True Colours Peacock Cushion

True Colours Peacock Cushion

What is Being Made

The True Colours Peacock Cushion is a knitted cushion cover designed by TeaCosyFolk. This project creates a decorative 46cm square cushion cover featuring a vibrant peacock motif worked in multiple colors. The finished cushion cover is sized to fit a standard 46cm square cushion insert, making it a practical and visually striking home décor item.

Techniques Used

This knitting project employs several essential colorwork and construction techniques. The primary technique is intarsia colorwork, where multiple yarn colors are introduced throughout the design to create the detailed peacock pattern. A critical skill emphasized in the pattern is yarn twisting at color changes, which prevents holes from forming when transitioning between different colored sections. The cushion is constructed in two main pieces: a charted front panel featuring the peacock design and a ribbed back panel. The front is worked entirely in stocking stitch following a 119-row chart, while the back uses a simple knit-purl ribbing pattern for texture and elasticity.

Stitches Used

• Stocking Stitch (Stockinette Stitch): The primary stitch used for the front panel, creating a smooth, flat fabric with a V-pattern appearance on the right side. This stitch is worked by alternating knit rows on the right side with purl rows on the wrong side.
• Ribbing (K1, P1): Used for the back panel, this alternating knit-purl pattern creates vertical columns that provide stretch and recovery, making the cushion cover easier to fit over the insert.
• Cast On and Cast Off: Standard edge techniques used to create and finish the edges of both front and back panels.

Materials

The True Colours Peacock Cushion requires 4.00mm knitting needles (UK size 8 or US size 6). The yarn is Hayfield Bonus DK, a double knit weight yarn, distributed across six coordinating colors in the following quantities: 99g Rainforest (primary color), 25g Royal, 27g Sunflower, 23g Azure, 2g White, and 1g Black. Additional materials include 2 meters of Royal Blue Jumbo Pom Pom Trim featuring 2cm pompoms for decorative edging, and a 46cm square cushion insert to provide structure and support for the finished cover. The pattern specifies a tension of 22 stitches and 28 rows to measure 10x10cm when worked on 4.00mm needles with DK yarn.

Difficulty Level

This project is rated as intermediate difficulty. While the stocking stitch and ribbing stitches are fundamental techniques suitable for knitters with basic skills, the intarsia colorwork and the requirement to carefully manage yarn twists at color changes elevate the complexity. Knitters should be comfortable reading charts and managing multiple yarn colors simultaneously to successfully complete this cushion cover.