Saturday, February 5, 2011

Cushion covers

A few weeks back we went out for chinese on a friday night. We came home holding a receipt for a sofa we had just bought. No idea how it happened. One moment you're chewing on your chicken kung po and the next thing you know you've bought a piece of furniture. Talk about an impulse buy. We did leave the chinese some where in between, as it happens. Now that would've been impulse shopping indeed, buying the stained red mock-velvet curry smelling cubicle bench. Luckily we managed to reach the nearest furniture store in time before this uncontrollable urge to buy something took over. 


Now I must say, impulse buying or not, that was one of the wisest things I've ever done. I luuuuv this sofa. The small "loveseat" of a sofa I had before was so not made for two people, let me tell you. Maybe for two very small butted tiny little stick insects. But not for your average "i loves my chocolates"-kinda people like myself.


To cut the long story short, the sofa is dark grey and clashed a bit with the cushion covers I had in store. Not a problem what so ever, said I, and knitted two brand new ones. Very simple, elegant, easy to mix with other throw pillows. Lazy lazy knitting. There's no buttons, zippers, poppers. Nothing extra. Just a tube seamed up top and bottom. Not very convinient if you wish to wash the covers or change them. But I just figured I wont darn in the ends but leave the ends inside the pillow and if I ever need to take them off, I'll just unravel the seams!

Yarn: Novita Katri (100g = 160m, 100% acrylic)
Gauge: 16-18st = 10cm
Skeins: 2 per cushion
Needle: 5mm 60cm circular needle
Fit for a 40x40cm cushion

Rib cushion:
Cast on 144st. Knit in the round. Knit rib (knit 4, purl 4) for 40cm. Cast off loosely.

Moss knit rib cushion:
Cast on 144st. Knit in the round. Knit according to chart for 40cm. Cast off loosely.


Sow the bottom seam, insert pillow and sow the top seam. Don't darn in the end on the top seam, but slip the end of the yarn inside the pillow for easier unravelling should you wish to remove the cover some day.
click to enlarge


23 comments:

  1. I really love these cushions and want to knit them but I'm not sure what a "skein" is - from Scotland!
    Shaironm

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Skein = "A wound ball of yarn with a center pull strand" or "A length of thread or yarn wound in a loose long coil."

      Ravelry for example uses the word "skein" as a generic word for any unit of yarn, with my limited language skills I've just used the same principle on my blog, be it a ball, hank or an actual skein, I call them all skeins.

      Glad you like the cushions :)

      Delete
  2. Beautiful and simple! I'm going to try it out. I have three pillows that need covers. They are approx 50cm x 50cm each. How many stitches do you suggest that I cast on? Also, is there a particular cast on stitch that you used? Or would any do?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I did some quick maths and it suggested 180 stitches. (144 divided by 40 cm to tell you how many stitches per cm and then multiply by 50)

      I'm so going to make one of these for my couch. Now to choose a colour, oh that's going to be hard.

      Delete
    2. Hey Ikaas,
      I replied to your original comment but you had later deleted it, did not notice you had commented again. But it's as scientician here kinly calculated, depending of course on your gauge. Happy stitching to you both!

      Delete
  3. At Indianbeautifulart, find exciting bed and bath products, ranging from stylish cushion covers, curtains, quilts and many more.


    http://indianbeautifulart.com/bed-bath/cushion-covers.html

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  4. Is it possible to knit these in the flat with straight needles

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. i would like to assume yes, it would just mean stitching 3/4 of the sides together depending how you knitted it instead of just stitching the top and bottom parts together

      Delete
  5. i'm super confused! 144st is approx 40 cm, so eventually you'd have one knit piece of 40x40cm... wouldn't you need 80x40cm in order to fold it in half (to get a pocket of 40x40cm) to sew and insert the cushion?

    ReplyDelete
  6. Hi, your knitting on circular needles and knitting in the round( continuous, forms a tube) no need to fold it in half, only need to stitch the top and bottom of the tube closed, the sides will already be closed

    ReplyDelete
  7. I have circular needles US 19/15mm
    32"/ 80cm and using Cannoli yarn 53% wool and 47% Acrylic by plymouth yarn.
    How many stitches would I cast on?

    ReplyDelete
  8. I have circular needles US 19/15mm
    32"/ 80cm and using Cannoli yarn 53% wool and 47% Acrylic by plymouth yarn.
    How many stitches would I cast on?

    ReplyDelete
  9. Hi, If I use Aran wool how many stitches should I cast on for same size cushion?

    ReplyDelete
  10. Im using straight knitting needles. How many stitches do i cast on to make a small arm chair cover?

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  11. I think the patterns can be adjusted using a multiple of ... 8? Did I get that right?

    What about casting off 72 of the 144 stitches (or half of however many stitches are cast on for different weights) then continue knitting a “flap” which could be tucked into the pillow opening? I realize the length of the flap depends on the “grip” from the yarn texture + pattern and it may not be feasible. I’d rather knit once than unravel and re-knit. Pillows might not need frequent washing but one should take into account the possibility of an accident (beverage spill, puppy pee, etc), plus eventually I’d like to change the stuffing.

    ReplyDelete
  12. PS. I’ve been looking for simple yet attractive pillow patterns (adding texture to my white bed linen). Nothing on Ravelry rated “easy” appealed to me. (My health has been permanently compromised so I’m having trouble knitting. It’s another reason why I’m reluctant to re-knit something I might be able to finish.) I’m so glad I found your blog. I love these patterns. Thank you!

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  13. Can you tell me what lenght circular needle you used? I'm using a 36" and having trouble with it twisting when joining the round....very frustrating!

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  14. I’d really like to make these using worsted weight. What size & length needle & cast on how many stitches please? TIA.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. 5 mm (US 8) needles and 60 cm in length. 144 sts for both

      Delete
  15. Chair cushions, sofa cushions, bed cushions and sofa cushion covers play an essential part in creating cozy yet stylish living spaces. While seemingly small accessories like chair, sofa and bed cushions or cushion covers might seem inconsequential at first glance, their benefits and options available to each type can make an enormous difference to overall seating comfort and furniture aesthetic. In this article we'll look into these advantages further so you can create a cozy and stylish ambiance within your home.

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  16. Your blog post on "Cushion Covers" is truly inspiring! The creativity and craftsmanship behind handmade items like these are always a joy to explore.
    frugalishness

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  17. How do I get the free pattern to knit these is there a link somewhere.?
    Many thanks

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The pattern is in the blog at the time of the page

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