As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases: some supply links in this post are affiliate links, at no extra cost to you.
The towel topper, that crocheted piece that buttons or loops a tea towel to the oven door, is one of the most requested kitchen makes there is. These nine patterns cover the main construction styles: a full rectangular topper, a wooden ring loop, and a few themed variations on both.
9 Practical Crochet Towel Holder Patterns
Cotton yarn holds up best for anything living in the kitchen, buttons or wooden rings aside.
1. Classic Button Top Towel Holder
Tonya Bush designed this as a year-round topper with a farmhouse look, made from a small amount of scrap yarn and two wooden rings. The ring size matters: she suggests 2.5 to 3 inches, and says the smaller the ring, the tighter the hold on the towel, so go smaller if you have little ones who pull the towels off.
Free pattern: View the pattern.
2. Heart Shaped Towel Topper
This heart is about 4 by 3 inches and is attached to the towel, so Jessica recommends a yarn that can go through the same wash and dry cycles as the towel. She used leftover cotton (I Love This Cotton from Hobby Lobby), which suits kitchen projects. Her towel is 18 by 28 inches, and you may need a smaller towel depending on where you hang it.
Free pattern: View the pattern.
3. Pineapple Towel Topper
Heather Holland’s Pineapple Towel Topper is worked flat in one piece from the hanging loop down through a pineapple-stitch body to a shell border, closed with a button through a buttonhole rather than a full loop, so the towel is easy to swap out for washing. It uses worsted weight yarn on a 4 mm (G) hook, and the free pattern has been downloaded and favorited by well over a hundred crocheters on Ravelry since it was first published.
Free pattern: View the pattern.
4. Ribbed Kitchen Towel Holder
Janet Pippin’s holder is worked in single crochet through the back loop only across rows 3 to 15, which gives a stretchy, vertical ribbed look. It is a simple, plain style that suits a kitchen.
Free pattern: View the pattern.
5. Textured Stitch Sampler Towel Holder
Erin gives three different stitch textures in one pattern, so you can choose the look. It is a good pick if you want to try a few stitches without making three patterns.
Free pattern: View the pattern.
6. Cluster Stitch Towel Topper
Susanna Biaye’s holder uses decorative dc clusters in DK yarn on a 5 mm hook, and it is a good way to use up scrap yarns. It goes around an elastic hair tie about 3 inches across, with a 2.5 cm button. The gauge is 6 dc clusters over 9 rows in 10 cm, but she says gauge is not important.
Free pattern: View the pattern.
7. Wooden Ring Towel Holder
Kris Moore crochets around a wooden ring, then continues into a tab with a buttonhole. You put the towel through the ring and wrap the tab around your oven, fridge or cabinet handle. It is about 6 inches long in worsted weight yarn, gauge does not matter as long as the tab is long enough to wrap, and there is a video.
Free pattern: View the pattern.
8. Layered Flower Towel Topper
Alex’s flower topper uses worsted weight cotton, a plastic (shower curtain) ring and a 1 inch button, and it is removable, so the towels do not slide off the oven or dishwasher handle. Rounds 1 to 3 are 3.25 inches across, and the finished topper is about 4.5 inches across. Gauge is not very important.
Free pattern: View the pattern.
9. Minimalist Loop Only Towel Holder
This topper hides the ring and has boho tassels. It uses about 40 yards of scrap yarn on a 6 mm hook, one 3 inch plastic ring, a 3/4 inch button and a 17 by 27 inch towel. Tonya designed it after her Gnome Towel Topper, where she found that a plastic ring makes the towel removable for washing, and she wanted one that works all year.
Free pattern: View the pattern.
