The Parkway Pillow Knitting Pattern – New!

I designed this knitted pillow for my mother to give to her for Mother’s Day.  I never expected it would quickly become my most popular knitting pattern! 

The Parkway Pillow Knitting Pattern

I posted The Parkway Pillow knitting pattern on Ravelry late last week.  I am so appreciative of the warm, enthusiastic reception my pattern received from the knitters on Ravelry!  You will also find this pattern on Etsy, Craftsy and LoveKnitting. 

If you are interested, here’s the story behind “The Parkway Pillow”….

While I was painting our kitchen a few weeks ago I had plenty of time to think about future knitting projects.  One of the ideas I was thinking about was knitting a pillow for my mother for Mother’s Day.  My idea came together pretty quickly and I put down the paint brush and made a quick, simple sketch in my journal. 

When I had time to sit down with the yarn and needles, I fine tuned the drawing and made some calculations.  I knit the first few rows and it didn’t look quite right.  I ripped it out and started again with a slightly different pattern.  Within about 10 rows of knitting the second attempt I knew I had the pattern to match my original sketch.  It was so fun to see my pillow turn out the way I had envisioned it weeks ago when I was painting the kitchen.

I liked the finished pillow so much I decided I would give it to my sister-in-law for her birthday and now I’m knitting another one just like it for my mother.  (However, it won't be a surprise.  I had to tell my mother that her Mother's Day gift has become very popular!) 

With size 13 needles and super bulky yarn it doesn’t take long to knit this pillow!  This is a quick and easy knitting pattern which makes it great for last-minute gifts.

This pillow makes a great gift for birthdays, Mother's Day, weddings or Christmas.  Pick a neutral color yarn and the pillow will fit in nicely in many decorating styles.  If you are interested in learning more about “The Parkway Pillow” knitting pattern, visit my Etsy shop or my Ravelry shop.  

The Parkway Pillow looks great with many decorating styles.

I considered a number of names for this pattern and my son helped me decide on the final name…."The Parkway Pillow".  We agreed the stitch design reminded us of Ward Parkway, a major street here in the Kansas City metro area (we live in a suburb of K.C.). This historic boulevard has one-way streets on each side of a wide grassy parkway.  The parkway is enhanced by a number of old fountains and statues and many beautiful trees.  Ward Parkway is simply one of the most beautiful streets in our city.

Ward Parkway in Kansas City, Missouri

Meyer Circle - a landmark fountain on Ward Parkway

Pond & small fountains on Ward Parkway in Kansas City.

August 2016 Update: 
I made The Parkway Pillow using Lion Brand Wool-Ease Thick & Quick in this lovely icy blue shade called 'Glacier'....I love it!  Read more about it on this blog post.

The Parkway Pillow knitting pattern in 'Glacier' blue...I love it!

Thank you for reading!  Have a great day!

Mary Lee
Fifty Four Ten Studio

Free Easy Chunky Scarf Knitting Pattern

There’s a little bit of snow on this April morning here in Kansas.  Two days ago it was nearly 80 degrees!  That’s spring time Kansas weather…up and down.  

It is cold enough that I grabbed my brand new super warm scarf when I drove my daughter to the bus stop.  I was really hoping I would not need this scarf until next winter!

SEPTEMBER 2017 UPDATE: 

My 'Two-by-Four Scarf' knitting pattern is FREE on Ravelry, LoveKnitting and Craftsy.

"Two-by-Four Scarf" Knitting Pattern - Easy Pattern!

This is a quick, easy pattern!  The scarf is chunky and cozy...knit with super bulky yarn.

It’s a great pattern for any level of knitter…from beginner to advanced.  Beginner knitters will need to know how to cast on stitches, knit and purl confidently, cast off stitches and weave in ends.  Advanced knitters might be able to read a book while knitting this scarf!

I used Rowan ‘Big Wool’ in the color ‘Vert’ #054.  This is a beautiful, super bulky, 100% merino wool yarn.  I love the color!  

You will need approximately 135 yards of Super Bulky weight yarn (more yardage if you want to knit a longer scarf).  You will also need size 13 US knitting needles (or size to obtain gauge).  

There are many yarns available in the Super Bulky category.  Just look for this yarn symbol on the back of the label with the number “6”…this indicates the “Super Bulky” category of yarns.

Look for this symbol on yarn label for super bulky yarn.

Other super bulky yarns to consider include Lion Brand Hometown USA (very soft!) and Lion Brand Wool-Ease Thick & Quick (if you like a classic 'wooly' texture).

With the super bulky yarn this scarf knits up very quickly!  You’ll want to make one (or two!) for yourself and then you can knit a few for gifts.  

Two-by-Four Scarf - FREE knitting pattern

This is also a great man’s scarf knitting pattern.  Pick a color to go with his coat…maybe a nice gray, brown or tan.

As I write this, a little bit of the snow is sticking to the roof tops and the deck.  The leaves of my spring pansies are holding a dusting of snow.  I hope the warm weather returns soon!

Happy knitting!

Mary Lee
Fifty Four Ten Studio