My first pillow

[mittenmaker]

Hi K1P1quebec! I enjoyed your message! I am sure you are enjoying the KAL!
For my pillow, I used Bernat Super Value, size 7 needles (U.S) -- my gauge was 4 stitches per inch. So I cast on 58 st (an extra stitch for selvedge on both sides) and knitted each side separately, 14" square. Then I sewed 3 sides together, put pillow form in, and sewed the 4th side closed.
Hope that helps! I have been using my pillow during extended couch-potato sessions and it is holding up fine!
I plan to make another in Bernat SV in Redwood, but in a similar (but different) stitch for my mom for Mother's day. I am also in process of making a 14" square pillow for my bed, in Trinity Stitch, but I am going by a pattern in "99 Knit Stitches" (Leisure Arts.) It's one of those projects you work on, put down awhile, and then pick up again.
Thanks again for your interest in my Pillow! Let me know how it goes for you!

[K1P1quebec]

Hi K1P1quebec! I enjoyed your message! I am sure you are enjoying the KAL!
For my pillow, I used Bernat Super Value, size 7 needles (U.S) -- my gauge was 4 stitches per inch. So I cast on 58 st (an extra stitch for selvedge on both sides) and knitted each side separately, 14" square. Then I sewed 3 sides together, put pillow form in, and sewed the 4th side closed.
Hope that helps! I have been using my pillow during extended couch-potato sessions and it is holding up fine!
I plan to make another in Bernat SV in Redwood, but in a similar (but different) stitch for my mom for Mother's day. I am also in process of making a 14" square pillow for my bed, in Trinity Stitch, but I am going by a pattern in "99 Knit Stitches" (Leisure Arts.) It's one of those projects you work on, put down awhile, and then pick up again.
Thanks again for your interest in my Pillow! Let me know how it goes for you!

Thanks for the directions! I am working on the borders to my afghan now - it is all stitched together. I'll be able to start some couch potato pillows after that! I think your assembly method sounds just great! We bought a nice big leather couch and large screen TV two winters ago to accommodate our 3 teenage boys, ourselves, and several friends/family members. The most people we've had on it at once is 15. Most of the time, though, we are 4 to 6 and I'm making the cuddly accessories to go with it this year.

[lialab]

thanks for sharing the pattern of your pillow, I thought I would have been able to do it on my own, but with these directions it will be much easier. thanks again

[mittenmaker]

Hi K1P1quebec! Wow, that couch sounds like heaven! Sounds like the afghan will make it even more heavenly! The pillows make up quickly, which will be a nice breather after your afghan is finished!

[mittenmaker]

thanks for sharing the pattern of your pillow, I thought I would have been able to do it on my own, but with these directions it will be much easier. thanks again

Hi lialab! You're welcome as the flowers in May! Hey, if I can do it, anyone can! Have fun! Pillows are becoming my flavor of the month now! The main thing for me is getting gauge for pillow (considering multiples, # of rows in pattern.) The Andalusian st. really lends itself nicely; Trinity stitch, for me anyway, is purely trial and error. I found that 62 st in Trinity st. using size 7 needles worked nicely for a 14" pillow form.

[mittenmaker]

Hi k1p1quebec! You asked. . .

Did you knit one long rectangle and just fold up and sew thé sides?

I finished my Trinity Stitch pillow and another pillow, a travel-size/rectangular pillow in simple stockinette st. -- and I got to thinking about your long rectangle observation. I am getting ready to begin another Trinity st. pillow and this time I will DEFINITELY do one long rectangle! It saves time sewing--and also practically guarantees that pillow will be true to size! The only reason I did 2 matching pieces, is that the pattern for Trinity pillow instructed to make 2 separate pieces. I don't know why one long rectangle wouldn't work!
I guess since the honey color pillow was my 1st pillow and the Trinity stitch pillow pattern was unfamiliar territory, I just automatically thought to make 2 separate pieces. (And I'm usually an adventurous knitter!!)

So Yes, I'm going to use your suggestion! Thank you!

[K1P1quebec]

Hi k1p1quebec! You asked. . .

Did you knit one long rectangle and just fold up and sew thé sides?

