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Pantry Pot Holders
Turn up the heat in your kitchen with our fun and easy Pantry Pot Holders knitting pattern! Cast on with charming Cotton Chirp DK yarn to knit your new go-to helpers, ready for every hot dish and cool kitchen.
You might have knit mitered squares before, where double decreases shape the fabric from corner to corner… But what happens if you use this technique while knitting in the round? By working two spokes of double decreases, you create a wonderfully cushy, double-thick mitered square that’s just perfect for an insulating pot holder!
You’ll decrease down to just a couple of stitches at the top, then knit a practical I-cord hanging loop. The last step is folding the pot holder in half and sewing along your cast-on edge to finish… And that’s all there is to it!
Cotton Chirp DK is a totally irresistible yarn for these cuties. It is made with 100% Peruvian Pima cotton, a fiber that is prized for its strength, silky softness, and eye-catching luster. A DK-weight, unmercerized cotton yarn, Cotton Chirp is spun from twelve fine 2-ply strands for a pleasingly plump strand that offers exceptional stitch definition and durability, perfect for hardworking home goods that hold up to everyday use!
Cotton Chirp DK comes in 32 beautifully rich and vivid shades… Just like a well-stocked pantry inspires a home cook, all those varied colors are sure to spark your creativity! Two balls are enough to knit three pot holders, so mix and match the striped and colorblock variations and play with color placement, too, to create a set that’s uniquely your own.
These cozy, double-thick Pantry Pot Holders will become your favorite recipe for easy, satisfying knitting, perfect for stocking your own kitchen or gifting to someone you love. Pick two (or more!) colors of Cotton Chirp DK and cast on your first set… You just might find yourself making one for every cook you know!
Yarn lovers, if you adore the yarn used in this project, you’ll love exploring all of our other yarn collections! Discover over 45 thoughtfully designed yarns in nearly every natural fiber and in every spectacular color you can imagine. Only available here at Purl Soho’s online yarn store, where every skein is created with care and your creativity in mind!
Pattern designed and written by Purl Soho designer, Hiromi Glover. See even more of Hiromi’s work on her Instagram!
Story written by Andrea Lotz for Purl Soho.
Want to print this pattern? On desktop, find the “print” icon in the right margin, and on mobile, scroll to the end of the pattern for it. Use the on-screen instructions to remove anything you don’t want to print!
Materials
To make 3 pot holders in any combination of Striped and Colorblock, you will need…
- 2 balls of Purl Soho’s 100-gram Cotton Chirp DK, 100% Peruvian Pima cotton yarn. Each ball of this light worsted/DK-weight yarn is 232 yards/ 100 grams; approximately 144 total yards required per pot holder.
- Color A: 1 ball; approximately 77 (70) total yards required for Striped (Colorblock) versions.
- Color B: 1 ball; approximately 67 (74) total yards required for Striped (Colorblock) versions.
- US 4 (3.5 mm), 16-inch circular knitting needles
- A set of US 4 double pointed needles OR 32-inch circular needles for Magic Loop
- Stitch markers, including 1 unique
For our pot holders, we used these color combinations: Chartreuse Yellow + Golden Honey, Heirloom White + Campfire Orange, and Heirloom White + Chartreuse Yellow (for the in-process Colorblock version). Making two of the same? Consider switching Colors A and B for variation!
GAUGE
23 stitches and 46 rounds (23 ridges) = 4 inches in garter stitch
NOTE: To be extra sure you’ll have enough yarn, be sure to check your gauge and reuse your swatch yarn.
SIZE
Finished Dimensions: Approximately 7 inches square
NOTE
S2KP (SLIP 2, KNIT 1, PSSO)
Slip 2 stitches together knitwise with yarn in back, knit 1, pass slipped stitches over knit stitch and off right needle. [2 stitches decreased]
For additional help, please visit our s2kp Tutorial.
PATTERN
Update, August 12, 2025: We accidentally published this with a small error in Round 1 for both versions. It has now been corrected, below!
CAST ON
With Color A and leaving a 16-inch tail, cast 158 stitches onto circular needles. We used a basic Long Tail Cast On.
Place unique marker and join for working in the round, being careful not to twist the stitches.
Set-Up Round: P41, place marker (pm), p79, pm, purl to end of round.
Do not cut Color A.
BODY
NOTE: If using 16-inch circular needles, change to double pointed needles when necessary.
STRIPED VERSION
NOTE: When changing colors in this version, be sure to carry the non-working yarn up the inside/wrong side of piece. For help, please visit our Stripes In The Round Tutorial and scroll down to the Carrying Up The Yarn video.
