Vintage pattern · 1957 · square thread crochet pot holder

Plaid Pan Holder

Free crochet pattern with chart

A square pot holder in green double crochet. Six rows of open meshes cross six upright lines of meshes, and six-strand embroidery floss in blue, yellow and red is woven through them to make the plaid. A plain back of the same size is crocheted to it around the edge.

Thread: Cotton crochet threadfloss for the plaid
Hook: 1.65 mm steelNo. 7 in 1957
Made: Two square piecesfront and back, joined

Every count checked by KrowsheaNo errors in the 1957 original. Modern US and UK terms, and a chart drawn from the counts.

Black and white photo of a square crocheted pot holder set on its point, dark with a grid of light woven lines, and a covered ring at the top corner — **1957** · The Plaid Pan Holder, as photographed for the August 1957 issue.

Chart

Plaid Pan Holder crochet chart

Right-handedLeft-handed

Crochet symbol chart of Plaid Pan Holder, drawn by Krowshea

The same chart drawn left-handed, mirrored

Reading this chart

Start at the bottom. Each row begins at its number, beside its turning chain, and the rows turn back and forth.
Rows alternate dark and blue so they read apart.
The key under the chart names every symbol. Symbols follow the Craft Yarn Council chart standard.
The chart shows the front; the written pattern has every piece.

Drawn by Krowshea from the checked counts, not traced from the original. New to charts? How to read crochet charts.

Written pattern

Row by row

US termsUK terms

Written in US crochet terms

Front

Ch 63.

1
The last 3 ch count as the first dc. Starting in the 4th ch from the hook, dc in next 60 ch, turn.
61 dc
2–3
Ch 3 (counts as a dc), dc in next 60 sts, turn.
61 dc
4
Ch 3 (counts as a dc), dc in next 6 sts, [ch 2, sk next 2 sts, dc in next st] 15 times, ch 2, sk next 2 sts, dc in next 7 sts, turn.
29 dc, 16 sps
5
Ch 3 (counts as a dc), dc in next 6 sts, [ch 2, sk next sp, dc in next st, 2 dc in next sp, dc in next st, 2 dc in next sp, dc in next st] 5 times, ch 2, sk next sp, dc in next 7 sts, turn.
49 dc, 6 sps
6–7
Ch 3 (counts as a dc), dc in next 6 sts, [ch 2, sk next sp, dc in next 7 sts] 6 times, turn.
49 dc, 6 sps
8
Ch 3 (counts as a dc), dc in next 6 sts, [ch 2, sk next sp, dc in next st, ch 2, sk next 2 sts, dc in next st, ch 2, sk next 2 sts, dc in next st] 5 times, ch 2, sk next sp, dc in next 7 sts, turn.
29 dc, 16 sps
9–24
Repeat rows 5–8.
25
Ch 3 (counts as a dc), dc in next 6 sts, [2 dc in next sp, dc in next st] 15 times, 2 dc in next sp, dc in next 7 sts, turn.
61 dc
26
Ch 3 (counts as a dc), dc in next 60 sts, turn.
61 dc
27
Ch 3 (counts as a dc), dc in next 60 sts. Fasten off. Weaving: with a double strand of six-strand embroidery cotton, weave through each mesh lengthwise, over 1 dc and under the next, reversing the over and under of each double strand. Starting at the first row of meshes, work 1 row blue, 1 row yellow and 1 row red in each of the 6 rows of meshes. Working vertically, weave the remaining free meshes in the same way, over and under the green bars only.
61 dc

Back

Ch 63.

1
The last 3 ch count as the first dc. Starting in the 4th ch from the hook, dc in next 60 ch, turn.
61 dc
2–26
Ch 3 (counts as a dc), dc in next 60 sts, turn.
61 dc
27
Ch 3 (counts as a dc), dc in next 60 sts.
61 dc
To finish: without cutting the thread, place the two sections together with the right side of each facing outward. Crochet a row of sc around through both, working 3 sc in each corner st, join, cut the thread. Cover a bone ring with sc and join it to one corner of the pan holder.
Fasten off and weave in ends.

Written in UK crochet terms

Front

Ch 63.

1
The last 3 ch count as the first tr. Starting in the 4th ch from the hook, tr in next 60 ch, turn.
61 tr
2–3
Ch 3 (counts as a tr), tr in next 60 sts, turn.
61 tr
4
Ch 3 (counts as a tr), tr in next 6 sts, [ch 2, miss next 2 sts, tr in next st] 15 times, ch 2, miss next 2 sts, tr in next 7 sts, turn.
29 tr, 16 sps
5
Ch 3 (counts as a tr), tr in next 6 sts, [ch 2, miss next sp, tr in next st, 2 tr in next sp, tr in next st, 2 tr in next sp, tr in next st] 5 times, ch 2, miss next sp, tr in next 7 sts, turn.
49 tr, 6 sps
6–7
Ch 3 (counts as a tr), tr in next 6 sts, [ch 2, miss next sp, tr in next 7 sts] 6 times, turn.
49 tr, 6 sps
8
Ch 3 (counts as a tr), tr in next 6 sts, [ch 2, miss next sp, tr in next st, ch 2, miss next 2 sts, tr in next st, ch 2, miss next 2 sts, tr in next st] 5 times, ch 2, miss next sp, tr in next 7 sts, turn.
29 tr, 16 sps
9–24
Repeat rows 5–8.
25
Ch 3 (counts as a tr), tr in next 6 sts, [2 tr in next sp, tr in next st] 15 times, 2 tr in next sp, tr in next 7 sts, turn.
61 tr
26
Ch 3 (counts as a tr), tr in next 60 sts, turn.
61 tr
27
Ch 3 (counts as a tr), tr in next 60 sts. Fasten off. Weaving: with a double strand of six-strand embroidery cotton, weave through each mesh lengthwise, over 1 tr and under the next, reversing the over and under of each double strand. Starting at the first row of meshes, work 1 row blue, 1 row yellow and 1 row red in each of the 6 rows of meshes. Working vertically, weave the remaining free meshes in the same way, over and under the green bars only.
61 tr

