All you need is love! 'love' Cushion, available now!

Are you looking for something new to brighten up your living space? Maybe you want the perfect gift for a loved one for Valentine's Day? Or you might possibly be thinking ahead to Mother's Day, and fancy knitting her a gift this year? The 'love' Cushion might be just the thing you're looking for!

Want to get your hands on a copy of the pattern? It’s available now on Ravelry* and PayHip, and you can get 20% off with the code LOVE until 11.59pm GMT, Thursday 4th February 2021.

The 'love' Cushion is a bright and bold addition to your living space, featuring the slogan 'love' across the middle. This pattern is perfect for Valentine's Day, or just for adding a cute touch to your sofa - after many months at home, it can't just be me who thinks their living room could do with a few extra colourful additions? 

The 'love' Cushion is knitted using the intarsia technique, which give a great finish without the bulk of stranded colourwork. I've been really nerdy about the buttonhole placement on this design, spacing the buttonholes perfectly long a custom rib for an amazing finish.

The pillow is knitted in a single strip, starting with a ribbed section, then some stocking stitch for the back, the front is knitted in stocking stitch with the word 'love' incorporated using intarsia. The back is then knitted, finishing with a ribbed section featuring buttonholes to fasten the pillow cover. The side seams are joined using mattress stitch. The cushion cover is the perfect size for a standard IKEA long cushion [65 cm x 40 cm (25.5 in x 16 in)].

Not a fan of charts? The intarsia portion of the pattern is provided as both a chart and written out in full, so this pattern is perfect for you whether you like charts or written instructions!

Want to get your hands on a copy of the pattern? It’s available now on Ravelry* and PayHip, and you can get 20% off with the code LOVE until 11.59pm GMT, Thursday 4th February 2021.

Want the technical details on the 'love' Cushion? You can find them here.

The pattern is also available on LoveCrafts.

*Ravelry link. May cause issues for people with photosensitivity. Proceed with caution.

New designs: Contorto socks and Love cushion

There's a new issue of Knit Now magazine out today, and I have not one, but two new patterns in it!

First we have my Contorto socks. 

One of my favourite ways of showcasing stitch patterns is to knit them into socks; by the time you have got to grips with the stitch pattern you are ready to tackle the heel, so socks always have something interesting going on, even if the pattern is the same throughout the sock. I found this stitch pattern in a stitch dictionary while looking for something else entirely and couldn't get it out of my head! I've named them Contorto, which is Italian for twisted, after the beautiful twisted cables in the stitch pattern.

The socks are knitted from the toe up with a heel flap and gusset construction. The heel flap features a slipped stitch pattern for reinforcement, while the sock features a heavily cabled pattern on the top of the foot and around the leg. The socks are finished with a cabled rib pattern.

The socks are written for three sizes and finish at long-ankle to mid-calf length. The foot length is adjustable to fit. 

My Contorto socks are knitted in Debbie Bliss Botany Lace,* a high-twist merino yarn that comes in a variety of semi-solid and variegated shades. The socks would also look amazing in a solid shade of yarn, which would really let the cables pop. You can knit the first two sizes using a single skein of the yarn (the largest size may require a third skein if the recipient has long feet).

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The second pattern is my Love cushion.

My 'love' cushion is a bright and bold cushion featuring the slogan 'love' across the middle. This pattern is perfect for Valentine's Day.

The pillow is knitted in a single strip, starting with a section of 2 x 2 ribbing, then some stocking stitch for the back, the front is knitted in stocking stitch with the word 'love' incorporated using intarsia. The back is then knitted, finishing with a section of 2 x 2 ribbing featuring buttonholes to fasten the pillow cover. The side seams are joined using mattress stitch. The cushion cover is the perfect size for a standard IKEA long cushion.

The cushion is knitted in Rowan Pure Wool Superwash Worsted,** which is beautiful to work with and very hard-wearing, as well as being machine washable. If the colours used in the sample aren't quite to your taste, why not try some of the other shades available? There are plenty!

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If you want to knit either of these patterns, you'll need a copy of Issue 84 of Knit Now magazine. The magazine is available in supermarkets and newsagents, or you can order a copy online.

*This yarn is listed by some stockists as Araucania Botany Lace.**

**Affiliate link.