Idea #3 – Geometric Pillow

Today’s story begins with the coat, above. It is made of narrow panels that have been joined together. Many traditional costumes are made this way, and it is a perfect, simple approach for anyone wishing to design their own garments and accessories. More information can be found in Folkwear patterns, and this book by Jan Messent. For more examples of geometric patterns to try, see Kaffe Fassett’s book, here. In the near future, I will post about making garments in this way.

8

For now, I’d like to show you the basics with instructions for making a pillow. Mine began with some leftover strips I had after shortening the sleeves on my coat (the Diamond-patterned ones, above). I wanted the pillow to be wider, and it also needed more interest; so, I experimented with a couple of other geometric patterns.

In the end, I settled for a simple checkerboard.

The gentle gradations of our beautiful “Odyssey” yarn gave the whole look some extra lustre and movement, almost a shimmer.

The final element is a narrow edging on each strip that adds more color and a bit of breathing space between the crazy patterns. A little stuffing, 3 simple seams, and you’ve got a pillow!

Variations:

1. I used a DK weight wool, but any weight can be used.

2. This could be striking in Black/White, or Green/Blue, Pink/Gray, Rose/Orange and on and on. Or, go all out with multi-color yarns! Pick your favorite colors.

3. Adjust the width with more or fewer strips, adjust the length with longer or shorter strips.

4. To make it faster, just knit it one diamond high (instead of two) for the front and apply a fabric backing.

5. The charts I have provided can easily be used for needlepoint instead of knitting. Many sock yarns work beautifully for needlepoint.

Directions for this project can be found here. The yarns I used can be found here. This is a perfect stashbuster, so be sure to start there!