Crochet Pumpkin Hot Pad Pattern

Get your kitchen ready for Fall with these adorable crochet pumpkin hot pads! The pattern is double sided so it’s extra thick. Not only is it cute, but it will do the job of keeping your hands and pans safe from the heat!

You can have some fun picking your pumpkin colors for this project! Go with traditional pumpkin orange, or go with one of the other heirloom varieties showing up at the pumpkin patches now! Green, blue, white… even pink!

The Best Yarn for a Crochet Hot Pad

For this particular pattern I used Hobby Lobby’s I Love This Cotton. It is a great medium weight cotton yarn and one of my favorite things about it is all the color options they have available! But really, any 100% cotton yarn will do.

I strongly advise using 100% cotton yarn for hot pad or potholder patterns. Cotton is especially resistant to heat, so you don’t need to worry about it melting when you touch a hot pan or oven. It is also very durable and holds up well to lots of washing. You can just toss it in the wash and dry it with all the other laundry.

For more info on using 100% cotton yarn, check out my Ultimate Guide to Crocheting With Cotton.

Using Surface Crochet in this Pattern

Surface crochet is the technique of slip stitching into an already existing crochet fabric to create additional decor and embellishment. In this pattern I suggest the optional step of adding surface crochet lines to mimic the groove lines of a pumpkin.

If you would like to attempt this step and have never tried surface crochet before, you can find a photo tutorial here.

In this particular project the surface crochet can be a little tricky because you are crocheting diagonally, as opposed to straight across a line or row. One of my pattern testers gave me a great tip for making this a little less challenging. She suggested drawing guidelines with dressmakers chalk and a ruler so you know where to place your stitches. The chalk should brush off afterwards (though I have to say I haven’t tried this out for myself yet). Thank you for the great tip Kaela!

Pattern

If  you would like to purchase an inexpensive, ad-free printable pdf version of this crochet pumpkin hot pad pattern, you can find it here at my Etsy shop.

Add this crochet pumpkin hot pad pattern to your Ravelry favorites HERE.

Materials:

• For main pumpkin color: 135 Yards I Love This Cotton weight 4 medium (100% cotton, 3.5oz/100g, 180yd/165m) I used color Bruschetta, Serene Spa & Rosy
• For stem: 11 Yards I Love This Cotton weight 4 medium (100% cotton, 3.5oz/100g, 180yd/165m) I used color Sage, Khaki & Brown
• US I/ 5.5 mm Crochet Hook (or size needed to obtain gauge)
• Yarn Needle
• Scissors
• Stitch Marker

Gauge:



Gauge isn’t terribly important for this pattern, but for reference, after 6 rounds my circle was approximately 4” across.

Finished Size:



Approximately 10” across.

Abbreviation Key:

(ch) chain

(sl st) slip stitch                                              

(sc) single crochet    

(hdc) half double crochet

(dc) double crochet

optional special skill: Surface Crochet
* * Repeat instructions between asterisks as many times as directed

Pattern Notes:

Gauge is not terribly important for this pattern, but for reference, I tend to crochet tightly. If you feel you are crocheting more loosely you can move to a smaller hook (or larger if you crochet even more tightly). Some people find they even need to go down two hook sizes to meet my gauge.

Photos are included in the instructions for key points that are the most difficult. There are not photos for every step, so be sure to read the instructions carefully and refer to the photos for additional assistance when applicable.

Note that yarn colors in step by step photos are Serene Spa for the pumpkin and Khaki for the stem.
 
Pattern:

Side 1 (this will be the side of the potholder with the stem, so start with the stem color and move to pumpkin color when directed)

Round 1: Ch 2. Place 8 hdc in the second chain from the hook. <8> 


Instead of joining at the end of the round, you will crochet in a continuous spiral by placing the first stitch of the next round directly into the first stitch of the previous round. Be sure to use a stitch marker on the last stitch of each round so that you keep track of which round you are on.

Note: You can use the beginning tail of your work to cinch the hole in the center of the round tight. If you crocheted over the tail on round 1 you can just pull it. If not, then you can use a yarn needle to slip the tail through the bottom of the first round of stitches and then pull it to cinch tight.
 
Alternative method: If you prefer, you may start with the magic ring method rather than the chain 2. Place 8 hdc in the magic ring. Continue as instructed.
 
Round 2: Place 2 hdc in each stitch around. <16>
 
Round 3: 2* hdc in next stitch. 1 hdc in the next.* Repeat from * to * around. <24>
 
Note: change from stem color to pumpkin color here. Finish off stem color.
 
Round 4: *2 hdc in next stitch. 1 hdc in each of next 2 stitches.* Repeat from * to * around. <32>
 
Round 5: *2 hdc in next stitch. 1 hdc in each of next 3 stitches.* Repeat from * to * around. <40>
 
Round 6: *2 hdc in next stitch. 1 hdc in each of next 4 stitches.* Repeat from * to * around. <48>
 
Note: Gauge is not terribly important for this pattern, but if you would like to compare to my gauge this is a good point to measure. My circle was 4” across (diameter) after round 6.
 
Round 7: *2 hdc in next stitch. 1 hdc in each of next 5 stitches.* Repeat from * to * around. <56>
 
Round 8: *2 hdc in next stitch. 1 hdc in each of next 6 stitches.* Repeat from * to * around. <64>
 
Round 9: *2 hdc in next stitch. 1 hdc in each of next 7 stitches.* Repeat from * to * around. <72>
 
Round 10: *2 hdc in next stitch. 1 hdc in each of next 8 stitches.* Repeat from * to * around. <80>
 
Round 11: *2 hdc in next stitch. 1 hdc in each of next 9 stitches.* Repeat from * to * around. <88>
 
Round 12: *2 hdc in next stitch. 1 hdc in each of next 10 stitches.* Repeat from * to * around. <96>
 
Round 13: *Sl st in next st. Dc in each of next 15 sts.* Repeat from * to * around. <96> Sl st to beginning sl st. Finish off and weave in ends.

Side 2 (this will be the side of the potholder without a stem)

Repeat instructions for Side 1 but only use pumpkin color yarn and do not make any color changes.

Optional surface crochet lines:

Using the pumpkin color yarn, surface crochet a line from edge of stem to the “crease” on the outer row. Do this 6 times for each “crease”.

Tip: If you find it hard to keep your lines straight, you can use dressmakers chalk and a ruler to draw lines to follow.

Do the same on side 2 but from the center to the crease. Finish off and weave in ends.

Create a Leaf:

Ch 11. Work back down the chain, starting with the 2nd ch from the hook. Sl st, sc, hdc, hdc, dc, dc, hdc, sc, sl st, sl st. Ch 1. Crochet down the other side of the starting chain: sl st, sl st, sc, hdc, dc, dc, hdc, hdc, sc, sl st. Finish off.

Use yarn and yarn needle to stitch the leaf to the center of Side 1. If you like you can also sew the other end of the leaf down if you prefer it to lay flat.

Create a stem:

Ch 2. Hdc 8 in the 2nd chain from the hook. Sl st to the first hdc. Finish off. Cinch the center hole tight and weave in ends. Use yarn and yarn needle to stitch the stem onto center of side 1, on top of leaf.

Sewing the 2 sides together:

Line both sides up together, right sides facing out. Using pumpkin color yarn, sc both sides together by placing one sc in each st of the last round on each side. Sl st to the first sc. Finish off and weave in ends.