Blocks Cushion Cover

Blocks Cushion Cover by Sian Brown

Project Overview

The Blocks Cushion Cover is an intermediate-level knitting pattern designed to create a decorative 40 x 40 cm cushion cover. This downloadable PDF pattern combines solid-colored sections with a charted intarsia design featuring geometric blocks, making it an ideal project for knitters looking to develop colorwork skills while producing a practical home accessory.

What Is Being Made

This pattern produces a square cushion cover measuring 40 x 40 centimeters. The finished cushion cover features a button-closure design with an overlapping flap, allowing it to be easily removed for washing. The cover is constructed as a single knitted piece that folds to create the front and back panels, with the charted block design appearing on the front face.

Knitting Techniques Used

• Intarsia Knitting: The primary colorwork technique employed in this pattern. Intarsia allows for the creation of large, distinct color blocks without carrying yarn across the back of the work, resulting in a flat, professional finish ideal for cushion covers.
• Stocking Stitch: The main stitch used throughout most of the pattern, creating a smooth, classic fabric with a defined right side and reverse side.
• Moss Stitch: Used for the initial ribbed edge, providing a textured border that frames the cushion cover and adds structural definition.
• Reverse Stocking Stitch: Applied as a turning row to mark fold lines within the construction, creating clean transitions between sections.
• Chart Reading: The pattern requires reading a charted design, with right-side rows read right to left and wrong-side rows read left to right, a fundamental skill in colorwork knitting.

Stitches and Stitch Patterns

The Blocks Cushion Cover utilizes several key stitches to achieve its finished appearance. Knit stitch (k) and purl stitch (p) form the foundation of all stitch patterns used. The moss stitch border combines alternating knit and purl stitches in a checkerboard pattern across two rows, creating a subtle textured edge. Stocking stitch, created by alternating knit rows on the right side with purl rows on the wrong side, comprises the bulk of the cushion cover and provides the smooth canvas for the intarsia colorwork. The pattern also incorporates chart-based colorwork where specific stitches are worked in designated yarn colors to create the geometric block design.

Materials and Specifications

This pattern calls for Rico Essentials Soft Merino Aran yarn, an aran-weight yarn that provides excellent stitch definition and a soft, comfortable feel suitable for a decorative cushion cover. The yarn requirements are as follows:

• Yarn A (Natural): 2 balls plus 6 grams for the downloadable pattern version, or 3 balls for alternative specifications
• Yarn B (Light Grey): 1 ball plus 4 grams for the downloadable pattern version, or 2 balls for alternative specifications
• Yarn C (Sun Yellow): 1 ball (37 grams)

A pair of 5mm knitting needles is required to achieve the correct gauge. The pattern also calls for 5 buttons measuring 20mm, which are used on the sample shown and serve as the closure mechanism for the cushion cover flap. The recommended tension is 18 stitches by 23 rows over a 10 by 10 centimeter swatch in stocking stitch, which is essential for achieving the correct finished dimensions.

Pattern Construction

The Blocks Cushion Cover is constructed as a single rectangular piece that is folded to create the cushion cover structure. The pattern begins with a cast-on of 74 stitches using Yarn B. An initial moss stitch border of 5 rows provides a finished edge, followed by a transition row in stocking stitch. The main body is then worked in Yarn A using stocking stitch until the piece measures 30 centimeters from the cast-on edge. A turning row worked on the wrong side marks the fold line for the back panel. The front panel is then created by following a charted intarsia design over 90 rows, incorporating the geometric blocks in multiple colors. After completing the chart, the pattern transitions back to Yarn A alone, with a reverse stocking stitch row marking another fold line. The final 10 centimeters are worked in stocking stitch to create the button-closure flap, which overlaps the front panel and