Linked Double Crochet Pot Holder Crochet Pattern

This linked double crochet pot holder pattern creates a dense, gap-free square worked in flat rows of linked double crochet (ldc) using 100% worsted-weight cotton yarn. Unlike standard double crochet (UK treble crochet)—which leaves vertical spaces between stitch posts where a hot pan handle can touch your fingers—linked double crochet locks every stitch horizontally to its neighbor, forming a solid thermal barrier. Crochet a single square for a tabletop trivet, or make two matching squares and join them around the edges with a single crochet border for a double-thick oven pot holder.

This pattern is written in US crochet terms (where US double crochet dc corresponds to UK treble crochet tr, and US single crochet sc corresponds to UK double crochet dc).

Pattern At a Glance & Skill Notes

Why Linked Double Crochet Works for Pot Holders

In a standard double crochet row, you wrap the yarn over your hook freely before inserting it into the next stitch, leaving a narrow vertical window between every pair of posts. In linked double crochet (ldc), that initial yarn-over is replaced by inserting your hook downward under the horizontal middle bar of the stitch you just finished and pulling up a loop. Every stitch is physically anchored at its midpoint to the stitch beside it, creating a flat, woven-like fabric with zero daylight holes.

Materials and Gauge

Materials Needed

• Yarn: 100% Worsted-Weight (#4 Medium) Kitchen Cotton Yarn (such as Lily Sugar 'n Cream, WeCrochet Dishie, or Premier Home Cotton — ensure 100% cotton content with zero polyester/acrylic).
  • Single-Layer Trivet (1 Panel + Border): Approx. 1.5 oz / 43 g (~75 yds / 69 m) (estimate).
  • Double-Thick Pot Holder (2 Panels + Joining Border): Approx. 3.0 oz / 85 g (~150 yds / 137 m), or two contrasting 50 g balls (estimate). If you are working from partial skeins or changing yarn weights, check your total against our yarn yardage tool.
• Crochet Hook: 5.0 mm (US H-8) aluminum or ergonomic hook (drop to 4.5 mm if any light shows between your stitches).
• Notions: Metal tapestry needle (blunt tip, #16) for weaving in cotton tails, locking stitch markers (optional for marking the first and last stitch of each row), and scissors.

Gauge

• Target Gauge: 13 ldc sts × 7 rows = 4" × 4" (10 cm × 10 cm) worked flat with a 5.0 mm hook (estimate).
• Exact gauge is not critical for fit, but your fabric must be dense and firm with no gaps between stitch posts when bent over your fingers.

Critical Heat-Safety Note: Why You Must Use 100% Cotton (Never Acrylic)

1. Never use acrylic, polyester, nylon, or synthetic blends: Acrylic is a petroleum-based plastic fiber (polyacrylonitrile). When exposed to a hot baking sheet, cast-iron skillet, or oven rack (typically 350°F–450°F / 175°C–230°C), acrylic softens and melts above ~300°F (150°C), fusing to cookware and causing severe contact burns. Even an "85% cotton / 15% polyester" recycled blend can scorch or slicken under high heat.
2. Choose unmercerized 100% cotton (or 100% non-superwash wool): Unmercerized 100% kitchen cotton has a matte, high-friction surface that grips baking dishes without slipping, withstands high dry heat without melting, and can be tossed straight into the washing machine.
3. Never use a damp pot holder on hot cookware: Water conducts heat rapidly and flashes into scalding steam on contact with a hot pan. Always let freshly washed cotton pot holders dry completely before using them near the stove or oven.

Stitches and Abbreviations (US Terms)

• ch — chain
• sl st — slip stitch
• sc — single crochet (UK: double crochet dc)
• dc — double crochet (UK: treble crochet tr)
• ldc — linked double crochet (see step-by-step stitch guide below)
• st(s) — stitch(es)
• yo — yarn over
• RS / WS — Right Side / Wrong Side

How to Work the Linked Double Crochet (ldc)

• First ldc of Row 1 (Worked into the Starting Chain):
  1. Insert your hook into the 2nd chain from your hook, yo, and pull up a loop (2 loops on hook).
  2. Insert your hook into the 4th chain from your hook, yo, and pull up a loop (3 loops on hook).
  3. Yo and pull through 2 loops (2 loops remain on hook); yo and pull through the remaining 2 loops. (Your first linked double crochet is complete; the skipped chains and first stitch are linked together.)
• First ldc of Row 2 and All Following Rows:
  1. After chaining 2 and turning (ch 2 does not count as a stitch—it serves as the linked side edge), insert your hook into the 2nd chain from your hook, yo, and pull up a loop (2 loops on hook).
  2. Insert your hook under both top loops of the very first stitch at the base of the turning chain, yo, and pull up a loop (3 loops on hook).
  3. Yo, pull through 2 loops; yo, pull through the last 2 loops.
• Standard ldc Across the Row (Every Stitch After the First):
  1. Look at the vertical post of the stitch you just completed and locate the single horizontal bar running across the middle of its post.
  2. Insert your hook from top to bottom under that horizontal bar, yo, and pull up a loop (2 loops on hook).
  3. Insert your hook under both top loops of the next stitch in the row below, yo, and pull up a loop (3 loops on hook).
  4. Yo, pull through 2 loops; yo, pull through the remaining 2 loops.

