"Rand Cushion" - Cushion Knitting Pattern For Home in MillaMia Naturally Soft Merino

Rand Cushion Knitting Pattern by MillaMia – Beginner Stripe Cushion Cover with Buttonhole Back

The Rand Cushion is a knitting pattern by MillaMia designed to create a vibrant, striped cushion cover measuring 35cm by 35cm (13¾ in by 13¾ in) — a perfect square to fit a standard cushion pad. Rated as a beginner skill level project, it is an ideal introduction to colour-change knitting and working buttonholes, all without the added complexity of shaping. The finished cushion makes a bold, decorative addition to any living space.

What Is Being Made

This pattern produces a complete cushion cover knitted in two separate pieces — a front panel and a two-part back panel. The back is cleverly constructed in an upper and lower section that overlap, creating a classic envelope-style button fastening. Five buttons fasten the opening, allowing the cushion pad to be easily inserted and removed. The finished cover is designed to house a 35cm by 35cm cushion pad, which is inserted once the cover is sewn together and the buttons are attached.

Techniques Used

• Worked flat: All pieces are knitted flat on a standard pair of needles, making this accessible to knitters who have not yet tried working in the round.
• Stripes: The front and lower back feature a detailed sequence of horizontal stripes worked across multiple colours. The stripe sequence includes blocks of varying depths — from 2-row accent stripes to larger 22-row colour sections — creating a lively, structured striped design.
• Buttonholes: The upper back section incorporates a row of five evenly spaced buttonholes, worked using a yarn twice round needle (y2rn) technique combined with k2tog and skpo decreases. The following row closes each buttonhole neatly by working p1, p1 tbl into the double yarn-over. This is a gentle and practical introduction to buttonhole construction.
• Envelope back construction: The upper back is lapped over the final 10 rows of the lower back and tacked in place before the back and front are sewn together with right sides facing, then turned through to the right side.

Stitches Used

• Stocking stitch (st st): The main body of both the front and back panels is worked in stocking stitch — knit on right-side rows, purl on wrong-side rows — giving a smooth, classic fabric surface that showcases the stripe colours beautifully.
• Garter stitch: The upper back begins with 3 rows of knit, creating a neat garter stitch border at the button band edge.
• k2tog (knit two together): A right-leaning decrease used as part of the buttonhole construction.
• skpo (slip one, knit one, pass slipped stitch over): A left-leaning decrease paired with k2tog to form each buttonhole opening symmetrically.
• y2rn (yarn twice round needle): A double yarn-over used to create the buttonhole opening, with the extra loop resolved on the following purl row.

Yarn and Materials

The pattern calls for MillaMia Naturally Soft Merino, a sport weight yarn (50g/1¾ oz balls), in three colours as pictured:

• Fuchsia 143 (A) — two balls, used as the dominant colour throughout the stripe sequence
• Grass 141 (B) — one ball, used for accent stripes and a bold 12-row block
• Petal 122 (C) — one ball, used for the larger 22-row colour section and finishing stripes

A pair of 3.25mm (US 3) knitting needles is required. The recommended tension is 25 stitches and 34 rows to 10cm over stocking stitch. Additional materials include five buttons approximately 15mm (⅝ in) in diameter and a 35cm by 35cm cushion pad