Four Felted Hot Pads | Purl Soho

I had the idea that I would like to knit in a way that was more like painting, a bit more spontaneous, more whimsical, more for the sake of itself. A hot pad seemed a perfect little canvas for my experiments. With some quick sketches formed out of the haze of deep sleep, I set to work!

Four Felted Hot Pads | Purl Soho

I started out with a strangely clear vision of what colors I wanted to use: dusty pinks, deep yellows and foggy lavenders. When I’m feeling uncompromising, I always turn to Manos Del Uruguay’s Handspun Semi Solids. With dozens of incredible hand dyed colors to choose from, Manos is the closest you can get to mixing your own paints. I knew it! Each color I had envisioned was sitting right there on the shelf!

Four Felted Hot Pads | Purl Soho

Riffing off common knitting designs and techniques, I ended up with these four little “paintings”: the Argyle Hot Pad, the Striped, the Log Cabin, and the Bordered Square. None are complicated or fancy, but to me each one has a sort of precious completeness to it. I never knew knitting pot holders could be very satisfying!

Designed by Purl Soho designer, Whitney Van Nes.

Share your progress and connect with the community by tagging your pics with #PurlSoho, #PurlSohoBusyHands, and #PurlSohoFourFeltedHotPads. We can’t wait to see what you make!

Materials

Four Felted Hot Pads | Purl Soho
  • 4 skeins of Manos Del Uruguay’s Handspun Semi Solids, 100% Wool. Each skein is 138 yards/ 100 grams. These colors, from top to bottom, are Natural 14, Cameo 52, Slate 25 and Marigold 58.
  • A US 11 (8 mm) straight or 16-inch circular needles
  • If using straight needles: Two US 11 double pointed needles for I-Cord
  • A size J or K crochet hook

Please Note: Manos Del Uruguay’s Maxima, while slightly thinner, would be an excellent alternative for the felting process and would require a change in gauge. We recommend trying a US 10.5 (6.5 mm) knitting needle!

Gauge

13 stitches = 4 inches in garter stitch, before felting

Size

12 inches square, before felting

8½ inches square, after felting

Notes

COLORS

The four colors used in this pattern are referred to as Colors A, B, C and D. Here is how I designated my colors:

Color A – Natural
Color B – Shale
Color C – Marigold
Color D – Cameo

“RIDGES”

When this pattern refers to “ridges”, it means a garter stitch ridge that is formed by knitting two rows. Counting “ridges” is an easy way to determine how many rows you have knit without having to count as you work. If you find this confusing, just multiply the number of ridges given by 2 and that is how many rows you should knit (ie 3½ ridges is 7 rows).

Pattern

Argyle Hot Pad

Four Felted Hot Pads | Purl Soho

With Color A, cast on 39 stitches. We used a basic Long Tail Cast On.

Knit every row for 35 ridges.

Cut Color A and with Color B, knit 1 row.

Still with Color B, bind off, leaving the last stitch on the needle and do not cut the yarn.

The Loop

Transfer the last stitch from the needle to the crochet hook.

Four Felted Hot Pads | Purl Soho

Chain 20 stitches.

Four Felted Hot Pads | Purl Soho

Form a loop by inserting the hook back into the starting point of the chain and slip stitch.

Four Felted Hot Pads | Purl Soho

Cut the yarn and pull it through the last stitch.

Four Felted Hot Pads | Purl Soho

The Argyle

Cut a piece of Color C yarn about 2 yards long and thread it through a tapestry needle.

Bring the needle from the back of the work to the front about 6 stitches in from the left edge and just above the cast on edge.

Return the needle to the back, 7 rows up and 7 stitches to the right.

Four Felted Hot Pads | Purl Soho

Bring the needle to the front again, 7 rows up and 7 stitches to the left. Pull the yarn so that it is relaxed, but taught, both on the front and back of the work.

Four Felted Hot Pads | Purl Soho

Make 2 more parallel lines the same way you made the first, keeping the beginning and end points aligned, and finishing right below the color change.

Four Felted Hot Pads | Purl Soho

Return the needle to the front, coming up through the bottom point of the top line.

Four Felted Hot Pads | Purl Soho

Bring the needle to the back through the top point of the next line (think about creating a zig zag). Continue to sew the yarn, connecting line to line until you reach the starting point.

Four Felted Hot Pads | Purl Soho

With the two ends of the yarn, make a simple knot around the cast on edge.

Four Felted Hot Pads | Purl Soho

Weave the ends. (Just running it under a few stitches is sufficient since all the ends will be felted securely down in the end.) Cut the yarn.