Round 1: With Color B, [knit to 3 stitches before next marker, s2kp (see Notes), remove marker, k1, pm] 2 times, knit to end of round. [4 stitches decreased]
Round 2: With Color B, purl to end of round, slipping markers as you come to them.
Rounds 3 and 4: With Color A, repeat Rounds 1 and 2.
Repeat Rounds 1–4 seventeen more times, then repeat Rounds 1 and 2 one time. [10 stitches remain]
Cut Color B.
Continuing with Color A, repeat Round 1. [6 stitches remain]
Next Round: Purl 2 together 3 times, removing all markers. [3 stitches remain]
Go on to Finishing.
COLORBLOCK VERSION
Still with Color A…
Round 1: [Knit to 3 stitches before next marker, s2kp (see Notes), remove marker, k1, pm] 2 times, knit to end of round. [4 stitches decreased]
Round 2: Purl to end of round, slipping markers as you come to them.
Repeat Rounds 1 and 2 nine more times [118 stitches remain]
Cut Color A and join Color B.
With Color B, repeat Rounds 1 and 2 twenty-seven more times, then repeat Round 1 one time. [6 stitches remain]
Next Round: Purl 2 together (p2tog) 3 times, removing all markers. [3 stitches remain]
FINISHING
MAKE I-CORD
With working yarn and remaining 3 stitches, work an I-cord for 3 inches.
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 it through remaining stitch.
Thread tail onto a tapestry needle. Make a loop with I-cord and weave tail through fabric at base of I-cord to wrong side of piece.
Weave in all ends, except for long tail from cast-on.
SEAM
Fold piece so mitered corners meet, cast-on edges are together, I-cord loop is at bottom left corner, and long tail is at bottom right corner. (If you’re left handed, you may want to flip your piece over now, so your long tail and I-cord loop are at the opposite corners described).
With long tail, seam the two sides of the cast-on edge together using a whipstitch.
Weave in the remaining ends and block as desired.
Share your progress and connect with the community by tagging your pics with #PurlSoho. We can’t wait to see what you make!
Learn About Cotton Chirp DK + All Our Beautiful Yarns
This project absolutely glows in our Cotton Chirp DK yarn! A celebration of 100% Peruvian Pima cotton, this very special yarn is beautifully soft, amazingly strong, machine washable, and a real joy to knit. It’s perfect for everything from warm-weather garments and baby knits to colorful housewares and blankets! The 32 colors in the palette are as brilliant as tropical birds, with a silky luster that catches the light and delights the eye. For smaller amounts and creative color play, check out our Cotton Chirp DK Minis, 25-gram balls of the same yarn in the same colors!
More Free Knitting Patterns
- Be sure to explore our growing collection of free Cotton Chirp DK knitting patterns and cast on!
More Light Worsted/ DK-Weight Yarns
- Shop our entire collection of light worsted/DK-weight yarns (What does DK-weight yarn mean, really? Our guide to DK yarn will answer your questions and demystify.)
- If you want to use a different yarn, be sure to take the time to get the correct gauge. Need help? Check our All About Gauge Tutorial and our Yarn Substitution article for lots of helpful information.
More Yarns With Similar Fiber
- Shop cotton yarn (What helps cotton keep its cool? Learn all about this soft, natural fiber in our guide to cotton yarn!)
- Shop plant-based yarn
- Shop machine-washable yarn
Looking for more inspiration? Explore all of our knitting patterns (including tons of free knitting patterns) and knitting tutorials, buy one of our many knitting kits and yarn bundles, and shop for beautiful yarn. We have over 35 gorgeous natural fiber yarns in 100’s of magnificent colors, designed to bring integrity, beauty, and joy to your next knitting project and only available at Purl Soho!
hi. can this pattern be used to make a blanket??
Hi Hadassah,
Thank you for asking! We’re so happy this pattern caught your eye! I’d recommend our Little Mitered Square Blanket as a great version of this pattern. Since that pattern is also designed in DK weight yarn, you can simply use Cotton Chirp instead.
Happy making!
Gavriella
I have a lot of Cotton Pure yarn. Could I use it for this pattern?
Hi Mommo,
Thanks for asking! You can definitely use Cotton Pure for this pattern but you will want to cast on more stitches to account for a tighter gauge. Since Cotton Pure is a sport weight yarn, it is quite a bit thinner than Cotton Chirp. I hope this helps explain the differences but please let us know if you have any questions!
