Crochet the Cutest Christmas Reindeer Potholder – Free Pattern

This Christmas, crochet a Red-Nosed Reindeer Potholder and make your kitchen decor merry and unique!

This Reindeer potholder is an adaptation of my Reindeer Granny Square from last year’s Christmas Collection. I particularly loved the reindeer square and wanted to make a similar cute face to decorate my kitchen for the holidays.

So, I took my hook and DK weight cotton yarn (remember always to use cotton for your hot pads…), and set out to scale the pattern of the reindeer to the same size as my Gingerbread Man Cookie Potholder.

Gingerbread Man and Reindeer Christmas Potholders - Free Crochet Patterns - Raffamusa Designs

I guess it is always useful to have at least a couple of matching items, which can make the perfect Christmas gifts for family or friends.

And if you like these potholders, you can also add a Christmas Pudding and Peppermint to the collection!

Crochet Round Christmas Potholders - Raffamusa Designs
Christmas Pudding, Reindeer, Peppermint, and Gingerbread Man Potholders – Raffamusa Designs

Construction

For this potholder, we’ll crochet two flat circles and pair them at the end. This way, the potholder is extra thick and very practical to use while cooking.

The back of the potholder is a simple plain circle, while the front circle is crocheted in tapestry crochet in the round. So, remember to carry your yarn inside your stitches. And also, always change color with the last yarn over of your double crochet!

More Christmas ideas

Favorite the free pattern of the Reindeer Potholder on Ravelry (thank you!) and add it to your queue HERE. Or save the pattern for later by pinning it to your favorite crochet board on Pinterest!

Reindeer Christmas Potholder - Free Crochet Pattern - Raffamusa Designs

Note: this post contains affiliate links. This means that if you purchase something through the links on my blog, I might earn a commission. This will not have any effect on the price you pay. For more info, please, see my Privacy Policy.

AD-FREE Printable PATTERN

Get the ad-free, printable PDF pattern of the Reindeer Christmas Potholder, which also includes step-by-step photos and tutorials!

Find the pattern in my Ravelry, LoveCrafts, or Etsy stores!

Ravelry Download Button
Purchase this pattern on LoveCrafts.com
Purchase this pattern on Etsy

MATERIALS

Color Reference & Yardage

The following color shades and codes are specific to Paintbox Yarns Cotton DK.

  • A – Soft Fudge (410) – 43.8 yds, 40 m
  • B – Cofee Bean (411) – 30.7 yds, 28 m
  • C – Red Wine (416) – 35.6 yds, 33 m
  • D – Bubblegum Pink (451) – 5.5 yds, 5 m
  • E – Pure Black (402) – 9 yds, 8.25 m
  • F – Champagne White (403) – 12 yds, 11 m

Abbreviations (US Terms)

  • Ch – Chain
  • Hdc – Half Double Crochet
  • Inc – Increase
  • Dc – Double Crochet
  • RS – Right Side
  • Sc – Single Crochet
  • Sk – Skip
  • Sl St – Slip Stitch
  • St – Stitch
  • Yo – Yarn Over

Special Stitches

Increase (Inc)
One increase consists of 2 sts worked in the same indicated st. The pattern indicates whether you need to work a dc or hdc inc.
The pattern also uses inc where the two sts are worked in different colors. These sts are indicated as (B/A) dc inc.

Invisible Color Change
Always change color with the last yo of the st.

Magic Circle (MC)
Find a step-by-step tutorial on how to make a magic circle here.

Single Crochet 3 Together (Sc3tog)
(Insert your hook into next st, yo and pick up a loop) 3 times, yo, and draw yarn through all 4 loops on your hook.

Surface Crochet
Learn how to surface crochet in this step-by-step tutorial.

Size

6.1” (15.5 cm).

Gauge

6 rounds in dc in 4″ (10 cm).

Pattern Notes

  • One side of the potholder is worked by doing tapestry crochet in the round. Carry the unused yarn inside your sts at all times.
  • If the pattern says “dc 2”, it means that you have to crochet 1 dc into each of the next 2 sts.
  • (…) – Repeat the instruction within brackets for the indicated number of times.
  • […] – Crochet the instructions within brackets all into the same indicated st.
  • The potholder and all its parts are crocheted in consecutive rounds.
  • Join each round with a slip stitch into the first st of the round.
  • The stitch count is indicated within brackets at the end of each round’s instructions.

Reindeer Crochet Potholder – Free Crochet Pattern

Back Side

With A, make a MC.

Round 1. Ch 2, dc 12 in MC, join. (12 sts)

Round 2. Ch 2, dc inc 12 times, join. (24 sts)

Round 3. Ch 2, (dc inc 1, dc 1) 12 times, join. (36 sts)

Round 4. Ch 2, (dc 2, dc inc 1) 12 times, join. (48 dc)

Round 5. Ch 2, (dc inc 1, dc 3) 12 times, join. (60 sts)

Round 6. Ch 2, (dc 4, dc inc 1) 12 times, join. (72 sts)

Round 7. Ch 2, (dc inc 1, dc 5) 12 times, join. (84 sts)

Round 8. Ch 2, (dc 6, dc inc 1) 12 times, join. (96 sts)

Round 9. Ch 2, (dc inc 1, dc 7) 12 times, join. (108 sts)

Fasten off and weave in ends.

Front Side

Work in tapestry crochet.

With B, make a MC.