Four Felted Hot Pads | Purl Soho

Re-thread the needle and starting just above the cast on edge, bring the needle from the back to the front 7 stitches to the right of where you just tied the knot.

Repeat the above steps, creating 5 parallel lines that cross the lines you already made and ending just below the color change.

Four Felted Hot Pads | Purl Soho

Continue to repeat the above steps to finish the argyle. End where you began, just above the cast on edge.

Tie another knot and weave in those ends.

Four Felted Hot Pads | Purl Soho

Weave in any remaining ends and you’re ready to felt!

Four Felted Hot Pads | Purl Soho

To Felt

To felt your hot pad, simply put it in a pillowcase (to protect your washer from lint-o-mania). Toss it into a washing machine (you don’t really need a top loader for this project since the finished size isn’t crucial) with a few tennis balls (or baseball hats or jeans or sneakers) and set the water level to low, the water temperature to hot, and go! Let the machine run a full cycle and you will be pleasantly surprised to see your knitting transformed into a dense fabric perfect for hot pots!

Striped Hot Pad

Four Felted Hot Pads | Purl Soho

With Color A, cast on 39 stitches.

Knit 2 ridges and cut the yarn.

With Color B, knit 23 ridges and cut the yarn.

With Color C, knit 7 ridges and cut the yarn.

With Color D, knit 3 1/2 ridges.

Bind off, leaving the last stitch on the needle and do not cut the yarn.

The Loop

(For photos of this step, see “The Loop” section of the Argyle Hot Pad, above.)

Transfer the last stitch from the needle to the crochet hook.

Chain 20 stitches.

Form a loop by inserting the hook back into the starting point of the chain and slip stitch.

Cut the yarn and pull it through the last stitch.

Weave in all the ends.

Four Felted Hot Pads | Purl Soho

Now felt the hot pad, following the directions at the end of the Argyle Hot Pad pattern, above.

Log Cabin Hot Pad

Four Felted Hot Pads | Purl Soho

With Color A, cast on 16 stitches.

Knit 9 ridges and cut the yarn.

With Color D, knit 19 ridges.

Bind off, leaving the last stitch on the needle.

Still with Color D, turn the work clockwise and pick up 29 stitches from corner A to corner B, illustrated below.

Four Felted Hot Pads | Purl Soho

Here’s what the picked up stitches look like:

Four Felted Hot Pads | Purl Soho

With a total of 30 stitches on your needle, knit 20 1/2 ridges. Cut the yarn.

With Color C, knit 1 row.

Bind off, leaving the last stitch on the needle.

The Loop

(For photos of this step, see “The Loop” section of the Argyle Hot Pad, above.)

Transfer the last stitch from the needle to the crochet hook.

Chain 20 stitches.

Form a loop by inserting the hook back into the starting point of the chain and slip stitch.

Cut the yarn and pull it through the last stitch.

Four Felted Hot Pads | Purl Soho

Continue the Log Cabin

With Color C, pick up 36 stitches from corner A to corner B, illustrated below.

Four Felted Hot Pads | Purl Soho

Here are what the picked up stitches look like:

Four Felted Hot Pads | Purl Soho

Knit 1 row and cut the yarn.

With Color D, knit 9 ridges. With the wrong side facing you, bind off.

Weave in the ends.

Four Felted Hot Pads | Purl Soho

Follow the felting directions at the end of the Argyle Hot Pad pattern, above. And you’re done!

Bordered Square Hot Pad

Four Felted Hot Pads | Purl SohoWith Color C, cast on 36 stitches.

Knit 34 ridges and cut the yarn.

With Color D, knit 1 row.

Bind off and cut the yarn.

With Color B, pick up 36 stitches from corner A to corner B, shown below:

Four Felted Hot Pads | Purl Soho

Knit 1 row and bind off. Cut the yarn.

Again with Color B, pick up 36 stitches from corner A to corner B, shown here:

Four Felted Hot Pads | Purl Soho

Knit row and bind off. Cut the yarn.

With Color A, pick up 38 stitches from corner A to corner B, illustrated below:

Four Felted Hot Pads | Purl Soho

Knit 1 row.

Bind off, leaving the last stitch on the needle.

The Loop

(For photos of this step, see “The Loop” section of the Argyle Hot Pad, above.)

Transfer the last stitch from the needle to the crochet hook.

Chain 20 stitches.

Form a loop by inserting the hook back into the starting point of the chain and slip stitch.

Cut the yarn and pull it through the last stitch.

Weave in all the ends.

Four Felted Hot Pads | Purl Soho

Follow the felting instructions at the end of the Argyle Hot Pad pattern, above, and you have your very own set of Four Felted Hot Pads!