Twill Pot Holder
Thick, soft, and absorbent, our Twill Pot Holder in lovely Cotton Pure is a beautiful way to get a handle on your hottest, well, handles!
This may look like a woven fabric, but it’s actually a simple cable pattern that’s worked in a four-round repeat.
After a provisional cast-on and a few set-up rounds, you get into the rhythm, and as happens with pot holders, it’ll be time to bind off before you even know it!
Soft and strong with a supple hand, our Cotton Pure is the perfect yarn for this Twill Pot Holder pattern. One hundred percent organically grown, Cotton Pure is unmercerized, giving it a pleasing matte finish, and also machine washable.
We’re thrilled to introduce three new colors of Cotton Pure: Bright and lively Shiso Green, lush Hemlock Green, and the deep, cool Coastal Blue below.
So, when the heat is high, pick two favorite colors of Cotton Pure, and keep your cool with these charming little pot holders!
Designed by Purl Soho designer, Hiromi Glover. Click here to see even more of Hiromi’s work!
Share your progress and connect with the community by tagging your pics with #PurlSoho, #PurlSohoBusyHands, #PurlSohoTwillPotHolder, and #PurlSohoCottonPure. We can’t wait to see what you make!
Materials
- Purl Soho’s Cotton Pure, 100% organically grown cotton. Each skein is approximately 279 yards/ 100 grams.
- Main Color (MC): 1 skein; approximately 115 yards required. We used Heirloom White.
- Contrast Color (CC): 1 skein; approximately 105 yards required. We used Coastal Blue, Moonflower Blue, and Peach Peony.
- US 5 (3.75 mm), 16-inch circular needles
- Two US 5 double pointed needles, for I-cord and 3-Needle Bind-off
- A few yards of smooth scrap yarn and crochet hook to match
- A stitch marker
- A cable stitch holder
GAUGE
48 stitches and 54 rounds = 4 inches in stitch pattern
SIZE
Finished Dimensions: Approximately 6¾ inches square
NOTES
STITCH MULTIPLE
This pattern works over a multiple of 3 stitches plus 1.
PROVISIONAL CAST-ON
We used the Provisional Cast-On: One-Step Method to cast on our stitches, but for assistance putting live stitches back onto needles, please visit our Provisional Cast-On: A Two-Step Method Tutorial.
SLIP STITCHES
Slip all slipped stitches purlwise with yarn in back.
YARN OVERS
Work all yarn overs through the back loop as you come to them.
CARRYING UP THE YARN
For a few tips on carrying up the yarn, visit our Stripes in the Round Tutorial.
PATTERN
With scrap yarn, use a Provisional Cast-On (see Notes) to cast on 104 stitches.
Place a unique stitch marker for end of round and join for working in the round, being careful not to twist the stitches.
Join Main Color (MC).
Set-Up Round 1: Knit to end of round.
Set-Up Round 2: *K2, yarn over (yo), repeat from * to last 2 stitches, knit into front and back (kfb) 2 times. [157 stitches]
Join Contrast Color (CC).
NOTE: In Round 1, be sure to work yo’s through the back loop as you come to them, and be sure to carry non-working yarn up inside of your work throughout. See Notes for more help.
Round 1: With CC, k1, *slip 1 (see Notes), k2, repeat from * to end of round.
Round 2: With CC, slip 1, *slip next (MC) stitch to cable stitch holder and hold in front, k2, slip stitch from cable stitch holder to right needle, repeat from * to end of round.
Round 3: With MC, *k2, slip 1, repeat from * to last stitch, k1.
Round 4: With MC, *slip 2 to cable stitch holder and hold in back, slip next (CC) stitch to right needle, slip 2 stitches from cable stitch holder to left needle, k2, repeat from * to last stitch, k1.
Repeat Rounds 1–4 until piece measures 6½ inches from cast-on edge, ending with Round 4.
Repeat Rounds 1 and 2 one more time.
Cut CC.
