc)

Row 35: Ch 1, turn. 1 sc in first st, sc2tog, 1 sc in next 2 sts, sc2tog, 1 sc in last st. (4 sc)

Row 36: Ch 1, turn. Sc2tog twice. (2 sc)

Row 37: Ch 1, turn. Sc2tog. (1 sc) Fasten off, leaving a 6-inch tail. Weave in the tail on the wrong side.

Part 2: Hanging Loop (worked on one piece only)

With the pointed top of one teardrop facing up and the right side facing you, join cream CC with a slip stitch at the tip stitch of Row 37. Ch 12, slip stitch back into the same tip stitch to form a loop. Fasten off and weave in ends. The loop should stand about 1 inch tall above the point.

Part 3: Joining and Cream Border

Step 1: Place the two teardrop pieces together with wrong sides facing (right sides out), matching all edges and the pointed top. The piece with the loop sits on top.

Step 2: Join cream CC with a slip stitch at the center of the rounded bottom edge, going through both layers.

Round 1: Ch 1. Work 1 sc through both layers in each stitch along the bottom and sides, and 2 sc in the tip stitch at the top (working around the base of the loop, not through it). Work 1 sc in each row-end along the sloped sides. Join with a slip stitch to the first sc. (Approx. 96 sc)

Round 2: Ch 1. 1 sc in each sc around, working 2 sc in each of the two tip stitches to keep the point flat. Join with a slip stitch. (Approx. 100 sc)

Round 3 (decorative edge): Ch 1. *1 sc in next st, ch 1, skip next st; repeat from * around, ending with 1 sc in last st. Join with a slip stitch to the first sc. Fasten off.

Assembly and Finishing

Check the seal. Before weaving in your last ends, hold the pot holder up to a window. Both layers should be fully enclosed by the cream border with no blue edges peeking through. If you spot a gap, simply work a few extra single crochets in cream through both layers to close it.

Weave in the ends. Thread each tail onto your tapestry needle and run it back and forth through the wrong side of the fabric for about 2 inches, changing direction once so it cannot pull loose. Trim close to the fabric. Never knot your ends, because knots can melt or burn near heat.

Blocking. Lay the pot holder flat on a towel. Hold a steam iron about half an inch above the surface (never press the iron directly onto the cotton, and never let it rest in one spot) and let the steam relax the border. Use your fingers to shape the teardrop curve and pinch the pointed top flat. Let it dry completely before use.

Pro Tips and Variations

• Play with color. Try a mustard yellow body with a cream border, or a soft sage green with natural cream, for a different retro kitchen mood. Keep the border cream so the two-tone look stays crisp.
• Make it bigger or smaller. To enlarge, simply add more increase rows before Row 18 and the same number of decrease rows after, keeping the two pieces identical. To shrink it, stop increasing earlier. Always make both halves the same.
• Swap the yarn. Any worsted weight 100% cotton works beautifully. Avoid acrylic and polyester entirely for hot pads, as they can melt; wool is also a poor choice because it scorches.
• Add a hanging tab instead of a loop. Work a small chain of 8 and slip stitch back along it to make a flat tab, then attach it at the tip before the border for a slightly more modern finish.