This week I’m making a pillow cover with honeycomb stitch on one side and vertical cables on the other in UNIVERSAL YARN Thula. Yesterday, I started the front side of my knitted pillow in a honeycomb stitch, working from the center out. I cast on using a slip knot and made sure the circle closed by pulling on the shorter cast-on tail. Then I set up the modified honeycomb pattern in the round and began working the 4-row pattern repeats, adding two stitches per quadrant row to match the two rows of growth on opposite sides as rounds are worked. This ensures the center lies flat without ‘peaking’.
And here’s the finished first side of the pillow cover! Thula has such wonderful stitch definition in this pattern. I just love the way it looks!
The honeycomb stitch side of my pillow cover in UNIVERSAL YARN Thula.
Now I’m ready to get started on the second side. As this pillow cover will be an envelope, the second side will be constructed flat in two overlapping parts. I’ve decided to place the overlap about a third of the way down, so one part will be larger than the other. I chose the staghorn cable, and its pattern repeats every four rows. This is a play on the honeycomb stitch from the front side, as it’s the bottom half of the honeycomb shape.
To design this side, I’ll have to start over with my gauge. This side of the pillow cover will alternate staghorn cables and stockinette, meaning I’ll need fewer stitches than the first side. A blocked stockinette swatch has a gauge of 4 stitches per inch. So, I will cast on 74 stitches, which adds a couple of extra stitches to allow for cable tension. Based on the Lace Tipped Cardigan by Rachel Brockman, I made in my Exploring Thula yarn’s texture and shine in the Lace Tipped Cardigan post, I expect the stockinette sections to have more elasticity than the honeycomb side. This side will take less yarn as well.
I’ll work the pattern repeat as follows to 7”:
Row 1: K3, *C4F, C4B, k4* repeat 5 times, C4F, C4B, k3.
Row 2: Purl.
Row 3: Knit.
Row 4: Purl.
Once I have about 7”, I’ll end with row 2 and begin ribbing on row 3 as follows:
Row 1 (RS): *K2, p1* repeat 24 times, k2.
Row 2 (WS): *P2, k1* repeat 24 times, p2.
I chose this ribbing so that the staghorn cable stitches are continuous through the ribbed section. Once I have 6 rows of ribbing or about an inch, I’ll cast off.
Join me tomorrow to see the first finished section of the staghorn cable side of my pillow cover! I’m so excited to see how the back side of this pillow cover will look in UNIVERSAL YARN Thula!
I’m enjoying the KnitPro Ginger Special Deluxe Interchangeable Needle Kit and UNIVERSAL YARN Thula to make a pillow cover this week.
This is part 3 of 5 in this series
Go back to part 2: Knit Honeycomb Stitch in the Round for a Thula Pillow Cover
