CAAB Crochet releases thermal stitch hot pad pattern with free PDF offer

CAAB Crochet made a practical case for thermal stitch with a square hot pad that is thick enough to stand on its own in the kitchen. The pattern, released May 18, came with a free PDF offer through May 20 at 10:00 a.m. Eastern as part of 5 Days of Cotton, turning a small utility make into a short window for a useful download.

The stitch is the selling point. Thermal stitch is a variation of single crochet that works into the back loop and then a loop from the previous row, which builds a tilted, densely stacked fabric. That structure gives the hot pad its thickness and heat resistance, so it does not necessarily need to be double layered the way a decorative cotton square might. CAAB Crochet frames the project as more than a pattern, and the notes include a video tutorial for the first rows, where the loop placement can be the hardest part to see.

Material choice matters just as much. The maker used 100 percent cotton, specifically Lion Brand 24/7 Cotton, because cotton handles heat better than synthetic yarns and holds up to regular washing and drying. CAAB Crochet has also pointed out in its hot pad roundup that cotton hot pads wear well, stay serviceable through repeated washing, and can even soften over time. That makes the fabric choice part of the safety argument, not just the look of the finished piece.

The release also fits into a bigger pattern, literally. Ravelry has tracked thermal-stitch hot pad designs from 2020, 2021, 2023 and 2024, including a May 2020 version by Christen DeRito with a video link and alteration notes, a May 2021 design by Jane Seals with sizes around 8 by 8 inches for the pot holder and 9 by 9 inches for the pot mat, and a 2024 free trivet pattern that used cotton yarn and a 6 mm hook. Another 2021 listing used about 50 yards of bulky cotton yarn and finished at roughly 8 by 8 inches. The category is familiar, but CAAB Crochet’s version leans hard into the teaching side of the stitch.

5 Days of Cotton added the timing. CAAB Crochet said the 2026 event included free cotton crochet patterns and, for the first time, guest designers, with reminder emails available each morning of the promotion. The same hot pad also appears on Ravelry as an ad-free PDF for purchase, while the free version lives on the CAAB Crochet site. For crocheters who want a kitchen project with real grip, thickness and heat protection, thermal stitch is doing the job here, and the square shape is just the part you see first.