Spice Up a Sofa, 2

Spice Up a Sofa Cushion Cover, Model 2 by Arella Seaton Design

What Is Being Made

This is a knitted cushion cover featuring modern colour-blocking design with bold geometric patterns. The pattern provides instructions for two finished sizes: 40 cm / 16" square and 45 cm / 18" square covers. The cushion cover is designed to refresh and personalize a plain sofa with striking colour combinations, allowing crafters to choose complementary or contrasting yarn colours to match their décor.

Techniques Used

The primary technique featured in this pattern is intarsia knitting, a colour-work method that creates bold, geometric blocks of colour within the fabric. The cushion cover is worked flat in a single piece, with the intarsia colour-blocking pattern displayed on the front. After knitting and blocking, the sides are stitched together to form the cushion cover shape. The back closure is finished with three buttons for the 40 cm size or four buttons for the 45 cm size, each measuring 20–25 mm / ¾–1" in diameter.

Intarsia is a technique suitable for advanced beginners who have mastered fundamental knitting skills. Unlike stranded colourwork, intarsia uses separate bobbins of yarn for each colour section, preventing long floats across the back of the work and creating a smooth, flat fabric ideal for cushion covers.

Stitches Used

The pattern is worked primarily in stockinette stitch, the most fundamental and versatile knit stitch combination. Stockinette stitch—alternating knit rows on the right side with purl rows on the wrong side—creates a smooth, flat fabric that showcases the colour-blocking design beautifully. This classic stitch is combined with the intarsia technique to build the geometric colour patterns.

Materials

Yarn: The pattern calls for aran weight (10 ply) yarn. Approximately 75 meters of yarn is required, though the exact yardage may vary depending on the chosen cushion size. Aran weight yarn is a medium-weight option that knits to a gauge of 14 stitches × 21 rows over 10 × 10 cm / 4" × 4" in stockinette stitch.

Tools and Notions: Essential supplies include:

• Appropriate needles for aran weight yarn (sized to achieve the specified gauge)
• A tapestry needle for seaming the sides together and weaving in yarn ends
• Bobbins (optional) to manage separate colour sections during intarsia knitting
• 3 or 4 buttons (20–25 mm / ¾–1" diameter) for the back closure, depending on cushion size

Pattern Features

Two intarsia charts are included in the pattern, one for each finished size, providing clear visual guidance for colour placement and geometric design. The pattern is rated as beginner-friendly for those with advanced beginner skills, making it accessible to crafters comfortable with basic knit and purl stitches who are ready to explore colour-work techniques. The downloadable PDF format allows for easy printing and reference while working.