Bloom Pillow Cover Knit

Bloom Pillow Cover Knit by Briana K Designs

What is Being Made

The Bloom Pillow Cover is a decorative knitted cushion cover designed to fit a standard 20x20 inch pillow. This beginner-friendly knitting project creates a finished cover measuring 20 inches wide by 20 inches tall, making it an ideal size for standard throw pillows. The design features a colorful floral pattern created through intarsia knitting techniques, bringing springtime aesthetics to home décor with its multi-color blossom motif.

Knitting Techniques and Construction

This project employs intarsia knitting, a colorwork technique that allows knitters to incorporate multiple yarn colors into a single piece by working with separate yarn lengths for each color section. The pattern uses right-side and wrong-side rows to build the design, with color changes creating the visual flower pattern across the pillow face. The cover can be knitted as a single panel or as front and back panels depending on the crafter's preference and desired construction method. Buttons are incorporated into the design, likely for closure or decorative embellishment, requiring five 1-inch buttons total.

Stitches Used

• Knit (k) – The fundamental stitch forming the base fabric on right-side rows
• Purl (p) – Used on wrong-side rows to create the reverse stockinette effect and maintain proper fabric structure
• Slip Stitch (sl st) – Employed for joining or finishing edges

Yarn and Materials

The Bloom Pillow Cover is constructed using Bernat Softee Chunky yarn, a super-chunky weight yarn that works quickly and creates a soft, plush fabric ideal for decorative pillows. The pattern requires approximately 500 yards (384 meters) of total yardage when knitting both front and back panels. Five coordinating colors are used to create the floral design:

• Natural (white) – 1 skein
• True Grey (grey) – 1 skein
• Glowing Gold (yellow) – 1 skein
• Eucalyptus (green) – 1 skein
• Teal (blue) – 1 skein

The pattern calls for 4.5 mm (US 7) knitting needles, which is the appropriate size for working with super-chunky yarn and achieving the specified gauge. Additional materials include a yarn needle for weaving in ends, scissors, five 1-inch buttons for embellishment or closure, and optionally 3/4 yard of burlap if the crafter desires a backing fabric.

Gauge and Sizing

The pattern specifies a gauge of 13 stitches and 20 rows over 4 inches (10 centimeters) when worked with US 7 needles in stockinette stitch. Maintaining this gauge is essential for achieving the correct finished dimensions of 20 inches by 20 inches, ensuring the cover fits properly on a standard pillow form.

Skill Level

Rated as Easy/Advanced Beginner, this project is accessible to knitters with basic stitch knowledge who are ready to explore colorwork techniques. While intarsia knitting introduces complexity beyond simple stockinette stitch, the straightforward pattern and chunky yarn make it manageable for those progressing beyond absolute beginner level.