A cushion for every season

You can never have too many cushions. Scattered over a comfy sofa they add a homely touch to any room, softening the look of a bare area and making it feel warm and welcoming. And they are even better if they reflect the colours of the seasons.

I was thinking about this as we walked down the old logging trail in Lincoln Woods, New Hampshire, completely enveloped in vibrant greens. Every bush and tree was bursting with colour and it gave a real feeling of optimism and energy.

So here are four cushions that you can knit now, then change out as the year progresses to give you a new look for every season.

The first cushion cover I am going to feature are the Hyland Cushions,  worked in Woven Reed Stitch from our Reversible Knitting Stitches book. This is a lovely combination pattern, with ribbed sections in-between blocks of texture giving a very complex-looking pattern. The ribbing also helps to grip the cushion insert so the covers really stay in place well.

I used two colours for my cushions, a bright vibrant green reflecting the colours that we had seen along the logging trail, and a co-ordinating deep turquoise shade.

I wanted these cushions to be quite large to suit my studio room, so made these a 50cm/20 ins size. However, the pattern includes instructions for a small 40cm/16 ins size and also a medium 45cm/18 ins, so you can decide which would work for you.

Then next are the Derwent Cove Cushions – ​a perfect choice for a summer look. These were also inspired by a walk we had taken, this time by the harbour in Venice, Florida. (Yes, we walk a lot!) The gulf waters were a deep turquoise blue and we had been lucky enough to see the dolphins who frequent that area as they slowly made their way along the shoreline.

We popped into a yarn store on the way back and there were the colours we had been seeing, right there on the shelves – the same turquoise as the sea, the blue of the sky, the whites and royal blue colours of the yachts sailing out from the nearby marina.

Now we don't need to go down to the ocean to be reminded of those colours as they are right there in our sitting room – the bold diagonal stripes capture the very essence of that perfect summer's day.

The cushions shown in the photo are 45cm/18 ins square but the pattern also includes a smaller 40cm/16 ins size. The Garter Stitch patterning features thick and thin stripes in four different colours, and each cushion looks slightly different depending on which colour starts the patterning. 

Then the next cushions I am featuring are worked in a rich deep green and are great for the mid-winter. People have been decorating their homes with evergreens since ancient times, and it is certainly hard to think about winter-time without envisaging deep green garlands of fir and spruce by the fireplce. It is quite a different green from the colour we saw in New Hampshire, but would be perfect to set the scene for the winter holidays.

The Verwood Cushions feature a cabled design which sits neatly embedded in deep textural ribs. This is Crossed Rib from our Reversible Knitting Stitches book and it really works well in this chunky yarn. The final result is beautifully soft and squidgy – perfect for the mid-winter.

The pattern has two different sizes: a lovely huggable 40cm/16 ins size and a larger 45cm/18 ins if you would like some slightly larger cushions for your room.

Then lastly, here are the Rare Earth Cushions, inspired by the colours I was seeing as the first snows of winter coated the bare branches of aspen and oak outside my window.

I was able to find some fleeces in my collection in just the right colours and hand-spun the yarns for these cushions and also the Rare Earth Rug you can just see in the photo above. However, you don't have to be a hand-spinner to work these as any worsted weight yarn in similar natural shades will work. I like the Cascade 220 range as it includes such a vast array of colours so you can be sure to find just the perfect shade for your cushions.

The cushions feature a sampler set of five textural patterns taken from our Reversible Knitting Stitches book. Each cushion starts the patterning with a different colour to give a co-ordinated set of cushions. Knit just one or two cushions to add to your existing collection or all five for a brand-new look!

The covers fit a 40x40cm/16x16 ins cushion pad or pillow insert and can be worked in five variations to give a whole set of scatter cushions. The covers are easily removed as they are buttoned over the cushion pad underneath, making it easy to change the look in your room as you move from season to season.

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