Potholder/Oven mitt: Fiber of choice?

Hello Jenn.

Cotton is often used for pot holders, however it is very flammable. Man made fibers will withstand the heat, but when they catch fire, they melt.

I am not sure what to recomment.

Els

I have found thick cotton to be the best material for potholders. I make crocheted potholders using a double strand of number 5 crochet cotton thread, and they are very heat resistant and wear well. I have never worked with cotton yarn. Crochet thread seems to have a very tight twist and some yarns seem to have a much looser twist. I would prefer the crochet thread.

I don't think cotton is very flammable unless it's treated with something. I have a number of cotton potholders that have had close encounters with a flame, and they are only slightly singed. On the other hand, I once made a potholder using one of those little hand looms and synthetic jersey loops, because I couldn't find cotton loops. It burst into flames once when it got too near the flame and I have never used any synthetics to make potholders since then.

I've never tried wool, but felted wool sounds a bit too stiff for a potholder. I don't know how flammable they would be, but wool really stinks when it burns.

Years ago my mother gave me a couple of potholders that were made from two layers of a circular design (two "disks") done in crochet cotton thread with a thick circle of some kind of fabric (maybe a piece of heavy wool or maybe it was just batting) in between the two crocheted disks. I never took them apart to see what was there. They were very nice.

BonnieBlue

You are right wool does really stink when it burns, it does not burst into flames though. I love the cotton mits, but have had many catch fire. We have a gas stove, so there is the open flame to consider. I never have used man made fibers (it is not so strange that they are very flammable, most of these are made out of oil products...LOL) BTW felt does not need to be stiff at all, it depends on the thickness and how much the wool is felted and what type of wool you used. Maybe making a sample would help Or making them from cotton and stuffing them with wool, as was suggested by I think Mirjam, might work as well.

Els

We have several potholders made by my husband's first mother-in-law. They look as though she started by single crocheting into a ring and then working into every second stitch, leaving the other stitches free. Then when the potholder was as big as she wanted, she finished it off and picked up the free loops of the stitches she hadn't worked on the second round. Then when this second piece was the size of the first, she did a round of single crochet working into both layers, then finished with a round of shrimp(?) stitch. (My God, I can't remember how you say it in English! It's the stitch where you work left to right.)

This is just my reconstruction. It's possible that on the second round, she worked into every stitch, but into the front loops only, then went back and worked into the back loops of those stitches to make the second layer. At any rate, they are double thickness, but firmly anchored at the center and the outer edge.

I have open flames also. Are you sure the cotton wasn't treated with something? I've never had a cotton potholder burst into flames. I have several that are kind of chewed at the edges, but that's because they've been washed after getting slightly charred.

Maybe I'll make a photo of some of my potholders. I don't have a web page, but I think I have the possibility of making one through my provider.

Barbara, you must have been sitting to close to me, when you can't remember an English expression...LOL, I have problems like that at least once a day.

I love the way you discribe the crocheting, Must try it and see how it works.

Thank you for the explanations

Els

Thanks Barbara, you can always E-mail me a JPG of one, that will work. I don't think that my cotton mitts I buy here in the store are specially treated so they do not catch fire. I have an old one sitting around and will see how it burns. OK I promis to not burn the house down

Els

It's called a crab stitch, Barbara.