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.

Domino Knitting - Rainbow Cushion

I recently discovered this amazing way of producing square motifs – it’s variously known as modular knitting, domino knitting and mitred knitting.  The basic instructions came from here, but you will need to adjust the number of stitches depending on what size you want the squares to be, and also how many colours you want to use. 

In keeping with my obsession with rainbow colours, so needing 7 coloured stripes, I started with 42 stitches – this gives you 6 rows for each stripe.  I decided to start with something simple – a cushion cover – but you could just keep going and produce a large throw (known as an Afghan in the US). 

Each new square is attached to the existing ones by picking up stitches, rather than by sewing them all together afterwards – great if you hate sewing knitted pieces together.  The downside is all the ends that have to be sewn in; I found it easier to do this last, as you can then weave them into the seams so that they don’t show on the right side.

Note: I find the easiest way to pick up stitches is to use a crochet hook, preferably a long one.  Pick up all the stitches onto the hook, then transfer them to the knitting needle from the wrong end of the hook.  You may have to do the stitches in groups if the hook is not long enough – there must be a device out there that is a combination of knitting needle and crochet hook, but I haven’t found one yet!

Later note - February 2013 - I've found the mysterious device! Pack of 14 bamboo Afghan hooks in sizes from 3 mm to 10 mm from Amazon here

Rainbow Cushion

Materials 

Double knitting yarn in rainbow colours – mine were mainly Sirdar Hayfield Budget DK in red, orange, yellow, green, kingfisher, royal and purple - about 25 g of each colour.

Pair 3.75mm (UK 9, US 4) Knitting needles

3.75mm crochet hook (for picking up stitches – see note above)

16 inch square cushion pad

First square

With purple, cast on 44 sts.

Wrong side (WS): K2tog, K 40, K2tog (42 sts)

*Right side (RS): K19, K2tog, s1, k1, psso, K19 (40 sts)

WS: K 40

RS: K18, K2tog, s1, k1, psso, K18 (38 sts)

First square with 1 st left to start next square

WS: K38

Change to royal, and continuing to dec twice as above at the centre of each RS row, work 6 rows.

Change to kingfisher and work 6 rows as above.

Continue to change colour every 6 rows, using green, yellow, orange then red.

Continue until 4 sts remain.

RS: K2tog, s1, k1, psso

WS: K2tog.  Do not fasten off, as you will start the next square with red.

Squares 2 to 8

Ready to knit first row of square 2

With the last st from the first square still on your needle, pick up a further 21 sts along the upper edge of your square.  Cast on a further 22 sts. (44 sts in all)

WS: K2tog, K 40, K2tog (42 sts)

Continue from * in the first square, reversing the colour sequence, i.e. after red, work in orange, then yellow, green, kingfisher, royal and finally purple.

Ready to knit first row of square 9

Continue to add squares in this manner until you have 8 squares in a line.  Fasten off yarn after the 8^th square.

Square 9

Using red, cast on 22 sts, then pick up 22 sts along right edge of square 1.

WS: K2tog, K40, K2tog (42 sts)

Continue from * in the first square, reversing the colour sequence, i.e. after red, work in orange, then yellow, green, kingfisher, royal and finally purple.

Squares 10 to 16

Joining a square on 2 sides

With the last st from the square 9 still on your needle, pick up another 21 sts along the upper edge of your square, then a further 22 sts along the right edge of square 2.

WS: K2tog, K 40, K2tog (42 sts)

Continue from * in the first square.

Continue to add squares in this manner until you have a second row of 8 squares.

Squares 17 to 32

Work another 2 rows of squares as for Squares 10 to 16, alternating the colour sequence as shown.

Numbering of squares

Sew in all ends securely, making sure the stitching does not show on the right side.  Leaving the left edge (the one with no ends to darn in) for the zip opening, fold the work in half and stitch seams.  Insert zip using fine backstitch in matching yarns.

Turn cushion cover right side out and insert cushion pad – you will need one approximately 16 inches square.