Whether you are a bit superstitious or not at all, you might want to add some magical, Mediterranean look to your kitchen with this crochet Nazar Potholder or Trivet.
The inspiration for this project is clearly under the sun, I’d say under the Mediterranean Sun!
If you have ever traveled to Mediterranean countries, such as Greece, or to Middle East countries, such as Turkey, then you have probably seen tons of round-shaped, black, blue, and white souvenirs staring at you.
Those that nowadays are just nice trip memories, back in the days, were potent amulets with the shape of an eye, called Nazars. Someone also calls them Greek Eyes or Turkish Eye, but they’re all the same thing.
The Nazar or Greek Eye
The word Nazar comes from Arabic and it means sight, surveillance, and owning a Nazar could protect you from the evil eye.
One could receive the evil eye in many different ways. For example, if people stared too long at you they were probably envying you and giving you the evil eye. Also, if people would compliment you a lot, you might have caught the evil eye.
Receiving the evil eye meant that you might have fallen ill the next day, or have very bad luck in your life. For this reason, it was common to use remedies against the evil eye, and the Nazar was one of them.
Coming from Italy, a country full of superstitious traditions and rituals, I have always been fascinated by the magical beliefs of other cultures. Even though I am too much of a scientific person to believe in magic, I like to read about all these magic traditions and see how they actually connected all the Mediterranean populations.
A Potholder or Trivet!
So, for this project, I decided to borrow the superstitions from the other side of the Mediterranean Sea and came up with the crochet Nazar Potholder or Trivet.
I really couldn’t decide if it is more a potholder or trivet, but I guess it can be both!
Since I crocheted it using T-shirt yarn, it is thick enough to be a trivet but also flexible as a potholder.
Add this pattern to your Ravelry queue here, or pin it for later using this Pin!
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Materials
– 9.0-mm (13/M-N USA, 00 UK) Hook
– Super Bulky yarn (5-6 wpi). I used Hoooked Zpagetti in Mint Green, White, and Magic Blue. The black yarn is self-made using an old T-shirt.
– One Wooden Ring with a diameter of 2.5″ (5.5 cm)
Crochet Abbreviations (US Terms)
Ch – Chain
Inc – Increase
Knit St – Knit Stitch
MC – Magic Circle
Sk – Skip
Sl St – Slip Stitch
St – Stitch
Yo – Yarn Over
Special Stitches
Increase (Inc)
Throughout the pattern, an increase consists of 2 sts in the same st.
Magic Circle (MC)
For a free tutorial on how to make a magic circle, check out this blog post.
Knit Stitch or Waistcoat Stitch
The knit stitch is basically a sc but instead of working on the top chain of the st, you insert your hook in between the two vertical, V-shaped spikes of the st.
How to Read the Pattern
- (…) – Repeat the instruction within brackets for the indicated number of times.
- If the pattern says “5 sc”, it means that you have to make one single crochet in each of the next 5 stitches.
Size
8″ (20 cm)
Gauge
Four rounds in knit st in 4″ (10 cm).
Pattern
Using black yarn, make a MC.
Round 1. Sc 6 in MC. Join the MC with a sl st into the first st. (6 sts)
Join the Mint Green yarn.
Round 2. Ch 1, 6 sc inc. Join with a sl st. (12 sts)
Round 3. Ch 1, (1 knit st, 1 knit st inc) for six times. Join with a sl st. (18 sts)
Round 4. Ch 1, (1 knit st inc, 2 knit sts) for six times. Join with a sl st. (24 sts)
Join the white yarn.
Round 5. Ch 1, (3 knit sts, 1 knit st inc) for six times. Join with a sl st. (30 sts)
Join the Magic Blue yarn.
Round 6. Ch 1, (1 knit st inc, 4 knit sts) for six times. Join with a sl st. (36 sts)
Round 7. Ch 1, (5 knit sts, 1 knit st inc) for six times. Join with a sl st. (42 sts)
Round 8. Ch 1, (1 knit st inc, 6 knit sts) for six times. Join with a sl st. (48 sts)
Round 9. Ch 1, sl st into the back look only of the first three sts. Make two sl st including the wooden ring (see next paragraph for more details). Continue to sl st in the back loops only all around the potholder. Join with a sl st. (48 sts)
Tie off. Weave in ends.
How to Join the Wooden Ring to the Crochet Nazar Potholder or Trivet
1. Insert your hook into the back loop of the next st.
2. Place the wooden ring in between your yarn and your hook. Your hook has to go through the ring, as shown in the picture below (third panel). Yarn over.
3. Draw the yarn through both loops on your hook.
4. Insert your hook into the back loop of the same st as in step 1.
5. Yarn over by taking the yarn from the outside of the wooden ring.
6. Draw the yarn through both loops on your hook.
Your T-shirt yarn Nazar Potholder is ready!
I hope you enjoyed crocheting these raindrops. Please, do not hesitate to contact me if you need any help or support.
I am looking forward to seeing all your beautiful makes on Facebook and Instagram!
Find more home decor ideas here on the blog…
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