I finished my Trinity Stitch pillow and another pillow, a travel-size/rectangular pillow in simple stockinette st. -- and I got to thinking about your long rectangle observation. I am getting ready to begin another Trinity st. pillow and this time I will DEFINITELY do one long rectangle! It saves time sewing--and also practically guarantees that pillow will be true to size! The only reason I did 2 matching pieces, is that the pattern for Trinity pillow instructed to make 2 separate pieces. I don't know why one long rectangle wouldn't work!
I guess since the honey color pillow was my 1st pillow and the Trinity stitch pillow pattern was unfamiliar territory, I just automatically thought to make 2 separate pieces. (And I'm usually an adventurous knitter!!)

So Yes, I'm going to use your suggestion! Thank you!

Hi mittenmaker! I am going to start this pillow tonight (from your original post) so am thinking of you. My afghan is complete and I need a few more soft things to spread around. Yes, the couch is fantastic and attracts friends and family. We have the cleopatra end that you see in the photo below-then 3 sitting units-then a corner unit, followed by 3 more sitting units! I have need for quite a few pillows!
We know where our kids are because they tend to congregate here. But now we have to deal with food disappearing faster and decibel levels being a bit higher. don't really mind though!
Do you have any other photos to show us soon of your other two pillow Works in Progress?

[K1P1quebec]

Here is my WIP as of today. I really like the texture!


Mittenmaker, I think I have even come up with a simpler method yet that Will only involve two seams to sew instead of three (like the long rectangle method)! I was thinking about that last night while knitting these 4 rows of pattern. I am one who likes the knit stitch more than the purl, and in this pattern there are two full rows of purl plus the K1P1 row, while there is only one full row of knit.

So I was wondering....why not knit this in the round on circular needles with 116 stitches and joining? I would be able to just Knit, except for the K1P1 row! It would be like a tube. Then just insert the pillow form and sew together bottom and top! I will experiment with that for my second pillow. (Did I just say second? I think I'm on a roll here!)

[mittenmaker]

Here is my WIP as of today. I really like the texture!


Mittenmaker, I think I have even come up with a simpler method yet that Will only involve two seams to sew instead of three (like the long rectangle method)! I was thinking about that last night while knitting these 4 rows of pattern. I am one who likes the knit stitch more than the purl, and in this pattern there are two full rows of purl plus the K1P1 row, while there is only one full row of knit.

So I was wondering....why not knit this in the round on circular needles with 116 stitches and joining? I would be able to just Knit, except for the K1P1 row! It would be like a tube. Then just insert the pillow form and sew together bottom and top! I will experiment with that for my second pillow. (Did I just say second? I think I'm on a roll here!)

K1P1quebec, oh my gosh, I love your afghan! Sensational!
And your pillow-in-progress is looking GREAT!
Your idea of knitting pillow in this stitch is really innovative! I agree, this stitch would lend itself so perfectly to this technique! I will DEFINITELY try that! I will be making more pillows as gifts, and this new and improved technique will so accelerate the process. BTW, I just finished up a Travel-size pillow using a bulky weight non-Bernat yarn, a silky-rustic variety, did it in simple stockinette because the texture of yarn does not lend itself well to fancy stitches. How awesome it would have been to use the Tube style to fashion this pillow! It was a little tough for me, seaming the sides of pillow (I made 2 pieces) -- because it is hard for me to locate running stitch using that kind of yarn, and that variety of yarn tends to yield bulky-ish seams. It would have been continuous knit only, and 2 less seams to struggle with.
Wow, this is a real epiphany!
Oh, I will send pics of my Redwood color Bernat, Trinity stitch pillow as soon -- I will get some shots of it after I get caught up on my email! Very happy knitting to you! ~~mm

[K1P1quebec]

Cool! Can't wait to see your next photos! I am looking through à stitch pattern book for something to put behind 4 left over squares from my afghan that Will make a pinwheel on front of pillow.

I found the name for this 4-row pillow pattern: andalusian stitch. It's exactly what you said to do...
Row 1 knit
Row 2 purl
Row 3 K1P1
Row 4 purl

Doesn't that sound fancy? Oh, you like my Andalusian stitch pillow....?