35+ Potholders to Crochet: Step-by-Step Patterns for Unique Kitchen Essentials-From Classic and Practical to Playful and Pretty
by Beatrice Simon
Potholders make such terrific crochet projects. Their small size makes potholders a terrific travel project to take on vacations. Crochet potholders offer the chance to play with different yarns and explore new crochet stitches without committing to a big project. Plus they offer that instant gratification of a project that is easy to complete.
But what should you do with all of your crochet potholders once you have a stack of them? How about making a beautiful wall art display? Here are five tips for creating stunning art walls with your crocheted potholders:
1. Pick a theme for your display.
By choosing a theme for your potholders as you make them you’ll be able to create a work of wall art that looks cohesive. You may want to stick to a certain color palette, for example. Alternatively you may choose to crochet potholders that all have the same motif, such as a floral design or perhaps these fruit-inspired potholders by Meredith Crawford (above) from the Crochet Today July/August 2013 issue.
2. Decorate with other items in similar colors in the same space.
The little details that you add in the space around your display can really make the difference between a set of hanging potholders and a true work of art. Check out the styling (above) on Your Nana’s Potholders, a crochet pattern by Maryse Roudier from the Crochet Today March/April 2010 issue. It shows how just a few choice items in the right shapes and colors can really pull the details together in a potholder art display.
3. Stack your extras.
Take a look at the vintage crochet potholder display (above) by Swedish stylist and photographer Elisabeth Dunker. The display itself is eye-catching but once you’ve taken it all in then your eye is also drawn to the stack of extra potholders that are stacked on the table beneath the display. You get curious about them and want to see more. You can rotate out the crochet potholders in the pile with the ones on the wall seasonally to freshen up your space.
4. Think creatively with placement.
Finnish artist Anu Tuominen has done several crochet potholder art installations in different locations. Most people are drawn particularly to the bold colors of her works of art. However, another aspect that is really eye-catching is her choice of placement. Each potholder goes into the perfect spot to create the final display. For example, Tuominen has been known to use the intersection of two walls to display crochet potholders in each corner, giving the illusion of new shapes to the space. She has also displayed potholders in a circular fashion, exaggerating the shape of round potholders by making the display round as well.
5. Treat each potholder like a work of art.
Artist Renilde de Peuter takes utilitarian objects like potholders and uses creative details to make each one a true work of art (above). Play around with freeform crochet and niche techniques to create your own artistic crochet potholders. Just a few of these little jewels will go a long way towards making your walls amazing! Use frames to really set apart just one or two potholders.
This is a slightly edited version of a crochet article I originally published on the Crochet Today blog.