Coastal Sunrise Square Hot Pad Free Crochet Pattern
Introduction
If you're new to crochet and looking for a project that's useful, beautiful, and finished in an evening, this Coastal Sunrise Square Hot Pad is for you. Worked in simple single crochet with a linen stitch texture, it creates a dense, woven-looking fabric that protects your counters and table from hot pans. The five horizontal stripes move from pale peach through coral to rich terracotta, like a sunrise over the water, and the whole piece has that relaxed coastal grandmother charm. It feels sturdy in the hand, lays perfectly flat, and looks lovely hanging by the stove or gifted with a batch of cookies.
Materials Needed
- Yarn: Worsted weight (4) cotton yarn, approximately 50 yards each of 5 colors: A (pale peach), B (light coral), C (coral), D (terracotta), E (rich terracotta). Cotton is important here because it withstands heat.
- Hook: 5 mm (H-8) crochet hook
- Notions: Tapestry needle for weaving in ends, scissors, and a measuring tape
- Finished size: 8.5 inches (21.5 cm) square
Abbreviations
- ch: chain — yarn over and pull through the loop on your hook
- sc: single crochet — insert hook, yarn over, pull up a loop, yarn over, pull through both loops
- sp / sps: space / spaces — the small gap under a chain from the previous row
- sl st: slip stitch — insert hook, yarn over, pull through everything on the hook
- st / sts: stitch / stitches
Gauge
16 sts and 16 rows = 4 inches (10 cm) in linen stitch pattern. To check, crochet a small swatch in pattern and measure a 4-inch section in the middle; if you have more stitches than 16, go up a hook size, and if you have fewer, go down.
Tips Before You Start
- Keep your ch-1 spaces loose enough to work into easily, but keep your single crochets firm — this is what makes the fabric dense enough for hot pads.
- Change colors at the end of the last row of each band by finishing the final sc with the new color, so the stripe edge stays clean.
- Count your stitches at the end of every few rows: you should always have 18 sc and 17 ch-1 spaces.
- Cotton has little stretch, so don't tug the yarn tightly — a relaxed, even tension keeps the square flat.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Hot Pad Body
With color A, ch 35.
Row 1: Sc in 2nd ch from hook, [ch 1, skip 1 ch, sc in next ch] across, turn. (18 sc, 17 ch-1 sps)
Row 2: Ch 2 (counts as first ch-1 sp), [sc in next ch-1 sp, ch 1] across, sc in last sc, turn. (18 sc, 17 ch-1 sps)
Rows 3-6: Repeat Row 2 with A. (18 sc, 17 ch-1 sps)
Change to B.
Rows 7-12: Repeat Row 2 with B. (18 sc, 17 ch-1 sps)
Change to C.
Rows 13-18: Repeat Row 2 with C. (18 sc, 17 ch-1 sps)
Change to D.
Rows 19-24: Repeat Row 2 with D. (18 sc, 17 ch-1 sps)
Change to E.
Rows 25-30: Repeat Row 2 with E. (18 sc, 17 ch-1 sps)
Do not fasten off.
Edging
Edging: Ch 1, sc evenly around entire piece, working 3 sc in each corner, join with sl st to first sc. Fasten off.
Assembly and Finishing
This hot pad is worked in one piece, so there is no seaming. Weave in all ends on the wrong side with your tapestry needle, running each tail through several stitches so it stays secure. Block lightly by misting with water and pinning to an 8.5-inch square on a towel or blocking mat; let it dry completely. Blocking smooths the edges and evens out the linen stitch texture.
Pro Tips and Variations
- Make a matching set by reversing the color order, starting with E and ending with A, for a sunset-to-dawn pair.
- Add a hanging loop by chaining 12 at one corner during the edging and joining with a sl st before continuing around.
- For a thicker, double-sided pad, crochet two squares and sc them together around the edge with wrong sides facing.
