I finished this challenge late today. I spent the Holiday weekend mostly inside because there is a heat wave going on and it’s pretty opressive outside. Fortunately I do live in Cincinnati where our heat wave is normal for this time of year as we experience temperatures in the 90s. I really feel and my heart goes out to those in the Pacific Northwest that are not accustom to these temperatures and aren’t equipped to handle it. And honestly, I don’t think Cincinnatians could handle the temperatures in the 110’s and up.
With all that said, I’m looking forward to fall even though we just started July! I love a cozy home year round but there’s something to be said and when you experience that first crisp morning and the leaves changing. Lighting candles to create that ambiance because the sun is setting earlier and earlier. Fluffy and billowy blankets laying across couches and chairs. Basically, Hygge overload. Hygge, pronounced Hoo-gah, is a Danish and Norwegian word for a mood of coziness and comfortable conviviality with feelings of wellness and contentment. Mmmm breathe it in!
It can’t get much more Hygge than today’s finished object. It’s a big fluffy and soft pillow that has a knitted front and multiple textures including fuzzy blocks and tassels! I was inspired by a pillow I saw at my local Meijer. I even used Red Hearts, “Hygge” yarn! I’ll be sure to edit this post once I have the pattern for this pillow updated in a future post!
I started out making a swatch – yes I was surprised I did too! When knitting you want to make a swatch to find out how many stitches an inch you’re getting and that will help you decide how many stitches to cast on to get the right size. This also allowed me to make sure the colors I was knitting with I liked, and how I wanted to incorporate the white in the texted garter stitch areas. After the swatch I decided to not use white during the knit but to go back in after and sew it in with the white yarn and a tapestry needle.
Also since I was figuring out as I went I grabbed a bunch of yarn and knitting needle sizes! I ended up using a different white that isn’t in this picture! Went with the size US 10 knitting needles.
Once I had my gauge figured out and knew how wide and tall I wanted my pillow, I started knitting! Once I had my textured square it was time to add the white accents to the garter stitch texture! Obviously I could have not added the white, but I’m glad I did because it definitely gives it an extra pizazz!
Just for a close up shot of what I’m trying to imitate, see the picture below! As you can see it is woven and not knit, but work with what you know, right?
Also here is a step by step of how I sewed in the white yarn to create that extra texture.
Now it was time to add my fuzzy blocks. I had leftover sherpa scraps from some blankets I made over Christmas time so I laid them out how I wanted them and then I trimmed them up. I whip stitched them into place and then the front of the pillow was done!
Next is cutting out what will be the back of the pillow. I made sure to not cut right up to the edges of the front piece since I would need seam allowance and the knitted fabric was likely to stretch a little. This proved to be a good idea once I got it all pinned! Be sure to pin the right sides together!
I decided to sew at a 1/2″ seam to give myself enough edge room to make sure I was getting everything. I usually like to sew with a 1/4″ seam. Sewing at 1/2″ worked great because I was able to not have any holes that I had to go back over! I also made sure to leave a gap so I could get my pillow stuffing in!
Once I flipped it right side out and put my pillow form in I could sew and close up the gap. A note about my pillow form, it came out of an old pillow we already had, it was lumpy and had some holes in it so I decided to stuff it some more with poly fil I had laying around to make it less lumpy and more full and fluffy!
To sew close the gap I did a blind seam, I’ve seen it called an invisible stitch, and a ladder stitch. The concept is simple enough, you keep grabbing the fabric at the points you see I’ve done in the pictures below and then you pull tight. Your thread and seam have disappeared!
Now, again, you could stop your pillow making at this point but I LOVED those tassels on the inspiration pillow so I made some myself! I took my yarn and wrapped it around a Cheez It box that I’ve left in my living room for over a month because I’m either a monster for not cleaning or a genius for convenience. Haha. Anywhoswhat, I wrapped it around the Cheez it box length wise 50 times so I could create long tassels that I had enough room to knot one in and I could trim it to a desired length! Once I trimmed the tassels I attached them to the pillow with my tapestry needle and matching yarn.
I had an audience member when I was sewing these tassels on. To be fair they were dangling and looking mighty tempting!
And then just like that, it was complete! I’m really into the final outcome and glad that I didn’t shortcut or decide to not add an element. Honestly this project stretched me more creatively than I’ve been stretched in a while and it felt great!! I have missed just making whatever I want and there being no rules, no getting it wrong, etc. Although I’m not sure what projects I’ve done recently where I felt I needed to conform to something or follow it to a T.
Ariel wasn’t impressed that I asked her to move so I could take a picture haha
Here’s another close up side by side of the inspiration (left) and the results (right)
The project only cost me time as I already had all the materials. I could have bought the inspiration pillow from Meijer for $20 or make it myself for $0! My husband, who is always supportive, said he likes the one I made more than the one you could buy from the store. What do you guys think? I do love the chunkiness of the knit. I can’t recall the exact softness in terms of pillow firmness but the one I made is pretty soft and cozy!
I’ll be sure to update this post with the pattern for the pillow in a few days when I have it written up! What projects are you working on that you know you could figure out?
xoxo
-Robin