BIND OFF TOP
Set-Up Round: Remove marker, slip slip knit (ssk), replace marker to indicate new end of round, *k1, ssk, repeat from * to end of round. [104 stitches remain]
Remove marker and fold piece in half so that needles are parallel and 52 stitches are on each needle. With a double pointed needle, bind off using a 3-Needle Bind-Off until one stitch remains on each needle; k1 from front needle, k1 from back needle. [3 stitches remain on double pointed needle]
MAKE I-CORD
With remaining 3 stitches, work an I-Cord for 3 inches, working the last row as follows…
Bind-Off Row: K1, knit 2 together (k2tog), pass first stitch over second stitch and off right needle.
Cut yarn, leaving an 8-inch tail and pull through remaining stitch.
Thread tail onto a tapestry needle. Make a loop with I-Cord and weave tail into fabric at base of I-cord, then weave it through looped I-cord, and back into fabric.
Weave in all ends from I-Cord, bound-off edge, and CC.
BIND OFF BOTTOM
Carefully unravel Provisional Cast-On and slip live stitches onto 16-inch circular needles (see Notes). Place marker. Slip 52 stitches from left needle to right needle so the marker is dividing the stitches in half, 52 stitches per tip. Turn piece so needle tips point to the right and I-Cord loop is at bottom right.
Join MC and bind off using a 3-Needle Bind-Off.
FINISHING
Weave in remaining ends and gently wet block as desired.
Will you please tell me how many potholders the 2 skeins make? Thanks!
Hi Cindy,
Thanks for reaching out! These 2 skeins can make 2 pot holders in total. Hope this helps!
All the best,
Lili
If I wanted to use Tulip Cotton instead, any recommendation on how many fewer stitches I should cast on?
Hi Crystal,
Thanks for reaching out! To figure out your cast-on number, you will want to first knit a gauge swatch in pattern. Once you know how many stitches you are getting per inch, you can multiply that number by the width that you would like and cast on the nearest multiple of 3 + 1. Then you can follow the pattern as written!
All the best,
Lili
This must be the wrong pattern! 157 stiches for a potholder?
Hi Christina,
Thanks for writing in. I can confirm that the stitch count for this pattern is correct! The stitch gauge is 48 stitches in 4 inches, which means that 157 comes to just over 13 inches. Since this pot holder is knit in the round, that distance would be the circumference, and the width of the flattened pot holder would be about 6 3/4 inches, as indicated in the SIZE section. I hope this helps clarify things!
All the best,
Lili
157? I am reading a cast on of 104. Is there another pattern that these comments are linked to?
Thanks,
Mary
Hi Mary,
Thanks for reaching out! You will cast on 104 stitches, but then you will work increase stitches on Set-Up Round 2, which increases the stitch count to 157. The stitch count will remain at 157 for the rest of the pattern, until the Set-Up Round of the BIND OFF TOP section!
All the best,
Lili
Thank you, Lili! One more question. I am fairly proficient at crochet, but I’ve had very little knitting experience. We are in need of potholders, so I thought this might be a two-for-one value. Do you think this project is simple enough for a beginner?
You’re very welcome, Cindy! These pot holders use some fairly advanced techniques, so I wouldn’t recommend them for a beginner. But you may be interested in another, more beginner-friendly, pot holder pattern, the Double-Thick Pot Holders!
If you want to consider knitting the Twill Pot Holder in the future though, I’d recommend practicing any unfamiliar techniques on some scrap yarn. You can find tutorials linked in the pattern to everything it requires! And please don’t hesitate to reach out to us if you want advice on any of these techniques.
All the best,
Lili
I began the twill potholder. Everything was great until I got to round 2 on page 10. It says with CC slip one slip next MC stitch to cable holder. I don’t have a main color stitch on my needle. What did I do wrong. I followed the directions exactly. I’m using left over yarn to see how it looks before I purchase my yarn. A practice run before I do it in earnest. Please let me know my error. I’d like to have a potholder to show my knit group
Hi Barbara,
Thanks for reaching out! When you’re about to begin Round 2, the second stitch on your right needle should be a MC stitch. That’s because on Round 1, it was slipped, meaning that you did not knit it with the CC. Do you have any MC stitches on your needles right now?
If not, that likely means you didn’t slip those stitches when you worked Round 1. Alternatively, if you do have MC stitches on your needles, but they’re not in the correct positions, it likely means that you got off-pattern in Round 1 at some point. To solve both issues, I’d recommend undoing and redoing Round 1! If you have any questions about the instructions on that round, just let me know.
