I thought I'd start our new DIY projects blog off with easy throw pillows perfectly suited for our colorful cotton yarn. I'm in the process of sprucing up my room, and what better way to liven up a room than with a new bedspread and throw pillows to match!

Since I have a yellow bedspread, I thought our Sky Blue (226) would complement nicely.

To help make the pillow cover thicker, I used two strands of the Sky Blue with a size 10 knitting needle. I decided to make my pillow 14" x 14" in order to fit a standard pillow form.

To check how many stitches you need depending on your needle size, it is always wise to knit a swatch to check the gauge. For me, 4 stitches equaled approximately 1", so I cast on 57 stitches - one extra stitch to allow enough room for the seam. 

I knit all the rows in garter stitch using the two strands together until the piece was roughly a square. Mind you a pillow cover needs two pieces, so unfortunately it's back to the beginning to repeat the process for the other side. Cheer up, that's just more time to binge-watch the new season of House of Cards!

Alright! When finished, the two squares might be a little smaller than 14" x 14", but fear not it's time to block those babies to make them the right size. To block the squares, first soak them in water. I also put a little bit of Eucalan Fine Fabric Wash in the water to soften and add some fragrance. Once soaked, rinse out the squares a little and gently squeeze out the excess water, so the pieces are just slightly damp. 

Put squares on a flat surface - blocking mats, towel, etc. - and pin them out to make them just over 14" x 14". I use Knitter's Pride Knit Blockers; however, any rust-proof pins will work. Allow the squares to dry completely. 

Now it's time to sew those bad boys together. If you have a right and wrong side - due to those pesky yarn joins - put the right sides inside facing together so that the wrong sides are facing out. Using a tapestry needle, join the seams with a single strand of the yarn using a small running stitch at very edge of the pillow. 

Stitch three sides of the pillow and then turn the pillow inside out so the right sides are now facing out. Insert your pillow form, or stuff with foam/fluff, and join the last side using a whip stitch.

Aaaand voila, you've just made a new throw pillow you can be proud to post on Instagram! I loved the results so much, I ended up making a second pillow in navy!

Please contact us with any comments or questions! Happy Knitting!