Third Piece The Horseshoe Cable Pillow Knitting Pattern

Third Piece The Horseshoe Cable Pillow

Project Overview

The Horseshoe Cable Pillow is an intermediate-level knitting project designed to create a decorative homeware piece featuring classic cable stitch work. This pattern offers three size options—Small (12" x 12"), Medium (18" x 18"), and Large (24" x 24")—making it adaptable for various spaces and preferences. The pillow showcases a striking horseshoe cable motif on the front panel, combined with a simple seed stitch border and a textured seed stitch back, creating visual interest and tactile appeal.

What Is Being Made

This project produces a finished decorative pillow cover worked in two separate panels: a front panel featuring the prominent horseshoe cable design and a back panel in seed stitch. The two pieces are seamed together using vertical seaming technique, with three sides sewn closed before inserting a pillow form, and the final side closed to complete the project. The finished pillow is suitable for use on couches, beds, or chairs as a decorative accent piece.

Knitting Techniques

The Horseshoe Cable Pillow employs several fundamental knitting techniques appropriate for intermediate crafters:

• Cable stitches form the centerpiece of the design, with variations in cable size depending on the pillow dimensions. The pattern uses both back cables (C4B, C6B, C8B) and front cables (C4F, C6F, C8F), which create the characteristic twisted rope appearance of cable knitting. Back cables are created by slipping stitches onto a cable needle and holding it behind the work before knitting, while front cables are worked with the cable needle held in front, creating the directional horseshoe shape.
• Seed stitch creates the textured border surrounding the cables on the front panel and comprises the entire back panel. This stitch is formed by alternating knit and purl stitches in a checkerboard pattern, producing a reversible, bumpy texture.
• Seaming joins the front and back panels using vertical seaming, a technique that creates nearly invisible seams by working through the edge stitches of both pieces.
• Flat knitting means the pattern is worked back and forth on straight needles rather than in the round, simplifying construction for this project.

Stitches and Stitch Abbreviations

The pattern uses standard knitting abbreviations and techniques:

• k (knit): the fundamental knit stitch
• p (purl): the reverse of the knit stitch, creating texture
• sl (slip): moving a stitch from one needle to another without working it
• st(s) (stitch/stitches): individual loops on the needle
• C4B, C6B, C8B (cable back): slip stitches onto a cable needle, hold at back, knit from left needle, then knit from cable needle
• C4F, C6F, C8F (cable front): slip stitches onto a cable needle, hold at front, knit from left needle, then knit from cable needle

Materials and Yarn Specifications

The Horseshoe Cable Pillow is worked using Funky Chunky by THE THIRD PIECE, a premium yarn crafted from 100% super soft merino wool. This yarn comes in balls of 200 grams with 82 yards per ball. Yardage requirements scale with pillow size: the Small pillow requires 2 balls, the Medium requires 4 balls, and the Large requires 6 balls. Merino wool provides softness, breathability, and natural elasticity, making it ideal for a pillow cover that will receive regular handling and contact.

Needles and Gauge

The pattern calls for US #17 (12.75 mm) needles, which are appropriately sized for the chunky yarn weight. The working gauge is 7 stitches by 10 rows equals 4 inches by 4 inches in seed stitch, which is important to achieve the correct finished dimensions. Gauge swatching before beginning the project ensures the pillow will be the intended size.

Pattern Construction Details

The front panel begins with a long-tail cast-on (leaving approximately 20 inches of yarn for seaming) and features a structured pattern repeat. For the Small size, the pattern uses C4B and C4F cables; the Medium