Back

Ch 63.

1
The last 3 ch count as the first tr. Starting in the 4th ch from the hook, tr in next 60 ch, turn.
61 tr
2–26
Ch 3 (counts as a tr), tr in next 60 sts, turn.
61 tr
27
Ch 3 (counts as a tr), tr in next 60 sts.
61 tr
To finish: without cutting the thread, place the two sections together with the right side of each facing outward. Crochet a row of dc around through both, working 3 dc in each corner st, join, cut the thread. Cover a bone ring with dc and join it to one corner of the pan holder.
Fasten off and weave in ends.

The 1957 original

As it was printed

The Workbasket, August 1957 (22nd Year, Number 11) · "Pan Holder Duet", pages 18 to 20 of the August 1957 issue
Front Section: With green ch 63, dc in 4th st from hook, dc in each remaining st of ch, ch 3 to turn all rows. (The ch 3 always counts as 1 dc at beginning of each row). Rows 2, 3: Dc in each st (61 sts). Row 4: Dc in each of the next 6 dc, * ch 2, sk 2 dc, dc in next dc, repeat from * 15 times, dc in each of the next 6 sts. Row 5: Dc in each of the next 6 dc, ** ch 2, sk 1 mesh, dc in next dc, * dc in each of the next 2 sts of next mesh, dc in next dc, repeat from * once, repeat from ** 4 times, ch 2, sk the mesh, dc in each of the last 7 sts. Rows 6, 7: Dc in each of the next 6 sts, * ch 2, sk 1 mesh, dc in each of the next 7 dc, repeat from * 4 times, ch 2, sk 1 mesh, dc in each of the last 7 sts. Row 8: Dc in each of the next 6 sts, ** ch 2, sk 1 mesh, dc in next dc, * ch 2, sk 2 dc, dc in next dc, repeat from * once, repeat from ** 4 times, ch 2, sk 1 mesh, dc in each of the last 7 sts. Repeat rows 5, 6, 7 and 8 four times. Row 25: Work 1 dc in each dc and dc in each of the 2 sts of each mesh. Rows 26, 27: Dc in each dc, cut thread. The pattern is woven in using double strand of thread through each mesh lengthwise, working over 1 dc and under next dc reversing the over and under of each double strand. Starting at first row of meshes, work 1 row blue, 1 row yellow and 1 row red in each of the 6 rows of meshes. Working vertically, work remainder of free meshes in same manner working over and under the green bars only. Back Section: With green, work the first 3 rows same as front section. Then work next 24 rows even. Without cutting thread, place the 2 sections together with right side of each section facing outward. Crochet a row of sc around, working 3 sc in each corner st, join, cut thread. Cover a bone ring with sc and join to one corner of pan holder.

The 1957 stitch names

The magazine prints its own list of abbreviations, all in modern American terms, so nothing needs translating. One word it uses without defining:

In 1957	US today	How we know
mesh	ch-2 space	Row 4 makes them: "ch 2, sk 2 dc, dc in next dc".

What we checked

Rows 1 to 3: 61 dc, the 61 stitches the magazine prints.
Row 4: 29 dc and 16 meshes, 61 stitches across.
Rows 5 to 7: 49 dc and 6 meshes, 61 across.
Row 8: 16 meshes again, and rows 5 to 8 repeat four more times through row 24.
Rows 25 to 27: 61 dc.
Six rows of 16 meshes in all, as the weaving directions say, crossed by six upright lines of single meshes.
Back: 27 rows of 61 dc.

How we read the old wording

A filled mesh ("dc in each of the next 2 sts of next mesh") is worked here as 2 dc in the ch-2 space. The magazine works into the two chain stitches. The count is the same.
"Repeat from * 15 times" in row 4 is 16 meshes in all, and "repeat from ** 4 times" in rows 5 and 8 is 5 groups. Only that reading reaches 61 stitches.
"Repeat rows 5, 6, 7 and 8 four times" is four more times, to row 24, because the next row is numbered 25.
The weaving, the single crochet round that joins front and back, and the covered ring are given as notes in the magazine's words. They are not counted or drawn.

No errors in the original. Its one printed count (61 stitches) checks out, and every later row comes to 61 as well.

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