Rowan Jaunty Weave Cushion Homeware Knitting Pattern

Rowan Jaunty Weave Cushion by Kaffe Fassett

Project Overview

The Rowan Jaunty Weave Cushion is a knitted homeware project designed by renowned colorist Kaffe Fassett. This decorative cushion cover is created using a combination of solid and patterned knitting techniques to produce a vibrant, visually striking textile suitable for a 56 cm square cushion pad.

What is Being Made

This pattern creates a complete cushion cover consisting of two main pieces: a patterned front panel and a plain back panel. The finished cover accommodates a 56 cm square cushion pad, making it a substantial homeware accessory suitable for sofas, chairs, or decorative displays. The project is worked flat on straight needles and seamed together during finishing.

Techniques Used

The Jaunty Weave Cushion employs several key knitting techniques to achieve its distinctive appearance:

• Intarsia: The front panel uses the intarsia technique, a method for working with multiple colors that involves using separate lengths of yarn for each color block. This technique creates clean color transitions without carrying yarn across the back of the work, resulting in a professional finish suitable for display pieces.
• Bottom-up construction: Both the front and back panels are worked from the cast-on edge upward, allowing the knitter to follow the pattern progression row by row.
• Worked flat: The cushion pieces are created on straight needles rather than in the round, with edges that will be seamed together during finishing.
• Stripes and color work: The front panel features a charted pattern that incorporates multiple colors from the Rowan Felted Tweed yarn range, creating a complex woven appearance through strategic color placement.
• Seaming: The front and back panels are sewn together along three sides using mattress stitch or similar seaming techniques, with the fourth side left open for inserting the cushion pad before final closure.

Stitches Used

Stockinette stitch (st st) is the primary stitch throughout this project. The front panel is worked entirely in stockinette stitch beginning with a knit row, maintaining this fundamental stitch pattern across all 160 rows of the intarsia chart. The back panel similarly uses stockinette stitch for its 172 rows, worked in plain yarn without color changes. Stockinette stitch creates a smooth, refined surface ideal for displaying the color work on the front panel.

Materials and Yarn

The Rowan Jaunty Weave Cushion uses Rowan Felted Tweed, a premium wool blend yarn supplied in 50-gram balls. The pattern calls for 18 different colors in total, each providing 1 x 50gm ball except for Lime (yarn R), which requires 2 x 50gm balls. The color palette includes: Alabaster (A), Black (B), Frozen (C), Watery (D), Scarlet (E), Peach (F), Ultramarine (G), Vaseline Green (H), Sulfur (I), Seasalter (J), Heliotrope (K), Electric Green (L), Bilberry (M), Ciel (N), French Mustard (O), Fjord (P), Candy Floss (Q), and Lime (R). This extensive palette allows for the creation of intricate, multicolored patterning characteristic of Kaffe Fassett designs.

Needles and Tools

The project requires two pairs of needles in different sizes. The front panel is worked using 4mm (US 6) needles, while the back panel uses slightly smaller 3¾mm (US 5) needles. The difference in needle size accommodates the different stitch tensions required for the patterned intarsia front versus the plain stockinette back. Additionally, a 56 cm square cushion pad is required as the insert for the finished cover.

Tension and Finished Dimensions

Achieving correct tension is essential for this project to fit the cushion pad properly. The patterned front panel, worked on 4mm needles, should measure 23 stitches and 28 rows to 10 cm over the patterned stockinette stitch. The plain back panel, worked on 3¾mm needles, should measure 24 stitches and 32 rows to 10 cm over plain stockinette stitch. When completed and blocked, each piece forms a 54 cm square, which accommodates the 56 cm cushion pad with appropriate se