Eskimimi Knits knitting blog

I have finished piecing together and adding the finishing touches to my latest FO, Kaffe Fassett’s Tumbling Blocks cushion.

Tumbling Blocks cushion

This is my first full scale intarsia project.  Knitting the intarsia was not difficult at all, but it can test the patience. T key to success is definitely  a combination of preparation (dividing the lengths of Rowanspun into equal length bobbins), the patience not to lose your temper when the 27 bobbins become tangled every few stitches, and consistency.  Work out how you are going to deal with twisting together the sections of yarn where the colours meet and stick to it.  As long as you twist the same way each time then it should look OK.

I also decided to use a zipper closure on the cushion.

Zip closure

The making-up instructions in the pattern seem to suggest that you sew each of the sides together to give a non-removable cushion cover, but I find that fibre-filled cushion pads tend to lose their squishiness after a while, and as I hope that this cushion will travel with me from home to home as I grow older I forsee that it is going to want laundering once in a while, so I wanted to be able to remove it to give it a spruce up and a new cushion pad from time to time.

The reverse of the cushion is made from a piece of 100% cotton fabric, so there was a bit of planning involved to balance the stretchy knitted front and un-yielding woven back, so I had to make sure hat the front was blocked to the absolute correct dimensions before I hand-stitched the whole thing together.  The fabric, a wonderful stripe, works wonderfully with the colours of the cushion front, but I guess you might expect that as it came as part of a kit.  However, I have seen some of the other combinations of fabric/yarn that this kit came with, and I think this was by far the best marriage.

Stripy back of cushion.

Craig has declared the cushion to be the best thing I have ever knit, and he definitely has his eye on it, but for now it graces my favourite armchair in a riot of colour, stripes and tumbling blocks.  I do love it.

My colourful chair is now even more colourful

I have finished the knitting section of my Tumbling Blocks cushion project and have diligently weaved in the 138 yarn ends. The cushion front has had a swim in a bath of Soak (a Christmas present from Craig, saved for my most special projects) and is now blocking to a perfect 16×16″ square.

How I love to block things

I am wet blocking the cushion front, rather than follow the pattern instruction to ‘Press carefully using a warm iron over a damp cloth’, because I am not domesticated enough to own an iron. I did own one once, but decided that it was never in use so threw it away. I know, I am a domestic goddess in every sense.

I am eagerly awaiting the cushion front being dry and so find myself checking it every half hour or so, even though it was still quite damp when i checked on it this morning.  The blocking mats have done an entire tour of the flat through the day as I move it from one warm and breezy spot to another as the sun makes it’s trip across the summer sky.

I just can’t wait for the next step in the making up process, where I get to sit down with my knitted cushion front, piece of co-ordinating fabric for the cushion back (a section of cloth included in the kit, the size of which is known as a ‘fat quarter’ – a fact that keeps making Craig giggle for some reason) and a zip I made a trip to the market to buy this morning.

Zip and fabric

I have a sewing machine (yes, that’s right. I have a sewing machine; in fact I have two sewing machines and yet no iron) but I think I am going to hand sew this project together.  I have hand-sewn since I was about 6 years old.  My Nan was a seamstress and taught me how to sew and embroider.  Even she was amazed at the neatness and precision of my tiny stitches when I was younger, so it is something that I have always felt comfortable with and enjoyed.  I find it relaxing and calming, and i think that will be the perfect way to finish this cushion which has been an exercise in patience.

Dear Kaffe,

I think that you have known for some time now that I love you and your colours. I think that you are a genius.

A Kaffe Fassett intarsia design

But you are an evil, twisted genius.

26 individual bobbins of yarn for your tangling pleasure.

Lots of love,

Mimi xxx

The ‘problem’ with crochet, some would have you believe, is that in the eyes of folk uneducated in the ways of hook twirling it’s all acrylic granny squares.

The poor, misunderstood granny square.  Coverer of sofas, cushions, and armchair rests throughout the seventies – usually in shades of brown, green and orange.  Also sometimes seen as a covering for human beings – joined in any manner of combinations to make gilets and waistcoats, and any other boxy shaped garment you could cover in identical acrylic tiles.

I had never actually crocheted a granny square before the other day.  I still haven’t, but I have made a hexagon.

crocheting isn't all 'granny squares', you know.

I chose this motif as seen on Attic 24 as I thought that with a decent colour choice it would look like a flower in a ring of foliage and I am pretty happy with the appearance.  Unfortunately it does share some features with the granny squares of old, most notably the habit of multiplying and replicating, slowly forming a colourful carpet of motifs over any unguarded furnishings:

Soon the crocheted hexagons will be appearing everywhere...