Pine Forest Cushion in Rowan Felted Tweed (2-coloured version) - 4083 - Downloadable PDF

Pine Forest Cushion in Rowan Felted Tweed (2-Colour Version) – Pattern Summary

Designed by Martin Storey and published by Rowan, the Pine Forest Cushion is a striking knitted cushion cover worked in the iconic Rowan Felted Tweed yarn. This downloadable PDF pattern offers two distinct colourways — a multi-coloured version and a 2-colour version — allowing knitters to choose the level of colour complexity that suits their skill and style. Both versions produce a cushion cover sized to fit a 57 cm (22½ in) square cushion pad, making it a generous and impactful home accessory.

What Is Being Made

The finished project is a knitted cushion cover consisting of two identical cushion sides, each worked separately and then sewn together along all four edges. An opening is left during seaming to allow insertion of the cushion pad. The design features a Pine Forest motif, evoking the texture and atmosphere of a woodland landscape through carefully arranged colourwork patterning.

The 2-Colour Version

The 2-colour version is worked in exactly the same way as the multi-coloured version, but all contrast colours — B, C, D, and E — are replaced with a single contrast yarn, creating a bold, graphic two-tone effect rather than a multi-hued palette. This simplification makes the 2-colour version particularly appealing to knitters who prefer a more contemporary, high-contrast aesthetic or who wish to reduce the complexity of managing multiple yarn ends.

• Main colour (A): Rowan Felted Tweed in Lotus Leaf 205 — 4 × 50 g balls
• All contrasts (B, C, D, and E): Rowan Felted Tweed in Stone 190 — 2 × 50 g balls

The Multi-Colour Version

For those who wish to work the original multi-coloured design, the pattern calls for five distinct shades of Rowan Felted Tweed, each contributing to the depth and richness of the Pine Forest chart:

• A – Clay 177: 4 × 50 g balls (main colour)
• B – Ginger 154: 1 × 50 g ball
• C – Tawny 186: 1 × 50 g ball
• D – Scarlet 222: 1 × 50 g ball
• E – Treacle 145: 1 × 50 g ball

Yarn and Materials

Rowan Felted Tweed is a beloved yarn in the Rowan range, prized for its tweedy, rustic texture and its beautiful depth of colour. It is a lightweight DK-weight yarn sold in 50 g balls, and its slightly felted finish gives knitted fabric a wonderfully soft yet structured drape — ideal for home accessories such as cushion covers. The yarn's subtle halo and earthy tones make it particularly well suited to nature-inspired colourwork designs like the Pine Forest motif.

Needles

• 1 pair of 3¾ mm (US 5) knitting needles are used throughout the pattern.

Techniques and Construction

The Pine Forest Cushion is rated as intermediate in difficulty, making it an excellent project for knitters who are comfortable with the basics and ready to develop their colourwork skills. The primary technique employed is Fair Isle (also referred to as stranded colourwork), in which two or more yarn colours are carried across the back of the work and woven in at intervals to create the patterned design on the right side of the fabric.

Key Techniques Include:

• Fair Isle / stranded colourwork: Colours are stranded across the wrong side of the work following a charted design. Knitters are directed to use the Fair Isle technique as described on the Rowan information page included with the pattern.
• Working from a chart: The entire cushion side is worked from