A Final Big Knit Cushion & Moving On

This is just a very short post because so far this year I've bored you all rigid with my big knit cushions.  But there is one you haven't seen yet ...so here it is:

Another big knit cushion!

This used 10 different yarns - one of which was a silk fabric yarn. The needles were 25mm needles and it was k1,p1 across 18 stitches - all rows.

Now I'm moving on ...to arm knitting I think.  Watch this space!

Using Up The Yarn Stash On More Big Knitting

Big knit cushion after felting

Everyone who likes to knit or crochet has a yarn stash. I decided to use up some of mine on another big knit project.   And yes, it was a cushion!  And an especially simple one this time - no dyeing involved!  

Selected yarns

I selected my yarns so together they would be thick enough to knit up on my 25mm needles.  (Take a look at my blogpost http://hippystitch.blogspot.co.uk/2014/01/more-big-knitting-textured-cushion.html if you want to have a look at my needles.)  I chose 8 yarns.  As alot of my stash no longer has labels on, I can't give you specific details but I think they were roughly as follows 3 balls of chunky, 3 balls of double knit, a fine mohair that knits up like double knitting and a 4ply (?) - all in greys, blacks and cream.  They look like this and the penny at the bottom gives you some idea of scale.

I cast on 18 stitches and knitted in garter stitch.  Here it is in progress ...

Big knitting in progress

The overall colour is a rather pleasing melange.  I had to add another ball of mohair, more chunky cream and grey and more double knitting in grey and black to complete the project.

Finished big knitting measures approx. 39cm x 100cm

When it was stitched up (I use a 20mm crochet hook for this) and filled the finished item looked like this ..

Finished big knit cushion

It looked good but was rather loose and stretchy. As most of the yarns were either 100% wool or had a very high wool content I decided to felt it a little (wash the cushion on a high temperature).  The finished post felting size was approx 32cm square.  The cushion area had shrunk by about a third.  The felting process gives it that slightly fuzzy look but it has become a much denser fibre. Better - but some of the pleasing definition of the garter stitch has been lost.

Fuzzy felt

It's a very easy project and uses up a lot of yarn - make sure you have substitutes if some yarns are likely to run out - they don't have to be the same colour but it would be helpful if thay are the same thickness if you want to maintain an even knit.  In fact changing colours as you go along would produce an interesting result - why not try it?

Upcycled Shirt - Now a Cushion

Wool Shirt Cushion

Recently I spotted a rather nice grey shirt on the reduced rail in my local charity shop.  It was only 50p and it was 80% wool.  I thought it had potential so I snapped it up.  After pondering (briefly) about the possibilities I decided that its fate was to become a cushion.  One reason for this was the rather nice placket it had down the front, covering the buttons - an instant opening for the cushion pad.  Also, I liked the shirt pockets (with flaps) on the front - excellent places to secrete Freddo bars for some secret indulgence whilst watching a favourite TV show or DVD.  

So, I set about the transformation.  It was quick & inexpensive to make - no fraying edges to finish off, ready made opening for the cushion pad, just the corners to trim and hey presto it's done.  (It'll even match the #Wovember Big Knit Pumpkin Pouffe - http://hippystitch.blogspot.co.uk/2014/01/wovember-project-finished-for-christmas.html).

And on top of all that I still have some bits left over to make other things:

Leftover bits of shirt for future makes

I did throw a few bits away but not many.  Why not have a go?

More Big Knitting - Textured Cushion

Dyed textured cushion

Having got the bug using large needles I decided to press on but with something a little easier and more conventional than my #Wovember Big Knit Pumpkin Pouffe project (http://hippystitch.blogspot.co.uk/2014/01/wovember-project-finished-for-christmas.html). So, I got out my 25mm straight needles and selected a ball of green Boodles Textile Yarn.  This is a chunky, oversized yarn that looks like it's been made out of T shirts.  It is, in fact, made from offcuts from the textile manufacturing process, may have colour & thickness variations and has plently of knots.  To knit up with it, I chose a cone of super chunky wool that I bought at the Knitting & Stitching Show in Harrogate in November. This is in a natural cream but will be dyed a shade of green which I hope with the Boodles yarn will produce a variegated green result.

The needles are about 38cm (15 inches) long and 25mm (1 inch) in diameter. Here they are ...

25mm Knitting Needles

and here's the yarn (already partly used up) ...

Yarns

My project was to knit a cushion approx. 40cm square (16 inches)  with an alternating pattern of garter and stocking stitch blocks.  Here it is in progress (this has used up all of one ball of Boodles)...

Big kniting in progress

And here it is finished but not sewn up ....

Finished Big Knitting

It measured approx. 40cm by 100cm (16 inches by 39 inches).  You can see how much yarn was left from my 2 balls of Boodles and my cone of wool.

Here it is stitched up ...

Finished cushion before dyeing

Now on with the dyeing.  This has been another saga.   First I tried using Dylon Olive Green hand dye, having washed the cushion.  I did this in a bucket using two packets of dye.  The bucket frankly could have done to be bigger - alot of slopping of dye went on.  The result was very disappointing.  These dyes state that they give lighter colours on wool but all I got was an extremely pale green.  I think this may have been because there was some dressing on the wool yarn and that really the cushion needed soaking overnight to remove it.    Next, I went for some acid dyes and mixed a sort of dull lime green using Art Van Go and Colourcraft acid dyes.  Acid dyes require heat so you do this in a large pan (e.g. a jam pan) on the stove top.  This was more successful although the application of heat, stirring and washing has resulted in some felting of the yarn (which was what I was trying to avoid by using the Dylon dye).   

Wool yarn - from white to pale green to dull lime

 

The dyes had less effect on the Boodles yarn

I've not yet decided whether it lives up to my expectations.  It didn't take long to knit up -  a couple of evenings (not full time).  I took inspiration from Becca Smith's book "Big Stitch Knitting" for tension, yarns and patterns and then adapted it all to my project.  The dyeing and trying to get the cushion dry (it was/is very heavy!) was a more involved process.  Acid dyes are much more effective to get true colours though.  

Note to self: don't forget the value of preparing samples first to check out likely results.  At least the final colour was more or less what I was aiming for!