All the best,
Lili
These are beautiful, but need to know if they are flammable?
Hi Kathleen,
Thanks for reaching out about this! Cotton is a relatively flammable fiber. If you’d like to use a different type of yarn for this pattern though, then I’d recommend using a wool yarn, since wool is a lot less flammable. Hope this helps!
All the best,
Lili
Is the stitch gauge correct? 48 stitches over 4 inches?
Hi Ellen,
Yes, the stitch gauge for this pattern is 48 stitches = 4 inches in the stitch pattern! Hope this helps!
All the best,
Lili
When I join in the round, do I use the yarn used for the provisional cast on or do I use the MC (so that the first stitch of the set up round 1 would be with the MC)? If the later, how do I join for working in the round?
Hi Leila,
That’s a great question! Because the yarn you used for your provisional cast-on is just scrap yarn, you will not be using it for any further knitting. You will begin Set-Up Round 1 with the MC! When the pattern says “join for working in the round,” you don’t actually have to do anything special–all you need to do is begin knitting with the new yarn in the round! The tension will feel a bit loose for the first stitch or two, since the yarn isn’t anchored to anything yet, but it’ll get back to normal as you keep knitting.
All the best,
Lili
Boy- I struggled with this pattern. I finally pulled it all out and am trying to decide what to do w/ my beautiful yarn. I am an experienced knitter but this was way above my skill level. I’m thinking about working a small swatch on short double points to see if I can get the hang of the pattern before I do it on the circular needles- would this work? What would be an alternative pattern to use w/ this yarn? Any tips for me? Thank you!
Hi Andrea,
I’m so sorry to hear that this pattern has proven to be so difficult! I think that working a small swatch is the way to go, since it will help you become more comfortable with the techniques without the pressure of creating a perfect pot holder. We’re also always happy to help answer any questions you may have about the pattern, or help troubleshoot if something seems to be going wrong.
If you do decide to put this project aside and use the yarn for something else, then I’d recommend our Double-Thick Pot Holder as an alternative! This pattern was written for a worsted weight yarn, so you would need to hold the Cotton Pure double to achieve the correct gauge.
I hope this helps, but please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns!
All the best,
Lili
I’m at Round 3 and it says: With MC, *k2, slip 1, repeat from * to last stitch, K1. If I K2 with MC, my next 2 stitches on left needle are a knit stitch in CC and the slipped stitch from previous round in MC. Do I slip these two together? Seems like it will set things going in a wonky way if I just slip the one stitch in CC and then start knitting the pattern using the previous slipped stitch as the first of the 2 stitches? So confused.
JoJo
Hi JoJo,
Thanks for reaching out! Round 3 has you slip 1 stitch, so you’d only slip that CC stitch, and not the MC stitch. That MC stitch is indeed the next stitch you will knit, as part of the k2. It may seem wonky at this point, but the pattern will emerge as you continue knitting!
All the best,
Lili
I was going to use the butter cup cotton. Would you recommend this? Could I use it double or would that be too thick? Thanks for your help.
Hi Mary Jo,
Thanks for writing in! You can absolutely use Buttercup Cotton (as a single strand) for this pattern, and you’d just need to adjust your cast-on number so that the pot holder comes to the correct dimensions.
To figure out your cast-on number, you will want to first knit a gauge swatch in pattern (if this is daunting, we have a wonderful tutorial called All About Gauge). Once you know how many stitches you are getting per inch, you can multiply that number by the width that you would like and cast on the nearest multiple of 3 + 1. Then you can follow the pattern as written!
All the best,
Lili
In Row 4 of the main four-row repeat, do you need to slip the stitches from the cable holder back to the left needle before the k2? Can you do the k2 with the stitches directly on the cable holder?
Hi Andrew,
That’s a great question! Either method will keep the stitches in the correct orientation, so I’d recommend choosing the way that’s easiest for you. Hope this helps!
All the best,
Lili
The notes describe knitting yo’s through the back loop on Round 1. Does this only come up during the first time you do Round 1? (Or does this come up every time you do Round 1?)
Hi Andrew,
That’s a great question! The only time you will create yarn overs in this pattern is on Set-Up Row 2, so you will only encounter these and have to knit them through the back loops is on the very first Row 1.
All the best,
Lili