Vintage-style round striped cushions

My daughter recently moved home, and wanted cushions to go with her new 50s/60s style sofa. As usual I ended up designing my own pattern - there are images on the Internet for similar cushions, but I couldn't find a free pattern.

This is a great stashbusting project - use bright colours with black or white for a 60s look, and more subtle shades for a 50s feel. The pattern is for a cushion 18” in diameter, but you can easily adjust the size – see note at end.

Materials:

100g DK in colour 1 – used for the back and the narrow stripes separating the colour segments

40g DK in each of 2 more colours. If you want to use 3 colours, allow 30g of each. 6 colours will need about 15 g and so on. You could even make each segment a different colour, to use up all those tiny balls of yarn! I used yarn from my 100% acrylic stash, which is mainly Hayfield Bonus DK and Woolcraft New Fashion DK.

Pair UK 9/3.75 mm straight needles.

3.5 mm crochet hook.

10” or 12” zip to match back colour.

18” round cushion pad.

Measurements:

Finished diameter approximately 17” (to fit an 18” diameter cushion pad).

Tension:

22 sts and 44 rows to 4”/10 cm over garter stitch.

Abbreviations:

K	knit	C1	colour 1
st(s)	stitch(es)	C2	colour 2
g st	garter stitch (every row K)	C3	colour 3
dc	double crochet	sl st	slip stitch (crochet)

Front:

Using C1, cast on 48 sts.

*Break off C1 and join in C2. K to last 3 sts, turn and K to end.

Next 2 rows: K to 3 sts less than previous rows, turn and K to end.

Repeat last 2 rows, reducing the number of sts worked each time by 3, until the rows K3, turn, K3 have been worked. Break off C2.

Join in C1 and K 2 rows across all sts.

Repeat from * using C3. Continue as picture until 18 segments in all have been worked, ending with K3, turn,K3 (ie do not knit the 2 full rows in C1).

Join in C1, K 1 row and cast off loosely (use a needle 1 or 2 sizes larger).

Back:

Make exactly as for front, using C1 throughout. You can make the back to match the front, but you will need to knit the coloured segments in reverse order to make the edges match up – this matters more when 3 or more colours are used.

Finishing:

Note: For US readers, dc (double crochet) in the UK is the same as single crochet in the US

For each piece, with right sides together, oversew seam fairly loosely. At centre, weave yarn through the row ends, draw up tightly and stitch to secure. Press seams lightly according to ball band instructions.

On the back piece, with RS facing you and starting at the seam, work 1 dc into each “knot” at the row ends, thus working 1 dc for every 2 rows of g st. Work until row of dc is about ¾” shorter than the zip you are using.

Place front and back pieces wrong sides together, lining up the seams. With RS of front facing you, work a row of dc into the front piece to correspond with the dc on the back.

Pin the two pieces wrong sides together, lining up the full rows at the end of each segment, and continue to work dc as before, working through both layers. When the round is complete, work 1 sl st into the start of the crochet round and fasten off.

Insert zip, stretching work slightly to fit. Insert cushion pad.

Variations:

The rust and grey cushion measures 24” across and required 63 sts to be cast on. To make cushions in different sizes or using other yarn thicknesses, simply multiply the radius (half the diameter) you want by the number of sts per inch, ensuring that the number you cast on can be divided by 3.

The rainbow cushion is worked slightly differently: after casting on the first colour, work 2 rows across all sts then reduce by 3 sts per 2 rows as before until 3 are left. Change colours at this point, starting the next colour by working 2 rows across all sts.