Feb
When I Actually Started Making These Things
So I made my first crochet towel topper back in spring 2022 when I was basically living in sweatpants and needed something to keep my kitchen towels from falling on the floor every five seconds. My cat kept pulling them down and I was just tired of it. I used this basic pattern I found but honestly I changed half of it because the button placement made no sense.
What You Actually Need
You’re gonna need a kitchen towel first – I like the flour sack ones from Target or whatever’s on sale at HomeGoods. For yarn I usually grab Red Heart Super Saver because it’s cheap and holds up in the wash. I’ve also used Lily Sugar’n Cream which is that cotton stuff, works fine too. You need a hook, probably a G or H size depending on how tight you crochet.
The button is important – get one that’s like 3/4 inch to 1 inch wide. Those flat wooden ones from the craft store work but I prefer the plastic ones honestly because they don’t get weird in the dishwasher.
The Basic Structure Nobody Explains Right
Okay so the towel topper is basically just a rectangle or circle that you attach to the top of your towel and it has a buttonhole so you can hang it on your oven handle or whatever. The part that annoyed me SO MUCH when I was learning this was that every pattern assumed you knew how to make it lay flat against the towel properly. Like they’d just say “attach to towel” and I’m sitting there with this bunched up mess.
Start with a foundation chain – I do about 25 chains for a rectangle style but you can adjust based on how wide your towel is. Then you’re gonna work back and forth in rows, maybe 4-5 rows depending on how tall you want it. I usually do single crochet because it’s sturdy and I don’t have to think about it while watching TV.
The Circle Version That’s Actually Easier
I switched to making circle toppers in summer 2024 and honestly they’re faster. You start with a magic ring – if you don’t know what that is just YouTube it, I can’t explain it in text. Then you do like 8 single crochets in the ring, pull it tight.
Round 2 is two single crochets in each stitch around so you have 16 stitches. Round 3 you increase every other stitch – so sc in first stitch, 2 sc in next stitch, repeat. You keep going like this until your circle is about 4-5 inches wide. I don’t count anymore I just eyeball it.
Making the Buttonhole Part
This is where people mess up including me the first dozen times. On your last row or round, you need to create the buttonhole. For a rectangle I do it right in the middle of one short edge. For a circle I pick a spot and just commit.
To make the actual hole, you chain like 4 or 5 stitches, skip the same number of stitches in your previous row, then continue with your regular stitches. On the next row you work stitches into those chains and it creates the hole. Test it with your button though because if it’s too small you’re gonna be annoyed later.
Attaching It To The Actual Towel
So this is the part that nobody agrees on and I’ve tried like four different ways. The easiest is to just sew it on with regular thread and a needle. Use thread that matches your yarn color and just whipstitch around the top edge of the towel, catching the back of your crochet piece as you go.
Some people crochet directly onto the towel which sounds cool but I tried it once and poked myself like twenty times and the stitches were all uneven. You can do it by making holes in the towel fabric with your hook and pulling yarn through but it’s… I mean if you want to spend an hour on that, go ahead.
I’ve also seen people use fabric glue but that seems like it would get crusty after washing, haven’t tried it myself.
Yarn Choices That Matter More Than You Think
Red Heart Super Saver comes in a million colors and it’s acrylic so it dries fast. I made one with Bernat Blanket yarn once because I had extra and it was way too thick and floppy, don’t do that. The Lily Sugar’n Cream cotton is nice because it’s actually meant for kitchen stuff and it feels more absorbent or something? But it’s pricier.
I tried Caron Simply Soft one time and it was too slippery, the towel kept sliding off even with the button closed. Stick with the more basic yarns that have some tooth to them.
Pattern Variations I’ve Actually Made
The basic rectangle or circle is fine but you can do other shapes too. I made a watermelon slice one that was basically a half-circle with pink and green stripes. Did a sunflower design with yellow petals around a brown center – that one took forever because I had to weave in so many color changes.
You can add a little loop instead of a buttonhole if you want, just chain like 15 at the top and connect it back down. Then you hang it on a hook instead of buttoning it. Works okay but I think the button looks cleaner.
The Washing Situation
Just throw them in the wash with your regular towels. I use warm water and regular detergent. The acrylic ones come out fine every time. The cotton ones (Lily Sugar’n Cream) can shrink a tiny bit the first wash so maybe make them slightly bigger than you think you need.
Don’t use fabric softener though because it makes them less absorbent and kinda defeats the purpose of having a kitchen towel in the first place.
Time Investment Reality Check
A basic circle topper takes me maybe 45 minutes to an hour including attaching it to the towel. Rectangle ones are about the same. If you’re adding a design or multiple colors it’s gonna take longer – that sunflower one I mentioned took like three hours because I kept messing up the petal placement and had to redo sections.
I usually make these while binge-watching something that doesn’t require full attention. Made like six of them during that second season of Stranger Things or… wait was it season three? Anyway you don’t need to focus super hard once you get the rhythm down.
Practical Uses Beyond Just Looking Cute
Yeah they keep your towels from falling which is the main point. But I’ve also hooked them on the fridge handle, on cabinet knobs, on the handle of my dish soap dispenser caddy thing. Basically anywhere you need a towel within reach.
They make decent quick gifts if you need something for a housewarming or whatever. Pair it with a nice towel from HomeGoods and you’ve got a $10 gift that looks more expensive. I made a bunch for my sister when she moved and she actually uses them which is rare for handmade stuff.
Mistakes I Made So You Don’t Have To
Making the buttonhole too small is the big one. Always test it before you finish and weave in your ends. I’ve had to cut holes bigger with scissors which looks terrible.
Using yarn that’s too thin makes a flimsy topper that doesn’t stay in place. Stick with worsted weight or heavier.
Crocheting too tight makes it hard to get the fabric of the towel to sit flat against the back of your work. Your tension should be normal to slightly loose.
I tried making one without washing the yarn first when I used some random cotton blend and it shrank weird after the first wash, so now I always wash cotton yarn before I use it for kitchen stuff or I just… actually I usually just stick with acrylic now because I don’t have to think about it.
