Tuesday, June 1, 2010

My Summer of Pillows

The comedian Jim Gaffigan once talked about his wife's excessive love of pillows and wondered if she was stockpiling ammo for the global pillow fight. I can relate and will soon be ready for the Great Pillow War as I plan to spend this summer making knit and embroidered pillows.



Here's the first one with the embroidery finished - it is a simple snowflake candlewicking project from Janalynn. I'll get a better photo after blocking and assembly - I think I'm going to add either tassels or an I-cord edging if I can find a yarn color that looks good with the design.

I have also been purchasing pillows - I just ordered this fun ribbon embroidered pillow cover at Pottery Barn Teen on sale for $9.99.

I am not even that fond of needlepoint but I loved this medallion design so I have to make it as well.

Besides the Starmore Celtic Keynot pillow in progress, I have chosen a few colorful knit pillow designs I hope to make:

Here are three choices from the Interweave store. I like that the Fair Isle Pillows use buttons to close one end. The Origata Pillow download includes instructions to make a bolster pillow. And finally they have the lovely colorwork Paisley Pillow designs.

I love Kristin Nicholas' Sunflower Pillow design with the addition of embroidery. Her Turkish Motifs Pillow design includes embroidery and duplicate stitch for a complex colorwork design.

I like this October Fair Isle Pillow pattern for use with a multi-colored yarn (It specifies Noro Kureyon.)

The Snowy Sheep Pillow is really cute - it has sheep grazing in the woods on a snowy day.

I did find one free pillow knitting pattern I really like - the Classic Elite La Gran Fair Isle Pillow uses a zillion colors and would be a perfect way to use up stash yarns. I will re-work it to use my Cascade 220 stash and to yield a smaller pillow. If I feel like doing some intarsia, the La Gran Posies Pillow is also free and really pretty.