All the best,
Gavriella
Thank you.
Unless I’ve completely lost my mind which is always entirely possible, I cannot print without printing pages that I do not want!
I follow the instructions but cannot find the on-screen instructions the remove anything I don’t want to print. My husband who is computer literate and I who am not have tried to follow instructions more than once. I give up!
Help, please!
Hi MaryJo,
We’d be happy to send you a PDF copy of the pattern! I will send that to the email you have shared here but just in case it helps, I have included some instructions below as well!
If you’re on a desktop version of the site, you will find a “print” icon in the right column just below the “Save To Favorites” button. If you’re on a mobile version of the site, you will find a “print” icon below the pattern and above the comments.
Click on this button, and a window will pop up where you can delete whichever parts of the pattern you don’t want to print. When you hover over any image or a text block, it will be highlighted in yellow and a “trash” icon will appear. Just click on this icon to delete anything that’s not necessary to the pattern! For example, you may decide to shorten the pattern by omitting certain images or the list of materials. Then, click on the “PDF” button in the upper left-hand corner of the pop-up window. Once your PDF has finished downloading, just click the “Download PDF” button, and it will be saved to your computer! (You can also just click the “Print” button if you’d like to print the pattern.)
I hope this helps and please let us know if there is anything else we can help with!
All the best,
Gavriella
Do you have a video for the kitchen cloth
Hi Laveena,
Thank you for asking! While we don’t have a video tutorial for this specific pattern, you can find many of the techniques used on our Knitting Tutorial Page. If you aren’t seeing what you need there, we’d also be happy to go over this together in one of our free 1-on-1 Zoom help sessions.
Please let us know if there is anything else we can do to help!
All the best,
Gavriella
To finish round 1, do I knit to the end of the round?
Hi Esther,
Thank you for pointing that out! Yes, you will knit to the end of the round after working [knit to 3 stitches before next marker, s2kp (see Notes), remove marker, k1, pm] 2 times. I have shared this with our team and they are making the update to the pattern straight away. Please let us know if there is anything else we can help with!
Many thanks,
Gavriella
Can someone please help? I’m confused about the pattern for the mitered corner hotpads. I knitted to the first marker, did the s2kp, and removed the marker. Then I k1, pm, 2 times. Wouldn’t this amount to a 2 stitch decrease – not 4? Should I have done s2kp before all the markers? Do all the markers remain in place? Also, where is the Magic Loop used?
Signed, Puzzled
Hi Mary,
Thank you for writing in! You will want to make sure you complete the entire bracketed instruction 2 times total. Since the S2KP is a 2 stitch decrease, you will have decreased a total of 4 stitches by completing [knit to 3 stitches before next marker, s2kp (see Notes), remove marker, k1, pm] two times. I hope this helps clarify but please let us know if you have any other questions along the way!
All the best,
Gavriella
Oh, phew. I am so glad you answered Mary’s comment about the errata on Rd. 1. I took this for a travel project and got stuck (in mid-air at that!) . So frustrating. I really appreciate that you keep in touch.
Hi! What is the point of the marker after the 79th purl?
Hi Paige,
Thank you for writing in! The stitch marker will help you work your s2kp decreases evenly throughout the pattern so they align nicely. I hope this helps!
All the best,
Gavriella
This pattern looks so fun! Thank you for sharing. How would one modify the pattern for worsted weight cotton ( rather than DK)? Other than just reducing the number of cast on stitches- can the pattern be altered to accommodate a heavier yarn?
Hi Nicole,
Thank you for writing in! You can definitely use a thicker yarn if you prefer. I’d recommend just going up a needle size to account for the heavier yarn and it shouldn’t change the result of the pattern too much!
Happy knitting,
Gavriella
I don’t understand how to do the color change. The second row is purl and is also the row where you are slipping the first stitch to avoid jog in colors.
You are coming off a knit row at this point. So where is the yarn held when slipping the first purl stitch? Front or back?
Neither looks good to me.
Hi Susie,
Thanks for writing in! In this pattern you won’t be slipping the stitches at the start of your rounds but instead just beginning to knit with your new color as demonstrated in the tutorial. We found it to work fine since this pattern is in garter stitch so we recommend skipping that step all together. I hope this helps clarify!
All the best,
Gavriella
Can I get the pdf with the instructions?
Hi Kimberly,
We’d be happy to share a copy with you and will email to you shortly! In the meantime please let us know if you need anything else.
Happy knitting,
Gavriella