The Wheat Ears Potholder is a functional, textured kitchen accessory featuring a rustic wheat motif. This project uses tapestry crochet, a technique where you carry the non-working yarn along the top of your previous stitches and work over it, allowing for smooth, seamless color changes. It is crocheted in rows to create the main body and finished with a clean border and a built-in hanging loop.
Master Material List
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Yarn: Medium weight (Aran/Group 4) 100% cotton yarn in two colors:
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Color A (Main Body): Light Brown (Approx. 48 yards / 44 meters)
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Color B (Pattern Detail): Cream or Natural (Approx. 21 yards / 19 meters)
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Hook: 3.5 mm (US E/4) crochet hook
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Tools: Tapestry needle for weaving in ends and adding final embroidery details, and scissors.
Sizing and Tension Guide
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Finished Measurements: Approximately 6.2 inches (15.7 cm) wide by 6.3 inches (16 cm) tall.
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Gauge: 22.5 single crochets by 21 rows equals a 4-inch (10 cm) square.
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Note: Matching gauge ensures your potholder turns out square and dense enough to protect your hands from heat.
Key Techniques Explained
Tapestry Crochet & Color Switching
To change colors invisibly, begin a single crochet with the current color: insert hook, yarn over, and pull up a loop (two loops on hook). Drop the current color, grab the new color, and pull it through both loops to complete the stitch. Always lay the yarn color you aren’t using flat along the top of the row so your active stitches enclose it.
Row Dynamics
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Every row maintains a consistent width of 34 stitches.
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Turn your work and chain 1 at the end of every row. This chain acts purely as a lifting step and does not count as your first stitch.
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Odd rows represent the front (Right Side), while even rows represent the back (Wrong Side).
Step-by-Step Crochet Instructions
The Main Body
Using Color A, chain 35.
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Row 1 (Right Side): Insert hook into the second chain from your hook. Work 1 single crochet into each chain across. (34 stitches)
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Rows 2–3: Single crochet across all 34 stitches using Color A.
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Row 4 (Wrong Side): With Color A, single crochet 27. Switch to Color B for 1 stitch, go back to Color A for 1 stitch, switch to Color B for 2 stitches, and finish with 3 stitches in Color A.
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Row 5: With A, work 3. With B, work 1. With A, work 2. With B, work 2. Finish with 26 stitches in Color A.
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Row 6: With A, work 26. With B, work 1. With A, work 2. With B, work 1. Finish with 4 stitches in Color A.
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Row 7: With A, work 3. With B, work 2. With A, work 1. With B, work 1. Finish with 27 stitches in Color A.
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Row 8: With A, work 26. With B, work 2. With A, work 2. With B, work 1. Finish with 3 stitches in Color A.
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Row 9: With A, work 4. With B, work 1. With A, work 2. With B, work 1. With A, work 19. With B, work 1. With A, work 1. With B, work 2. Finish with 3 stitches in Color A.
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Row 10: With A, work 3. With B, work 1. With A, work 2. With B, work 2. With A, work 12. With B, work 3. With A, work 4. With B, work 1. With A, work 1. With B, work 2. Finish with 3 stitches in Color A.
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Row 11: With A, work 3. With B, work 2. With A, work 1. With B, work 2. With A, work 2. With B, work 3. With A, work 1. With B, work 1. With A, work 11. With B, work 1. With A, work 2. With B, work 1. Finish with 4 stitches in Color A.
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Row 12: With A, work 3. With B, work 2. With A, work 1. With B, work 1. With A, work 11. With B, work 2. With A, work 6. Alternating colors, do [1 B, 1 A] two times. Work 1 B, then finish with 3 stitches in Color A.
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Row 13: With A, work 5. With B, work 2. With A, work 3. With B, work 3. With A, work 1. With B, work 2. With A, work 10. With B, work 2. With A, work 2. With B, work 1. Finish with 3 stitches in Color A.
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Row 14: With A, work 4. With B, work 1. With A, work 2. With B, work 1. With A, work 10. With B, work 1. With A, work 3. With B, work 3. With A, work 2. With B, work 1. Finish with 6 stitches in Color A.
