Since I have a cone of eternity of that Lily Sugar 'n Cream in "Autumn Leaves", I made some more potholders for my mother-in-law, also hoping to get my crocheting smooth enough to eventually scale down to dollhouse size. I discovered this crochet stitch recently and was intrigued by the fact that it is extra-thick — hence the name thermal stitch. You basically grab not only the usual bit of chain but part of the chain from a preceding row at the same time, which compresses the rows together, making the finished fabric thicker than it would ordinarily be.
On the left in the top photo, is the Best Crocheted Potholder from Mama's Stitchery Projects, and on the right is the Favorite Crocheted Hot Pad (aka "Grandma Leona's Hotpad") from Kathleen at Miss Abigail's Hope Chest. Clearly, they are fraternal twins, even to the same number of chain stitches cast on — the difference lies in the very beginning, where the Best has the hanging loop worked as part of the initial chain, and in the very end, where the (twice-worked) hanging loop of the Favorite is worked, and the fact that the Favorite has a finishing row where the Best does not.
I'm sure it isn't a coincidence that both of these potholder patterns are from mothers, either! Both of the patterns have very clear photos of how to work the thermal stitch, so I can recommend either as your fancy takes you.
My potholders used 36g and 37g of the cotton respectively, but I used a size F hook because that is in fact the only middling size I have. The fabric is a bit stiff as a result, I'm sure, but that's not so bad when it will be used just as often as a trivet!
And yes, anyone searching this blog through the categories will come across crocheted potholders in the "Knitting for the Home" category….
A Bluestocking Knits 
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