Description

Method: This cushion cover features stranded colorwork motifs on the front and a single-color envelope back. This is fastened with buttons allowing easy removal for washing and making this cushion cover as practical as it is beautiful. Worked in one piece with one row buttonholes, a steek, and mattress stitch to finish, it also provides knitters with a chance to practise many of the skills needed for a colorwork cardigan on a much smaller project.

Photo tutorials for mattress stitch and using a sewing machine to reinforce the steek are included with this pattern.

Please note the colorwork design in this pattern is charted not written out. You need to be prepared to read and work from charts in order to enjoy knitting this design.

Yarn: You will need at least two contrasting colors of any DK yarn containing a high percentage of wool and with which you can get tension/ gauge. Woolly yarns are more suitable for steeking because the fibres naturally want to stick together.
Solid colors work best for this design (because you want to be able to see it clearly from across the room), but don’t be afraid to experiment! You could use just one contrast color for the entire cushion, use three colors and swap the background and contrast colors about (as in the cushion pictured), or make each motif band with a different background and contrast color.
Be creative, have fun, the steek means there are no ends to weave in! The amounts of each color required will depend on how many colors you pick and where you choose to use them. As a guide for the cushion pictured, I used the following quantities of West Yorkshire Spinners ColourLab DK:

MC – 186 Pear Green approx. 315 metres (345 yards).
CC1 –362 Perfectly Plum approx. 115 metres (126 yards).
CC2 –229 Citrus Yellow approx. 40 metres (44 yards).

Size:
This pattern is written in one size to fit a standard 18” (45 cm) square cushion pad.

Gauge:
6.5 stitches and 7 rows per inch (2.5 cm) over colorwork pattern.

Needles:
3.75mm circular or size needed for gauge with a 16” (40 cm) and a 29” (80 cm) cable.

Other Materials Required:
3 Stitch Markers
6 Buttons, ⅝” (15mm)
Cushion pad 18” (45 cm) square
Tape Measure
Scissors
Darning needle to sew in ends.