Green House Cushion in Rowan Pure Wool Superwash Worsted - ZB299-00005-FR - Downloadable PDF

Green House Cushion by Chloe Thurlow – Rowan Pure Wool Superwash Worsted Pattern Summary

The Green House Cushion is a beautifully designed knitted cushion cover created by designer Chloe Thurlow and published by Rowan (pattern reference ZB299-00005-FR). Rated as an intermediate difficulty project, this 40 x 40 cm cushion features a striking colourwork front panel and a neat, solid-colour back, making it an ideal project for knitters who are comfortable with basic techniques and ready to explore more decorative approaches such as intarsia colourwork.

What Is Being Made

This pattern produces a square cushion cover measuring 40 x 40 cm, worked in two separate pieces — a decorative front panel featuring a colourwork chart design, and a simpler back panel worked in a single colour. The finished pieces are then joined to create the complete cushion cover. The design takes its name and visual inspiration from a greenhouse aesthetic, suggesting botanical or plant-inspired motifs rendered through the colourwork chart.

Techniques Used

• Intarsia colourwork: The front panel is worked using the intarsia technique, which is a method of knitting separate blocks of colour using individual yarn supplies or bobbins for each colour section. Unlike stranded colourwork, intarsia does not carry yarn across the back of the work, making it well suited to large, distinct areas of colour such as those found in botanical or pictorial designs.
• Chart reading: The front is knitted by following a 100-row colourwork chart, requiring the knitter to read and interpret a visual grid that maps out the placement of each colour across the 80 stitches of the front panel.
• Stocking stitch (jersey endroit): Both the front and back panels are worked in stocking stitch (knit on right side, purl on wrong side), which creates the smooth, flat fabric surface ideal for displaying colourwork motifs clearly.
• Casting on and casting off: Standard cast-on and cast-off methods are used for both panels.
• Straight knitting: The back panel is worked straight in a single colour with no shaping required, making it a straightforward section of the pattern.

Stitches Used

• Stocking stitch – used throughout both the front and back panels as the foundation fabric
• Intarsia colourwork in stocking stitch – used on the front panel to create the multi-colour chart design across 100 rows

Tension and Sizing

The pattern specifies a tension of 20 stitches and 25 rows to 10 cm, measured over stocking stitch colourwork using 4.5 mm needles. Achieving the correct tension is important to ensure the finished cushion cover meets the stated 40 x 40 cm dimensions. The front panel is cast on with 80 stitches and worked over 100 rows, while the back panel is cast on with 81 stitches.

Materials Required

Yarn

The pattern uses Rowan Pure Wool Superwash Worsted, a worsted weight yarn, in three colourways:

• Colour A – Tiger (shade 201): 2 x 100 g balls — used for the front panel colourwork and as the sole colour for the back panel
• Colour B – Verdant (shade 200): 1 x 100 g ball — used in the front panel colourwork chart
• Colour C – Carnation (shade 196): 1 x 100 g ball — used to cast on and begin the back panel

Rowan Pure Wool Superwash Worsted is a 100% superwash-treated pure wool yarn, meaning it offers the warmth and stitch definition of natural wool while being machine washable — a practical quality for a household cushion cover that may