Round 1. Ch 2, (B) dc 2, (A) dc 10 in MC. Close the last st with B, join. (12 sts)

Round 2. Ch 2, (B) dc inc 2, (A) dc inc 10. Close the last st with B, join. (24 sts)

Round 3. Ch 2, (B) (dc inc 1, dc 1) twice, (A) (dc inc 1, dc 1) 10 times. Close the last st with B, join. (36 sts)

Round 4. Ch 2, (B) (dc inc 1, dc 2) twice, (B/A) dc inc 1, (A) dc 2, (dc inc 1, dc 2) 9 times. Close the last st with B, join. (48 dc)

Round 5. Ch 2, (B) (dc inc 1, dc 3) twice, dc inc 1, (A) (dc 3, dc inc 1) 9 times, dc 3. Close the last st with B, join. (60 sts)

Round 6. Ch 2, (B) (dc inc 1, dc 4) twice, dc inc 1, dc 1, (A) dc 3, (dc inc 1, dc 4) 9 times. Close the last st with B, join. (72 sts)

Round 7. Ch 2, (B) (dc inc 1, dc 5) twice, dc inc 1, dc 2, (A) dc 3, (dc inc 1, dc 5) 9 times. Close the last st with B, join. (84 sts)

Round 8. Ch 2, (B) (dc inc 1, dc 6) twice, dc inc 1, dc 3, (A) dc 3, (dc inc 1, dc 6) 9 times. Close the last st with B, join. (96 sts)

Round 9. Ch 2, (B) (dc inc 1, dc 7) twice, dc inc 1, dc 4, (A) dc 3, (dc inc 1, dc 7) 9 times, join. (108 sts)

Fasten off and weave in ends.

Nose

With C, make a MC.
Round 1. Ch 2, dc 12 in MC, join. (12 sts)
Round 2. Ch 2, dc inc 12, join. (24 sts)

Fasten off leaving a long tail for sewing.

Eyes

(Make 2)

With E, make a MC.
Round 1. Ch 1, hdc 11 in MC, join. (11 sts)
Round 2. Ch 1, hdc inc 11, join. (22 sts)

Fasten off leaving a long tail for sewing.

Pupils

(Make 2)

With F, make a MC.
Round 1. Ch 1, sc 6 in MC, join. (6 sts)

Fasten off leaving a long tail for sewing.

Cheeks

(Make 2)

With D, make a MC.
Round 1. Ch 2, dc 12 in MC, join. (12 sts)

Fasten off leaving a long tail for sewing.

Ears

(Make 2)

With D, ch 4.
Row 1. Sc 1 in the second ch from your hook, sc 1, [sc 3] in last ch. Working on the other side of the initial ch, sc 2.

Fasten off D.

Join A in the first sc of Row 1.
Row 2. Ch 1, hdc 3, [dc 6] in next st, hdc 3.

Fasten off leaving a long tail for sewing.

Antlers

(Make 4)

With B, ch 12.
Row 1. Dc 1 in the third ch from your hook, hdc 1, sc 2.
Ch 6, dc 1 in the third ch from your hook, dc 1, hdc 1, sc 1, sc 1 on the side of the last sc from the first horn.

Ch 5, dc 1 in the third ch from your hook, hdc 1, sc 1, sc 1 on the side of the last sc from the second horn.
Sc 1 in the same ch as the first sc of the first horn.
Hdc 6 in the remaining ch of the initial chain.

Fasten off leaving a long tail for sewing.

Finishing
Pair the antlers with both RS facing out. Using the long tails, sew all around to join them. Fasten off leaving a long tail for sewing.

Assembly – Face

On the RS of the tapestry crochet potholder, place the nose just below the center, the eyes, pupils, and cheeks like shown in the figure (photo 1).

Sew everything, fasten off and weave in your ends.

Then, with E, surface crochet the mouth. To help you draw the mouth, you can first place some pins, and then surface crochet following the pins, removing them as you progress.

Using F, embroider some spots on the head of the reindeer.

Assembly – Potholder

Step 1. Place the two potholders on top of each other with both RS facing out.
Working on the decorated potholder, identify a st on Round 9 that is in the middle of the face.

Step 2. Insert your hook in the inner loops of the st you identified and the corresponding st on the other potholder.

Join A with a sl st.

Step 3. Ch 20, and sl st back into the same inner loops where you joined the yarn.

Step 4. Join the two potholders by slip stitching together the inner loops of the corresponding sts.

If your sl sts are too tight, crochet looser or switch to a larger crochet hook!

Step 5. Once you’re back at the beginning point, sc 1 inside the loop you made in step 3.

Step 6. Sc 24 more sts inside the loop or as many sts as needed to cover the loop.

Fasten off and weave in your ends.

Finishing

Attach the antlers on the back of the potholder using the long tails of yarn. Then, sew the base of the ears to the edge of the potholder.

Fasten off and weave in all your ends.

Your crochet Reindeer Potholder is ready!

I hope this free crochet pattern! I’m looking forward to seeing your Christmas potholders on Facebook or Instagram. If you’re sharing on Instagram, make sure to use the #raffamusadesigns so that I can find and share your creations!

Find more crochet ideas for Christmas here on the blog…

Christmas in July Make Along

The Red-Nosed Reindeer Potholder was featured in the Christmas in July Make Along with the Underground Crafter.

This is a fun event that Marie organizes every July and it is a great way to get ahead with the many Christmas makes for the holiday season!

Check Marie’s blog HERE to find some jolly ideas for your holiday crafting!

2 thoughts on “Crochet the Cutest Christmas Reindeer Potholder – Free Pattern”

Leave a Comment