Rowan Vesla Cushion Homeware Knitting Pattern

Rowan Vesla Cushion: Knitted Homeware Design

What Is Being Made

The Rowan Vesla Cushion is a decorative knitted cushion cover designed by Arne & Carlos. This homeware project creates a finished cushion measuring 50 cm (19¾ inches) wide and 30 cm (11¾ inches) deep, designed to fit a standard cushion pad. The cushion features a coordinated front and back panel construction, with the front showcasing decorative colorwork patterning and the back worked in solid stockinette stitch.

Techniques Used

The Vesla Cushion employs multiple advanced knitting techniques to create its finished design:

• Intarsia: Used for Version A to create detailed color patterning with solid blocks of color. This technique involves working with separate lengths of yarn for different colored sections, preventing long floats across the back of the fabric.
• Stranded (Fairisle): Applied in Version B, this technique carries yarn across the back of the work to create pattern repeats, suitable for smaller, more frequent color changes.
• Worked Flat: Both front and back panels are knitted flat on straight needles rather than in the round, creating two separate rectangular pieces.
• Bottom-Up Construction: The cushion pieces are worked from the cast-on edge upward to the cast-off edge, allowing for straightforward pattern following from charts.
• Seamed Assembly: After knitting, the front and back panels are joined using backstitch seaming along the top and side edges, with the cushion pad inserted before closing the final seam along the cast-on edges.

Stitches Used

Stockinette Stitch (St St): The primary stitch throughout the entire cushion. Both the patterned front panels and the plain back panels are worked entirely in stockinette stitch, created by alternating knit rows on the right side and purl rows on the wrong side. This creates the smooth, flat fabric characteristic of this cushion design.

Materials: Yarn and Needles

The Vesla Cushion is knitted using Rowan Softyak DK yarn, a double knitting weight fiber. Three distinct colorway versions are provided, each utilizing different color combinations from the Rowan palette:

Version A (Intarsia): Submarine 251 (2 x 50gm), Pampas 235 (1 x 50gm), Lantana 246 (1 x 50gm), Terrain 243 (1 x 50gm), Lea 236 (1 x 50gm), Meadow 237 (1 x 50gm), and Jaune 252 (2 x 50gm).

Version B (Stranded/Fairisle): Lawn 241 (1 x 50gm) for the back, with Tuscan Red 253 (2 x 50gm) for the front, combined with Submarine 251, Pampas 235, Lantana 246, Terrain 243, Lea 236, Meadow 237, Driftwood 244, and additional supporting colors.

Version C: Submarine 251 (2 x 50gm), Pampas 235 (1 x 50gm), Lantana 246 (1 x 50gm), Terrain 243 (1 x 50gm), Lea 236 (1 x 50gm), Meadow 237 (1 x 50gm), Lawn 241 (1 x 50gm), and Driftwood 244 (1 x 50gm).

The project requires one pair of 4mm (US 6) needles (size 8 in UK sizing). Working tension is established at 22.5 stitches and 31 rows to 10 cm measured over patterned stockinette stitch using the intarsia technique, ensuring proper fabric density and finished dimensions.

Pattern Structure and Construction Details

The front panel is cast on with either 121 stitches (for stranded versions) or appropriate stitch counts for intarsia versions, then worked upward following detailed pattern charts. Chart A (Version A) and Chart B (Version B) each contain 81 rows of patterning, worked entirely in stockinette stitch beginning with a knit row. The back panel is worked separately using 110 cast-on stitches in plain stockinette st