Pattern Notes

• Construction Options:
  • Single-Layer Trivet: Make 1 square panel, then work the single crochet border and hanging loop around all four edges. Ideal for resting warm serving dishes on a dining table.
  • Double-Thick Oven Pot Holder (Recommended for Hot Pans): Make 2 identical square panels (either in matching yarn or two contrasting colors like terracotta and cream). Hold the two panels wrong-sides together and work the single crochet border through both layers at once to fuse them into a double-thick pad.
• Turning Chain Rule: The ch 2 at the beginning of each row is used to anchor the first linked stitch and does not count as a separate stitch in the row count. Every row has 24 ldc stitches.
• Custom Width Formula: Because Row 1 begins in the 2nd and 3rd chains from the hook, your foundation chain is always your desired stitch count + 2 extra chains (24 + 2 = 26 chains).

Step-by-Step Instructions

Part 1: Linked Double Crochet Square Panel (Make 1 for Trivet, or Make 2 for Double-Thick Pot Holder)

Foundation Chain: With 100% worsted cotton yarn and a 5.0 mm (H-8) hook, ch 26.

• Row 1 (RS): Work the first ldc using the starting chain: insert hook into 2nd ch from hook, yo and pull up a loop (2 loops on hook); insert hook into 3rd ch from hook, yo and pull up a loop (3 loops on hook); [yo, pull through 2 loops] twice (first ldc made). Work 1 ldc in each of the remaining 23 chains across (inserting hook under the horizontal bar of the previous ldc, pulling up a loop, then inserting into the next ch and completing as a dc). Turn. — 24 ldc (Math check: 3rd ch from hook + 23 remaining chs = 24 base chs used after the 2 skipped setup chains; 1st ldc + 23 ldc = 24 ldc total).
• Row 2 (WS): Ch 2 (does not count as a st). Insert hook into 2nd ch from hook, yo and pull up a loop; insert hook under both top loops of the first st, yo and pull up a loop; [yo, pull through 2 loops] twice (first ldc made). Work 1 ldc in each of the remaining 23 sts across. Turn. — 24 ldc
• Rows 3–12: Repeat Row 2 ten more times until your square has 12 completed rows (or until the height equals the width of your panel).
  • If making a 1-layer trivet: Do not fasten off at the end of Row 12; proceed directly to Part 2 (Border & Hanging Loop).
  • If making a 2-layer pot holder: Fasten off the first panel at the end of Row 12 and weave its tails into the inside face. Crochet the second panel through Row 12, and do not fasten off the second panel—use its live loop to join both panels in Part 2.

Finishing: Double-Layer Seaming Border & Hanging Loop

1. Align the Panels (For 2-Layer Pot Holder): Place your two completed 12-row squares on top of each other with their Right Sides (RS) facing outward and all four edges aligned so Row 1 matches Row 1 and Row 12 matches Row 12. (Ensure any woven yarn tails are tucked safely inside between the two layers.)
2. Joining Border Round (Rnd 1):
   • Continuing with the live loop at the top corner of Row 12, ch 1 (does not count as a st).
   • Insert your hook through both panels at the same time (going under both top loops of the front panel and the matching loops of the back panel) and work 1 sc in each of the 24 stitches across the top edge.
   • Corner 1: Work 3 sc into the corner stitch/space through both layers to turn the corner flat without curling.
   • First Row-End Side Edge: Work 24 sc evenly down the side edge through both panels (2 sc per ldc row-end across 12 rows = 12 × 2 = 24 sc).
   • Corner 2: Work 3 sc into the bottom corner through both layers.
   • Bottom Foundation Edge: Work 1 sc in each of the 24 foundation chain loops across the bottom edge through both layers.
   • Corner 3: Work 3 sc into the second bottom corner through both layers.
   • Second Row-End Side Edge: Work 24 sc evenly up the second side edge through both panels (2 sc per row-end across 12 rows).
3. Corner 4 & Sturdy Hanging Loop:
   • Work 2 sc into the final corner space where you started the round.
   • Ch 12 to form the hanging loop, then work 1 sc back into that same corner space to anchor the loop.
   • (Optional Extra-Sturdy Loop): If you want a rigid hanging ring that won't stretch on wide kitchen hooks, turn slightly and work 14 sc directly into the center of the ch-12 loop, then sl st into the first sc of the border round.
   • Otherwise, join with a sl st to the first sc of the border round. (Total border stitch count: 4 sides × 24 sc = 96 side sc + 4 corners × 3 sc = 12 corner sc = 108 sc around, plus the ch-12 hanging loop.)
4. Fasten Off & Weave In: Cut the yarn leaving a 6-inch (15 cm) tail, pull through the last loop, and use your metal tapestry needle to weave the tail back and forth three times between the two cotton layers so no tail is visible on the outside.

Variations (Size, Colorwork, and Borders)

1. Three Custom Sizes (With Starting Chain & Row Math)

Because linked double crochet in worsted cotton works up at roughly 3.25 stitches per inch and 1.75 rows per inch, you can resize the square using the Desired Stitches + 2 chain formula:

2. Two-Tone Reversible Color Block

Crochet Panel A in a dark, stain-hiding shade (such as terracotta, charcoal, or sage green) and Panel B in natural unbleached cream. When you work the single crochet joining border in the darker color, it frames the cream side with a crisp contrasting piping line while giving you a dark utility side for cast-iron skillets.

3. Crab Stitch (Reverse Single Crochet) Corded Edge

After completing the standard single crochet joining round (Rnd 1), do not fasten off. Instead, ch 1 and work 1 round of reverse single crochet (crab stitch) from left to right into each sc around. This adds a thick, twisted rope bumper around the perimeter that protects table surfaces from heavy Dutch ovens.

Troubleshooting Common Linked Double Crochet Pot Holder Issues

Frequently Asked Questions

About the Author

Claire Vance is a crochet pattern designer, technical editor, and fiber educator at DoubleCrochet.io. She specializes in functional home patterns, stitch mechanics, and Craft Yarn Council-compliant pattern grading.