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Row 15: With A, work 14. With B, work 1. With A, work 4. With B, work 3. With A, work 5. With B, work 1. With A, work 1. With B, work 2. Finish with 3 stitches in Color A.
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Row 16: With A, work 3. With B, work 1. With A, work 2. With B, work 2. With A, work 3. With B, work 3. With A, work 1. With B, work 1. With A, work 2. With B, work 2. With A, work 1. With B, work 3. Finish with 10 stitches in Color A.
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Row 17: With A, work 9. With B, work 3. With A, work 2. With B, work 2. With A, work 1. With B, work 2. With A, work 7. With B, work 1. With A, work 1. With B, work 1. Finish with 5 stitches in Color A.
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Row 18: With A, work 5. With B, work 2. With A, work 4. With B, work 3. With A, work 1. With B, work 2. Alternating colors, do [1 A, 1 B] two times. Finish with 13 stitches in Color A.
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Row 19: With A, work 9. With B, work 3. With A, work 1. With B, work 2. With A, work 2. With B, work 1. With A, work 3. With B, work 3. With A, work 3. With B, work 1. Finish with 6 stitches in Color A.
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Row 20: With A, work 15. With B, work 1. With A, work 3. With B, work 2. With A, work 2. With B, work 3. Finish with 8 stitches in Color A.
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Row 21: With A, work 12. With B, work 1. With A, work 1. With B, work 1. With A, work 2. With B, work 2. With A, work 1. With B, work 3. Finish with 11 stitches in Color A.
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Row 22: With A, work 10. With B, work 3. With A, work 2. With B, work 2. With A, work 3. With B, work 2. With A, work 1. With B, work 3. Finish with 8 stitches in Color A.
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Row 23: With A, work 7. With B, work 3. With A, work 2. With B, work 2. With A, work 3. With B, work 1. With A, work 1. With B, work 1. Finish with 14 stitches in Color A.
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Row 24: With A, work 10. With B, work 3. With A, work 1. With B, work 2. With A, work 4. With B, work 1. With A, work 2. With B, work 1. Finish with 10 stitches in Color A.
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Row 25: With A, work 8. With B, work 3. With A, work 1. With B, work 1. With A, work 5. With B, work 2. With A, work 2. With B, work 3. Finish with 9 stitches in Color A.
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Row 26: With A, work 13. With B, work 1. With A, work 1. With B, work 1. With A, work 5. With B, work 2. With A, work 1. With B, work 3. Finish with 7 stitches in Color A.
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Row 27: With A, work 7. With B, work 2. With A, work 2. With B, work 2. With A, work 6. With B, work 2. With A, work 1. With B, work 2. Finish with 10 stitches in Color A.
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Row 28: With A, work 9. With B, work 3. With A, work 1. With B, work 2. With A, work 7. With B, work 1. Finish with 11 stitches in Color A.
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Row 29: With A, work 19. With B, work 1. With A, work 3. With B, work 2. Finish with 9 stitches in Color A.
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Rows 30–32: Cut Color B and secure it. Work purely in Color A, creating single crochets across all 34 stitches for these final three rows.
The Border and Hanging Loop
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Setup: Cut Color B. With Color A, chain 1 and turn your piece so the front side faces you.
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Round 1 (Edging): Single crochet 34 stitches across the top edge. At the corner, chain 1 to turn the corner smoothly. Work 32 single crochets down the left side, chain 1, work 34 single crochets along the bottom edge, chain 1, and work 32 single crochets up the right side. Chain 1, then link the round together by making a slip stitch into your very first border stitch.
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The Loop: Chain 1 and flip the piece over to the back. Chain 14 more (making 15 chains total). Anchor this chain to the next stitch on the border with a slip stitch to make a ring. Chain 1, turn to the front side, and work 18 single crochets directly over and around the chain loop to reinforce it. Fasten off.
Finishing Touches
Thread your tapestry needle with three separated strands of Color B yarn. Follow the path of the crochet stitches to embroider the long, continuous stems below the wheat heads using a classic stem stitch. Secure all remaining loose yarn tails inside the stitches on the back of the potholder to keep them hidden.
