Tutorial Vintage Flower Potholder

Well, here it is: The Flower Potholder tutorial!! It took me so much time, but I'm so proud to share it with you!

I used regular cotton and a size 3 hook. Be sure to crochet this potholder tight, than it will function better. Choose your colors carefully. Put them together and make a sketch if you can. You don't want to be halfway discovering you don't like the look of it.

Well, there we go...

Chain 4, join with a slip stitch.

Round 1: Chain 3, then add 14 double crochets into the circle. (total 15 dc) Join with a slip stitch.

Round 2: (Change color if you like) chain 3, *2 dc into next stitch, repeat * 13 times, than 1 dc into the same stitch as the first ch 3, join with a sl st (total 30 dc). 

Round 3: (Change color if you like) Ch 3, *1 dc in next stitch, 2 dc in next st, *repeat 13 times, 1 dc in next st, 1 dc in same stitch as first ch 3. (total 45 dc)

BE SURE TO COUNT YOUR STITCHES!!!  It's very annoying when your finished and the flower has only 14 petals... (believe me, I know)

Round 4: Join with the color you want to use for the edging, Ch 1, 1 single crochet in every stitch, join with a sl st. (Or use the method shown on these pictures for a prettier result when joining). This round is optional. You could leave it out if you want to. I like it better with, but you might not.

Round 5/6: Change color and begin in any stitch you want. Ch 3, 1dc, ch1, 2 dc, * skip 2 stitches, 2 dc, ch1, 2 dc, repeat* 13 times, join with a sl st in the third ch from the first ch 3. (For round 6, start in one of the ch 1 spaces)
Round 7/8: Change color, start in one of the ch 1 spaces, ch 3, 2dc, ch1, 3 dc, *3dc, ch 1, 3 dc, *repeat 13 times, join with a  sl st in the third ch from the first ch 3.
Round 9: Change color, start in one of the ch 1 spaces, ch3, 2dc, ch 2, 3 dc, * 3 dc, ch2, 3 dc, repeat*13 times.

If you don't want to change color, like I did in the back of the potholder, this is a nice method to start each upcoming round: join the first round with a sl st, sl st in next dc, sl st n the chain 1 space, then start  the new round as written above.

Round 10: Change color, start in the ch 2 space, Ch 4, 4 trebbles, *sl st, 10 trebbles, repeat* 13 times, 5 tr, join with a sl st.

Congratulations! You have finished your front now. Time for the back. Again, choose your colors carefully. After finishing both, finish of the loose ends before you start joining them. The joining part is a bit tricky at first. Be careful with your hook. You don't want to pull along all sorts of loops...

For joining: Place the 2 sides back to back,( make sure you have the front pointing towards you) start in the middle of a pettal (both sides), ch1, 2 sc in next stitch (this goes for all the trebbles!) When you come to the middle of 2 pettals, make sure your yarn is right from the hook (first pic), the hook goes in, the first space between rounds 9 (back and front), from the back, yarn over, pull it through so you get 2 loops on the hook (this is tricky at first, you have to make a little turn and it's easy to take other loops with you...), yarn over and pull it through both loops. (It's just a sc around each round), ch 1 and repeat this until your flower is done. Look at the pictures closely. It's sc than ch 1.

When you're at the middle of the flower start by working your hook through the back, and the second one from the front. That's where you turn around.

This will take some practice, but you will get better at it every time.

That's it! Wow, I'm going to get me a cup of tea...

Hope it's clear to all of you. Please let me know if you miss anything, or I made mistakes. And I would love to see the results of course!!

And there they are. Perfect to use! They always cheer me up!

Have a very happy weekend!