Cacti are happy, bright, summery, and fun – so Crochet Cactus Potholders are perfect for your kitchen! These thick squishy crocheted hot pads make great trivets too – or you can sew a couple of tall ones together to make an oven mitt!
Disclaimer: This post includes affiliate links; materials provided by Red Heart Yarns, Clover USA, and Furls Crochet.
The key to the Crochet Cactus Potholders is to use 100% cotton yarn – Red Heart Scrubby Smoothie! With cotton yarn, you can use these Cacti with hot dishes without worrying about melting your project on your next hot dish.
The Crochet Cactus Potholders are a set – there’s a tall cactus and a ball cactus, both kitchen ready. But they aren’t limited to being just potholders! The tall cactus also would make a great oven mitt if you sew two of them together. And the Ball Cactus would be super cute under a real flower pot! However you use them, they are sure to brighten up your table.
Crochet Cactus Potholders
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US – H, 5.0mm Furls Crochet hook
150 yds Red Heart Scrubby Smoothie (100% Cotton; “4”/Medium/Worsted/UK: 10-12 ply; 3.5oz/100g; 153 yd/140 m)
Color A: Lime (1 ball)
Color B: Coral (1 ball)
Click on the yarn to buy it on RedHeart.com!
Gauge: 16 sts x 12 rows = 4″/10cm in fpdc/bpdc worked even (main st pattern)
Size:
Tall Cactus – 10″ tall (including flower) x 7 1/4″ wide at the widest point
Ball Cactus – 7 3/4″ tall (including flower) x 6″ wide at the widest point
Helpful Links & Tutorials
Crochet Cactus Potholders Tutorial: Tall Cactus Tutorial; Ball Cactus Tutorial
FDC – Foundation Double Crochet
Join with HDC (Standing Half Double Crochet)
Special Stitches:
bpslst – back post slip stitch: insert hook from back to front to back around indicated st, yo and pull up a loop, pull through to finish as a slip stitch
bp/fpdc2tog – back post double crochet and front post double crochet two together (dec): yo and insert hook from back to front to back around next st, yo and pull up a loop, yo and pull through 2 loops (2 loops remain on hook), yo and insert hook from front to back to front around next st, yo and pull up a loop, yo and pull through 2 loops (3 loops remain on hook), yo and pull through all 3 loops to finish stitch
fp/bpdc2tog – front post double crochet and back post double crochet two together (dec): yo and insert hook from front to back to front around next st, yo and pull up a loop, yo and pull through 2 loops (2 loops remain on hook), yo and insert hook from back to front to back around next st, yo and pull up a loop, yo and pull through 2 loops (3 loops remain on hook), yo and pull through all 3 loops to finish stitch
Tall Cactus Instructions
Row 1 (WS): With Color A, FDC 23; turn. (23 sts)
Row 2 (RS): Ch 1, hdc in 1st st, *fpdc in next st, bpdc in next st; rep from * across until 2 sts remain, fpdc in next st, hdc in last st, turn. (23 sts)
Row 3: Ch 1, hdc in 1st st, *bpdc in next st, fpdc in next st; rep from * across until 2 sts remain, bpdc in next st, hdc in last st; turn. (23 sts)
Row 4 – 9: Rep Rows 2 and 3.
Row 10: Ch 1, hdc in 1st st, [fpdc in next st, bpdc in next st] twice, (fpdc, hdc, fpdc) in next st, *bpdc in next st, fpdc in next st; rep from * across until 1 st remains, hdc in last st, turn. (25 sts)
Row 11: Ch 1, hdc in 1st st, *bpdc in next st, fpdc in next st; rep from * across until 8 sts remain, bpdc in next st, 2 hdc in hdc, [bpdc in next st, fpdc in next st] twice, bpdc in next st, hdc in last st, turn. (26 sts)
Row 12: Ch 1, hdc in 1st st, [fpdc in next st, bpdc in next st] twice, fpdc in next st, sc in next 2 hdc, fpdc in next st, *bpdc in next st, fpdc in next st; rep from * across until 1 st remains, hdc in last st, turn. (26 sts)
Row 13: Ch 1, hdc in 1st st, bpdc in next st, *fpdc in next st, bpdc in next st; rep from * across until 8 sts remain, hdc in next st, turn (remaining 7 sts left unworked). (19 sts)
Row 14 – 19: Rep Rows 2 and 3.
Row 20: Ch 1, hdc in 1st st, fpdc2tog over next 2 fpdc sts skipping the bpdc in between, bpdc in next st, [fpdc in next st, bpdc in next st] 5 times, fpdc2tog over next 2 fpdc sts skipping the bpdc in between, hdc in last st; turn. (15 sts)
Row 21: Rep Row 3.
Row 22: Ch 1, hdc in 1st st, fpdc in next st, bpdc in next st, fpdc2tog over next 2 fpdc sts skipping the bpdc in between, bpdc in next st, fpdc in next st, bpdc in next st, fpdc2tog over next 2 fpdc sts skipping the bpdc in between, place marker in stitch just made, bpdc in next st, fpdc in next st, hdc in last st; break yarn and finish off. (11 sts)
Cactus Branch – worked into the 7 sts left unworked at the end of Row 13:
Row 23: From RS, join with hdc in 1st st of Row 12, fpdc in next st, [bpdc in next st, fpdc in next st] twice, hdc in next st, turn. (7 sts)
Row 24: Rep Row 3.
