Chunky Twisted Ribbon Cushion

January 19th, 2009, 10:08 pm

I’ve accidentally designed a cushion!

I’ve had a bit of a sore elbow – tendonitis probably.

A friend of mine suggested knitting with my right arm resting on a cushion , and having a project on thick needles handy to alternate with the fine Kidsilk Haze project. The fine finger movements of tiny metal needles and incredibly fine yarn were probably aggravating the tendonitits.

So I bought a cheap cushion pad and it helped while knitting the Kidsilk Haze (along with Ibuprofen, tubigrip on the elbow and some hot and cold compresses.)

Ben, who being male doesn’t understand the purpose of cushions, said, “I can stand having another cushion but couldn’t we buy a cover for it? It’s a bit ugly.”

Buy a cover? I had a much better idea!

I went stash-diving. I wanted something on big needles as a contrast to the Kidsilk Haze projects….

…I came up for air from my stash dive grasping a baggie of Rowan Ribbon twist. The brown had been used for the Judie Jacket, then subsequently frogged because it made my size 8 figure look like a overfed elephant – not quite the desired effect.  :-( I have lots of Ribbon Twist and no project assigned to the yarn.

Here’s the yarn…

I also had two balls of grey Ribbon Twist left over for my willow jacket made way back in Feb 07. Hmmm….I have a beautiful warm handknit jacket I haven’t worn this year and it’s Brrrr-Freezy – Guess what I’m wearing to work tomorrow?

Just in case you’re too idle to click the willow link,  here’s a pic…

My sofa is choccie brown leather so the brown Ribbon Twist had to be the body of the cushion. Would grey work??? How to incorporate it?

I kinda launched straight in and decided to knit the Ribbon Twist on smaller needles than the recommended 12mm, I went for 10mm to give a denser fabric because my cushion pad was frankly, ugly and I didn’t want it showing through the stitches when it was leant on.

I decided the grey would go together, especially as both the grey and brown have a unifying cream ribbon in them.  The brown also has a grey ribbon…serendipity…

I decided on moss stitch for the bulk of the cushion – not a favourite stitch but on that gives good structure and texture. The grey, I wanted as a swirling cabled “Ribbon” snaking up the sea of brown moss stitch. I’d done an intarsia contrast cable as part of Ben’s Brooklyn Jacket years ago so I knew it was fiddly but possible…

Here’s what I threw together for the first side…

I was rather pleased!

The other side of the cushion took a little more thought….how so I get the cushion pad in and out of the cover?

I decided to knit two 3/4 length pieces, edged with a rib, and overlap them…
I sewed one side down properly and just tucked the other side underneath…Kinda like you tuck the flap in on an envelope when you don’t want to lick it – 30 seconds before you give the birthday card to someone in my case usually! :shock:

It came out great! look at this!!

That’s the side with the opening down the middle on my sofa.

I could stop blogging there and pretend I was a genius but I always feel I have to share the failures with you too.

I cuddled up on my lovely new cushion and put my weight on it….

It burst!

Yep, one sprawl and I was off to the button stash looking for remedial measures….

Fortunately I found four little matching brown beauties of buttons to save me. I really didn’t want a “big button statement” or anything uncomfortable to lean on.

I hadn’t made button holes but you could if you wanted to – in my experience, button holes in chunky yarns are very hard to make neat – you’re just as well off to poke the button through the stitch – which is what I did! (This also gives you flexibility when the cushion pad compresses over time)

So here it a  finished back view…

And the front :-)

I call it my Chunky Twisted Ribbon Cushion.

Here’s a PDF of the pattern if you’d like to make a similar one (any chunky would work, not just ribbon twist!)

Click here to download Chunky Twisted Ribbon Cushion PDF Pattern

Enjoy!!

Completed Knit Report
Name: Chunky Twisted Ribbon Cushion
Pattern: by Susan Crowe – Free PDF Click above link!
Yarn: Rowan Ribbon Twist
Pattern Problems: None, obviously!
Pattern Modifications: None
Washing and Wearing: *Will need to be hand washed.
Knit It Again???: Probably
Difficulty: Medium, intarsia and cables combined
Rating: 4/5
Other Postings Relating To This One: none.

Filed under Completed Knit Report, Free Patterns, Knitting · 4 Comments

2nd Blogiversary

January 14th, 2009, 6:00 am

Woot! W00t! :grin:

My Blog is 2 years old today. I can’t believe that I have kept this going for so long.

It has been a real pleasure, mainly because of all you readers dropping by and spurring me on!

Thank you Readers!! I hope I’ve brightened your day too.

