This is a lovely cushion to knit for someone you love — or for yourself, as a gentle reminder that love is always around you.

It’s a great project for learning how to follow a chart, whether you’re using different stitches or trying the intarsia technique with colour changes. I originally designed this pattern for my June 2019 retreat — a joyful weekend of summer knitting, laughter and shared moments. As always happens when knitters gather, we picked up tips we didn’t even know we needed, found comfort in shared quirks (“everyone does that!”) and relaxed into our stitches.

The cushion I made that weekend now lives on my sofa — a daily reminder of that wonderful, joy-filled retreat.

CONSTRUCTION
Eight individual squares knitted flat from the bottom up and joined together to make the cushion.

TECHNIQUES USED
Cast on, knit, purl, cast off. Joining seams. Optional but recommended to create the feeling of joy when joining your pieces: mattress stitch.

YARN
One 100g hank of WYS Bluefaced Leicester Aran – Undyed
100% British Bluefaced Leicester wool, 166m/182yds per 100g

SUGGESTED KNITTING NEEDLES
5mm.

NOTIONS
Stuffing. I used about 100g of wool tops for the stuffing. I stuffed the cushion as I couldn’t find a cushion pad of the right size.

GAUGE (tension)
16 stitches and 24 rows to 10cm square over stocking stitch pattern. I obtained this gauge with 5mm needles.
It is important to obtain gauge so do swatch and change your needle size to achieve the correct gauge if you need to.

SIZE AND FINISHED MEASUREMENTS
For one square: approx. 16.5cm wide x 13cm long.
For the cushion: approx. 32cm wide x 26cm long.

NEED HELP?
I am here for you! Pop into the Skipton studio, send an email, or check out the Purl &Jane YouTube channel for tips, inspiration and guidance including handy resources like gauge (tension) guides and how to tutorials.