Row 25: Ch 1, hdc in 1st st, fpdc3tog over next 3 fpdc sts skipping the bpdc sts in between, hdc in last st; do NOT turn. (3 sts)
Edging Rnd 1: Ch 1, sc evenly around cactus, working fpsc in each fp st and a ch 1 at each bottom corner; join and break Color A. (Move stitch marker up to the corresponding stitch.)
Flower and Edging Rnd 2:
Flower Rnd 1: With Color B, make a magic circle, work 5 sc into the ring; join. (5 sts)
Flower Rnd 2: *Ch 1, (dc, 2tr, dc, ch 1, sl st) in next st; rep from * around; do NOT join or break yarn. (5 petals made)
Edging Rnd 2: Sc in marked st and each st around cactus, working a ch 1 at each bottom corner, until 3 sts remain; bpslst around 2nd tr of 3rd petal of flower, then sc in last 3 sts of cactus, join and break.
Ball Cactus Instructions
Row 1 (WS): With Color A, FDC 15; turn. (15 sts)
Row 2 (RS): Ch 2 (does not count as a st), dc in 1st st, (fptr, dc) in next 2 sts, *fpdc in next st, bpdc in next st; rep from * until 4 sts remain, fpdc in next st, (dc, fptr) in next 2 sts, dc in last st, turn. (19 sts)
Row 3: Ch 2 (does not count as a st), dc in 1st st, (bptr, dc) in next 2 sts, *bpdc in next st, fpdc in next st; rep from * until 4 sts remain, bpdc in next st, (dc, bptr) in next 2 sts, dc in last st, turn. (23 sts)
Row 4: Ch 1, hdc in 1st st, *fpdc in next st, bpdc in next st; rep from * across until 2 sts remain, fpdc in next st, hdc in last st, turn. (23 sts)
Row 5: Ch 1, hdc in 1st st, *bpdc in next st, fpdc in next st; rep from * across until 2 sts remain, bpdc in next st, hdc in last st, turn. (23 sts)
6- 9: Rep Rows 4 and 5.
Row 10: Ch 1, hdc in 1st st, fpdc2tog over next 2 fpdc sts skipping the bpdc in between, skip next bpdc, fpdc in next st, *bpdc in next st, fpdc in next st; rep from * across until 5 sts remain, skip next bpdc, fpdc2tog over next 2 fpdc sts skipping the bpdc in between, hdc in last st, turn. (17 sts)
Row 11: Ch 1, hdc in 1st st, bpdc in next st, bp/fpdc2tog, bpdc2tog in next 2 bpdc sts skipping the fpdc in between, fpdc in next st, bpdc in next st, fpdc in next st, bpdc2tog in next 2 bpdc sts skipping the fpdc in between, fp/bpdc2tog, bpdc in next st, hdc in last st, turn. (11 sts)
Row 12: Ch 1, hdc in 1st st, fpdc in next st, bpdc in next st, fpdc in next st, bp/fp/bpdc3tog, fpdc in next st, bpdc in next st, fpdc in next st, hdc in last st, turn. (9 sts)
Row 13: Ch 2, dc in 1st st, bpdc2tog in next 2 bpdc sts skipping the fpdc in between, place marker in stitch just made, bpdc in next st, bpdc2tog in next 2 bpdc sts skipping the fpdc in between, dc in last st, turn. (5 sts)
Edging Rnd 1: Ch 1, sc evenly around cactus, working a ch 1 at each bottom corner; join and break Color A. (Move stitch marker up to the corresponding stitch.)
Cactus Pot:
Row 1: With Color B, from RS, join with sl st, ch 1, and sc in bottom ch-1 corner sp of cactus, fpsc in next 15 sts, sc in last ch-1 corner sp; turn. (17 sts)
Row 2: Ch 1, sc2tog, sc in each st until 2 sts remain, sc2tog; turn. (15 sts)
Row 3: Rep Row 2; break and finish off. (13 sts)
Flower and Edging Rnd 2:
Flower Rnd 1: With Color B, make a magic circle, work 5 sc into the ring; join. (5 sts)
Flower Rnd 2: *Ch 1, (dc, 2tr, dc, ch 1, sl st) in next st; rep from * around; do NOT join or break yarn. (5 petals made)
Edging Rnd 2: Sc in marked st and each st around cactus, working a ch 1 at each bottom corner, and working evenly along the sides of the Cactus Pot, until 3 sts remain; bpslst around 2nd tr of 3rd petal of flower, then sc in last 3 sts of cactus, join and break.
And that’s the free Crochet Cactus Potholders pattern set! I hope you enjoy crocheting your own cacti kitchen set – is there a piece missing from the set? Let me know what you think in the comments!
If you make the Crochet Cactus Potholders I’d love to see a photo. So if you share it on social media, be sure to tag me @mooglyblog or #mooglyblog – and happy crocheting!
Written pattern copyright Tamara Kelly 2018, all rights reserved. Please do not reprint or repost this pattern, but please do link to this page to share this pattern with others. To print or download, use the Print Friendly button below, or go to PrintFriendly.com, or right-click to copy and paste it into a word processing document if those options do not work for you (please note that Print Friendly is a free outside website that the button links to, and you can click here for a tutorial on how to use it, but I cannot provide additional technical support for this service). If you wish to make items for sale from this pattern or translate it to another language, please visit the About page for details. Thank you to Red Heart Yarn, Furls Crochet, and Clover USA for providing the materials for this pattern.
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