Kitty-Corner Pillow

Kitty-Corner Pillow by Elizabeth Sullivan

Project Overview

The Kitty-Corner Pillow is a beginner-friendly knitting project designed by Elizabeth Sullivan that creates a decorative cushion featuring two knitted squares. This downloadable PDF pattern from Sweet Paprika Designs offers a straightforward introduction to square construction with strategic color blocking, making it an ideal project for knitters new to shaping techniques.

What Is Being Made

This pattern produces a finished pillow measuring 14 inches square or 18 inches square depending on which size option you choose. The pillow consists of two knitted squares that are worked separately and then assembled. The design incorporates a two-color scheme with a main color (MC) and contrast color (CC), allowing for creative color pairing and visual interest in the finished cushion.

Knitting Techniques Used

The Kitty-Corner Pillow employs several fundamental knitting techniques that make it suitable for beginners while building essential skills:

• Casting on: The pattern begins with a small cast-on of just 3 stitches, which is then increased to create the square shape
• Increasing stitches: Multiple increase methods are used throughout the pattern, including knit front and back (kf&b) and purl front and back (pf&b) increases for the initial shaping phase, followed by right and left lifted increases (RLI and LLI) and right and left purl lifted increases (RPLI and LPLI) to maintain stitch definition as the square grows
• Color work: The pattern incorporates a simple two-color technique where the contrast color is introduced mid-pattern, requiring knitters to manage two yarn colors and switch between them smoothly
• Directional knitting: The pattern uses a technique where stitches are slid to the opposite end of the needle to work in the opposite direction, creating seamless color transitions

Stitches Used

The Kitty-Corner Pillow relies on basic knitting stitches that form the foundation of the craft:

• Knit stitch (K): The primary stitch used throughout most of the pattern
• Purl stitch (P): Used in alternating rows to create stockinette stitch texture and in specific shaping rows
• Knit front and back (kf&b): An increase stitch that creates one new stitch from one existing stitch
• Purl front and back (pf&b): The purl version of the front and back increase
• Right lifted increase (RLI): A directional increase worked from the right side
• Left lifted increase (LLI): A directional increase worked from the left side
• Right purl lifted increase (RPLI): A purl-side version of the lifted increase
• Left purl lifted increase (LPLI): A purl-side version of the lifted increase

Materials Required

The Kitty-Corner Pillow pattern calls for specific yarn and needle requirements to achieve the proper finished dimensions:

Yarn: The pattern uses worsted weight yarn, which is a medium-weight yarn ideal for creating fabric with good drape and structure suitable for pillows. Yardage requirements vary by size: the smaller 14-inch square requires 280 yards of main color (MC) and 40 yards of contrast color (CC), while the larger 18-inch square requires 465 yards of main color and 60 yards of contrast color. The pattern is shown worked in Sweet Paprika Winfield, which is 100% Canadian wool at 110 yards per 245-gram skein, using 2 skeins of Northern Sky for the main color and 1 skein of Propolis for the contrast color.

Needles: The pattern requires Size 7 (4.5mm) circular needles measuring 24 inches (60cm) in length. Circular needles are used here to accommodate the increasing number of stitches as the square grows, and the 24-inch length provides adequate space for working the expanding fabric.

Skill Level

This pattern is rated as Easy, making it an excellent choice for beginner knitters