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Beginner Crochet Towel Topper Tutorial

Today I am going to show you guys how to make a towel topper. They are fairly inexpensive to make and are good for beginners who want to move beyond washcloths! My family members love getting these as gifts. My grandparents always had one or two hanging on the stove or fridge growing up. A towel topper helps to keep the towel from falling onto the floor when maneuvering around the kitchen opening appliances. This project works up relatively fast. So pair the low cost and quick completion time, and you have got yourself potential for income! You could sell these at craft fairs and make $4-8 profit on each one.

Materials Needed

The following materials will be used to complete this project.

Hand Towel: I get majority of my towels from the dollar store. Occasionally stores like Walmart, Meijer, or Target will have towels at a huge discount, and I will purchase those. The dollar store is great for getting holiday themed towels to use for gifts or to sell, not to mention the cheap price tag is a bonus as well.

100% Cotton Yarn: You always want to use 100% cotton yarn when making any type of dish towel or washcloth because of the way it absorbs water. The material holds shape the best and will also last the longest. Lily’s Sugar and Cream is the brand I most frequently use. You can buy it in single 2OZ balls, or in a 14OZ cone. I buy the basic colors like white, black, gray, and cream in the cones whenever possible because those colors can be used with majority of towel designs. If you have a towel with bright colors and want to do a matching top, a single ball may be the way to go on that one.

Crochet Hook: I typically use a 3.75mm hook and a 4.25mm hook. I prefer Clover brand hooks over most of the others that I have tried.

Awl: Or an other pointy tool to poke holes through the towel to allow easier passage for your hook. This awl is the exact same one I have in my crochet bag for these types of projects. It comes with a cover that when taken off becomes the end of the handle. Its comfortable to use and easy to store between uses.

Yarn Needle: For weaving in the ends. You can use your smaller hook to do this, but a yarn needle is much quicker.

Scissors: Or other sharp tool to snip yarn.

Stitches Used:

Chain (CH): Yarn over and pull through loop on hook.

Slip Stitch (SS): Insert hook into next stitch, yarn over and pull through stitch and the loop on the hook.

Single Crochet (SC): Insert hook into next stitch, yarn over and pull back through stitch. Yarn over and pull through both loops on hook.

Double Crochet (DC): Yarn over hook, insert hook into next stitch, yarn over and pull back through stitch, yarn over and pull through top two loops. Yarn over and pull through last two loops on hook.

Towel Topper Tutorial

Towel Prep: First you will begin by folding the towel in half (hamburger style). I like to use little hair clips to keep my fold lined up, otherwise I get to the end of my first row and my towel is sometimes crooked.

Making Holes: Take your Awl and begin to poke a few holes about 1/4 to 1/2 inch apart along the folded edge of the towel. I like to poke about 3 holes at a time, any more and the threads may move back and cover it up making it hard to find and stick your crochet hook through. It does not have to be perfectly spaced, so don’t waste a ton of time measuring and fretting over the spacing. Certain towels may have loose enough stitch to actually be able to poke your crochet hook through without the awl.

Row 1: Now you will begin with a slipknot on your 3.75mm hook. You will complete a SC using the holes poked into the towel as stitches you would normally work into. You will poke your hook through the first hole, yarn over,and draw a loop up through the hole. Yarn over again and pull through two loops on hook. You will continue to do SC’s until you get to the other end of the towel.

Row 2: At this point switch to your 4.5mm Hook. CH2 and turn. Now you will DC in each SC from the previous row to the end. CH 2 and turn.

Row 3: Skip the first stitch and DC in the next. Skip the next chain and do another DC in the next stitch. Continue the DC, skip a stitch, DC to the end of the row.

Row 4: CH 2 and turn. DC in each stitch across. CH 2 and turn at end.

Row 5: Repeat Rows 3 and 4 alternating until you have about 7-10 DC’s across.

Next Row: Now do 1 DC in each stitch across. CH 2 and turn. Do this for about 9-10 rows or until the strap you are making is long enough to loop around an appliance handle (like the fridge or stove handles).

Button Latch: After you reach the end of your 9th or 10th row of the strap, CH 1 and turn. Do 1 SC in the first stitch. CH7 then SC in the last stitch in the row. SS next to the SC you just made. Cut string and tie off. Weave in ends. You are 95% done with your towel topper at this point! Good work!

Making a Button

At this point you can choose to sew on a cute button if you have one, or you can crochet your own button! I like to crochet mine because then the colors will always match perfectly but its all personal preference.

Step 1: Start by making a magic circle. In the video above at minute marker 7:55, I show how to do a magic circle if you are unfamiliar with it or need a refresher!

Step 2: Then CH 3. Do 11 DC into the magic circle. SS into the third CH from the magic circle that you made at the beginning.

Step 3: Pull tail end from middle of magic circle tight. Cut and tie off leaving ends long so you can use it to sew onto your towel topper.

Sometimes I like to add additional colors to my buttons and weave other colors in with my hook or yarn needle.

Finished Towel Topper

Now you are all finished! Your first few may turn out a little lumpy or oddly shaped, but once you get the pattern down they will be perfect every time! Now go make tons of towel toppers for all your friends and family, they will love them! Like I mentioned before these are GREAT for craft fairs and Etsy! These are not something most people can find in stores so when someone is looking, handmade sites and craft fairs is where they look! Good luck and please leave a comment if anything needs further clarification or if you need help! Thank you <3