Little Houses Cushion

Little Houses Cushion by Martin Storey

Project Overview

The Little Houses Cushion is an intermediate-level knitting project designed by Martin Storey, featured in his New Fairisle Knits collection. This decorative cushion measures 45cm (18 inches) square when laid flat and combines traditional Fairisle colorwork with appliquéd details to create a charming finished piece suitable for home décor.

What Is Being Made

This project creates a complete cushion cover featuring a patchwork design of knitted squares. The cushion incorporates two distinct design elements: Fairisle-patterned squares depicting little houses in multiple colors, alternating with plain stockinette stitch squares that serve as a canvas for appliquéd garter stitch houses with striped roofs. The finished cushion is designed to fit an 18-inch square cushion pad and is secured with 5 buttons.

Knitting Techniques Used

• Fairisle Colorwork: The primary technique features stranded colorwork using the Fairisle method, where yarn not in use is stranded across the wrong side of the work. Yarns are woven under and over the working yarn every 3 to 5 stitches maximum to maintain elasticity and prevent loose floats.
• Stocking Stitch: Forms the base fabric for the Fairisle squares, creating a smooth, flat surface ideal for displaying the colorwork pattern.
• Garter Stitch: Used for the appliquéd house details, providing texture and definition to the rooflines.
• Appliqué: Garter stitch houses with striped roofs are sewn onto plain stockinette squares, adding dimensional detail to the design.
• Chart Reading: The pattern employs charted instructions for the Fairisle sections, with right-side rows read from right to left in standard knitting chart convention.

Stitches and Stitch Details

• Stocking Stitch (St st): The primary stitch for the main fabric squares, creating the smooth base for both Fairisle and appliqué elements.
• Garter Stitch: Used in appliquéd house shapes and striped roof details, providing textural contrast.
• Slip One Knitwise (sl1k): A stitch abbreviation referenced in the pattern, used for edge stitches or shaping details.

Materials and Yarn Information

This cushion is knitted entirely in Rowan Felted Tweed DK, a double-knit weight yarn that provides excellent stitch definition for Fairisle work. The yarn selection includes multiple colorways to create the patterned and appliquéd elements. The pattern specifies yarn quantities in 50-gram balls, with Avocado 161 and Seafarer 170 among the colors used. The DK weight ensures that stitches can be properly spread to their correct width during Fairisle work, maintaining elasticity and preventing puckering.

Additional Materials and Notions

• Cushion pad measuring 18 inches (45cm) square
• 5 buttons for fastening the cushion cover
• Knitting needles appropriate for DK weight yarn

Design Features and Colorway Options

The Little Houses Cushion features an alternative colorway option, which is demonstrated on the coordinating Little Houses Blanket also designed by Martin Storey. This allows crafters to choose between different color combinations while using the same pattern structure, making it possible to customize the cushion to match various décor schemes.

Difficulty Level

Rated as intermediate, this project requires familiarity with Fairisle colorwork techniques, chart reading, and basic appliqué skills. Knitters should be comfortable managing multiple yarn colors and maintaining even tension while stranding yarns across the back of the work.