I’ve just had a look at my Blogiversay post from last year.  I did a summary of the year’s knitting for you then so I think I should carry on that tradition…

In the last year I have Blogged 28 Projects. Returned to full time work, had my name in print, seen the Yarn Harlot in person, confessed my Cracksilk Haze addiction and started a consumer buying frenzy on a mug in Sainsburys.

Here’s how the knitting breaks down…

*If you want to look up any of these projects, enter the name in the search box, top right of the blog*

4 Pre Blog Knitting Projects (I thought I’d blogged more??):-

  • Sorrell
  • Serge
  • First Hildegard
  • Electra

1 Project revamped with dying experiments:-

  • Lavender

1 Ghastly acrylic neon jumper, sewn up for my sister (!)

  • Charity jumper “for the little children”

And a massive 22 projects knit this year!

  • Top Secret
  • Stripey Socks
  • Emily
  • So Called Scarf
  • Hedera socks
  • Ben’s Geeky PDA cosy
  • Haven Scarf
  • Geno
  • Frappe
  • Lynton Giotto Vest
  • Dinny
  • Cursed Socks
  • Silk Hildegard
  • Bowie for Ben
  • Bowie for Steve
  • Snuzzle Scarf for me
  • Snuzzle Scarf for Carol
  • Branwen
  • Earth Stripe Wrap
  • Petal Bib
  • Glace
  • and 10 little Innocent Smoothie Hats!

I also should mention that I frogged two previously completed garments:-

  • Keats
  • Judie Jacket

Does that make it 30 blogged projects?

Not a bad haul, especially considering that I started back at full time work in August! Hmmm…when you look at what I made though there are more small items in that list – it breaks down like this:-

  • 3 pairs of socks
  • 4 scarves
  • a wrap
  • 3 cardigans
  • 7 jumpers
  • 1 summer vest
  • and 3 accessories/little silly things

Of course, we had a bottle of champagne to celebrate and thank my hardworking “staff” who often model and feature in my blog.

There’s always one staff member at the party who can’t take their drink and slumps in the corner isn’t there??

Filed under Chat, Knitting · 13 Comments

Commuting Knitting Sock No.3

January 7th, 2009, 6:00 am

Just a quickie post to show you my next Commuting, “Knit on the train” sock project.

I found a new yarn lurking on John Lewis’ shelves and had to give it a go. It’s Wendy “Happy” sock yarn. I think that is a terrible, cloyingly sugary name for sock yarn but maybe I just have no sole  – that was a joke! Sole/Soul?? Taking about socks?  Geddit???

I can hear my readership now, “Soul? Dunno.  No sense of humour though!”  :roll:

Here is the questionably named yarn.

It’s a 4ply and made up of 75% bamboo and 25% nylon. Don’t be put off by the nylon content – I know there are some  “100% pure fibre only” purists out there – the nylon is necessary to make it hardwearing enough for socks. Importantly for me (and for Ben who has been know to destroy handknits by bunging them in the tumble dryer) it is machine washable and tumble dryable.

So what’s it like to knit with?

Soft and silky to the touch and gives excellent stitch definition. It is made up of 4 fine strands but doesn’t seem excessively “splitty” like some pure bamboo yarns.

I’ve not done much on the first sock (the plain boring Regia pattern again)
But here it is…

It’s feeling pretty special so far….

Filed under Knits WIP, Knitting · 6 Comments

The Good, the Bad and the Fabby

January 4th, 2009, 6:58 pm

As you know, I have been chipping away at my Kidsilk Haze mountain, knitting the “Lacy Top with four sleeves”. That part is all “good”!

The “bad” part was that I was getting very frustrated with all the yarnovers and my ancient, blunt metal needles -I’ve tried wood and bamboo with KSH – it doesn’t work for me.

Another “good” part is that Santa (looking surprisingly like Ben) bought me a fabulous gift for Christmas. :grin:

A set of “fabby” custom made,  Signature knitting needles with Stiletto points!! :razz:

They are things of great beauty. The spiral ends catch the light when twirled and the points are perfectly proportioned for stabbing at Kidsilk Haze! :cool:

Here’s some needle porn, close-ups (better pics on the signature site though!)…

I’m not going to rewrite the Signature website here and give you all the details about them but I must say I am extremely please with my Christmas prezzie. Click the link and have a drool at the needles…I dare you! ;-)

There’s also a well argued review of these needles here at Knitter’s Review.

One note of concern though – I have the set of the smaller sizes which are great. As the gauge of needle increases, so does the spiral, bell or teardrop end. After holding a friend’s large gauge signature needle, I’d have reservations about the weight of the larger sizes, especially on longer needles. Just something to think about if you’re tempted.

I’ve done the third sleeve now…onward with the lacy top!

Filed under Chat, Knitting · 7 Comments