With Halloween just around the corner, this cat potholder seemed a good choice for a Yarn Mania post, though it’s not exactly spooky. It is clearly a cat, however, and there’s also something reminiscent of a pumpkin in its color and in the shape of its lower body–not to mention the green trim evoking a pumpkin vine’s leaves and stems.

It has eyes, whiskers, a muzzle, ears, and a wraparound tail. It also has a loop on top so it can be hung in a handy spot near the stove.

The head and body are based on crocheted circles, with ears added to the sides of the head, as you can see more clearly in this back view.

I detached the tail on one side to give a clearer sense of it as a tail.

Here’s a closeup of the tail.

It was created using the “corkscrew” crochet technique, which is easy to find demonstrated on YouTube. The crocheted band just naturally curls itself up as a result of its structure, longer on one edge than the other. Here I flattened a bit out to show what causes the effect.

Based on the state I found it in, at an estate sale that also yielded a set of wonderful 1950s drinking glasses, I don’t think the potholder was ever used for its intended pot-holding purpose. Much better that it should survive in pristine condition to be rescued by an aficionado of yarn crafts like me!

Happy Halloween to all!