Vesla Cushion in Rowan Softyak DK - Downloadable PDF

Vesla Cushion by Arne & Carlos in Rowan Softyak DK – Pattern Summary

The Vesla Cushion is a beautifully crafted knitted cushion cover designed by the celebrated Norwegian design duo Arne & Carlos and published by Rowan as a downloadable PDF pattern (reference ROWEB-03666-UK). Rated as an intermediate level project, this cushion is an ideal next step for knitters who are comfortable with the basics and ready to explore colourwork. The pattern offers two versions — Version A and Version B — giving knitters a choice of colourway or design variation while working from the same core construction method.

What Is Being Made

The finished project is a knitted cushion cover, worked in two separate pieces — a patterned front and a plain back — which are then seamed together. The front features a striking colourwork motif worked from a chart, while the back is kept deliberately simple in a single yarn colour, allowing the decorative front to take centre stage. The result is a striking, Scandinavian-inspired home accessory that reflects the distinctive aesthetic that Arne & Carlos are known for.

Versions Included

Version A

Version A uses a specific palette of colours drawn from the Rowan Softyak DK range. The front is worked across all 81 rows of Chart A, ending with the wrong side facing before casting off purlwise on the wrong side. This version features a rich combination of shades including:

• Submarine 251 – 2 x 50gm balls
• Pampas 235 – 1 x 50gm ball
• Lantana 246 – 1 x 50gm ball
• Terrain 243 – 1 x 50gm ball
• Lea 236 – 1 x 50gm ball
• Meadow 237 – 1 x 50gm ball
• Jaune 252 – 2 x 50gm balls
• Lawn 241 – 1 x 50gm ball
• Driftwood 244 – 1 x 50gm ball
• Tuscan Red 253 – 2 x 50gm balls

Version B

Version B offers an alternative colourway or design variation for knitters who wish to explore a different look using the same chart and construction method. Both versions share the same fundamental techniques and construction approach.

Techniques Used

The Vesla Cushion is worked using stranded colourwork — a traditional technique in which multiple yarn colours are carried across the back of the work to create a patterned fabric on the right side. This method is closely associated with Scandinavian and Fair Isle knitting traditions, and it is central to the design aesthetic of Arne & Carlos. Stranded colourwork requires knitters to manage tension carefully across floats — the lengths of yarn carried behind the work — to ensure the finished fabric lies flat and the stitches remain even.

The back of the cushion is worked in plain stocking stitch using a single colour, providing a neat, smooth reverse to the cushion cover. Once both pieces are complete, the cushion is assembled by joining the top seam along the cast-off edges and then seaming the sides together — a straightforward making-up process that results in a clean, professional finish.

Pressing the finished pieces before seaming is recommended, as described in the pattern's information page, to help the colourwork fabric settle and the cushion cover take its correct shape.

Stitches Used

• Stocking stitch (st st) – used throughout both the charted colourwork front and the plain back. The front is worked beginning with a knit row, and the entire chart is executed in stocking stitch.
• Cast off purlwise – the front is cast off on the wrong side purlwise at the completion of the chart rows, creating a neat edge for se