crochet potholder

I love this potholder... and crocheting is much easier than you think, especially this one, cause it's just a square, nothing technical!

To start off you need a roll of rope, you can buy it at your craft or hardware store, and a crochet hook.  Hooks come in many shapes and sizes but the 4mm one is the best one to start off with.

First you need to make a slip knot.  I use my fingers to make the knot, it's much easier! (and I'm sure you've made a slip knot before, you just didn't know that's what it is called)
Holding the rope in your left hand hanging over your fingers, loop it around.

Now take the loose end and push it through the loop that has formed around your fingers.
Holding onto the piece that you have pushed through, pull the two ends down.

You will see that you can now move the loop, make it smaller so that it can fit on the hook.

Now to do the chain stitch.
Hold the short end of the rope in your right hand just below the slip knot.

Bring the rope in your left hand, round the hook from the back to the front by passing the hook under the rope.
Keep the rope taut in the left hand, draw the hook and the rope through the loop on the hook, now one chain stitch has been completed.

Repeat until you have about 20 stitches (if you count your stitches you don't include the slip knot).  As you work, release the short end of the rope and hold closer to the hook.

The stitch I used to make this potholder is called a double crochet stitch.
Insert the crochet hook into the next stitch, passing it from the front to the back of the stitch.  Pass the hook under the rope in the left hand in the normal way, so the rope is wound around the hook.

Draw the rope through to the front of the first loop on the hook, you will have two loops on the hook after this.


Pass the hook under the rope in the left hand and draw through both loops on the hook, slipping the loops off the hook at the same time.  One double crochet stitch has been completed.

Now to start the next row, turn the work over so that the last stitch made is the first in the new row.  Work one chain stitch, this will count as the first stitch on the hook, and also produce the height of the stitch.
Continue working in rows of double crochet, working a turning chain at the start of every row.  The right side and wrong side stitch patterns look similar except in the foundation row.

Continue until your work is a square (about 20 rows).  When you only have one more row to go, at the last stitch work chain stitch to form the loop of the potholder (about 12 stitches).  Then continue as before with the last row.

There you go, your crochet part is done!

Now for the heart.
I cut a heart out of felt, and stitched it onto the one side.  When stitching it on don't push the needle straight through, just catch the top part of the rope.