Sunday 31 July 2011

Four-Square Checker Board Cushion Cover

With plenty of cream wool and some ugly old cushions I decided to take inspiration from an interior design showroom I was recently browsing and design a knitted cushion cover. I was going to go with the cliché of cables, but instead I opted for a design based on a clock which Ed made in woodwork classes years ago! The cushion I had is 53cm x 53cm (or 20in x 20in), but to adapt the pattern for a cushion pad of a different size you just have to know that the pattern is based on a stitch number which is a multipe of four.
















To recreate this masterpiece, you will need:
  • 350g Aran Wool, in this case in Cream
  • 6mm Straight Needles
  • A Darning Needle
  • Three Buttons (4cm wide)
  • Cushion Pad (53cm x 53cm in this case)



 
 Reverse Side

Cast on 80 stitches 
Continue in stocking stitch (knit even rows and purl odd rows) until the piece measures 50cm (approx. 100 rows) 
Bind off


If you haven't got bored yet and scratched out your own eyeballs, proceed to the front side.


Front Side

Cast on 80 stitches

Block 1:
Row 1 - (K2, P2) ten times, K40
Row 2 - P40, (K2, P2) ten times
Row 3 - (K2, P2) ten times, P40
Row 4 - K40, (K2, P2) ten times
Repeat this block ten times to give 40 rows

Block 2:
Row 1 - K40, (K2, P2) ten times
Row 2 - (K2, P2) ten times, P40
Row 3 - P40, (K2, P2) ten times
Row 4 - (K2, P2) ten times, K40
Repeat this block ten times to give 40 rows (80 rows in total)

Block 3 (Button Flap):
P80
K80
Continue in stocking stitch for 20 rows ending with a "knit" row
P2tog, P78
K2tog, K77
Continue in stocking stitch but knit (or purl) together the first two stitches of every row for 18 rows to decrease 80 stitches to 62

Button Holes:
P2, bind off 6 stitches, P20, bind off 6 stitches, P20, bind off 6 stitches, P2
K2, cast on 6 stitches, K20, cast on 6 stitches, K20, cast on 6 stitches, K2
P62
K62
P62
Cast off in knit

Making Up
Place the two pieces lined up against each other with the right sides facing each other. Make sure the bottom egdes meet exactly. The front side will naturally try to sit in a contorted shape because of its pattern, so it might need to be eased into line with the reverse side. The tapered top of the front side will overhang. Using the darning needle sew together the left, bottom and right edges - make sure not to sew together the top edge, for obvious reasons!

Put the cushion pad into the cover and mark where the button need to be sewn on, based on where the button holes line up. Remove the cushion and sew on the buttons. Replace the cushion pad and do up the buttons - voilĂ !

No comments:

Post a Comment