The Anchor Pillow – Knitting Pattern

Step into our house and you’ll immediately know that we have a thing for sailing and anything nautical.  I grew up sailing.  I met my husband through sailing.  Many of my favorite days of the year involve sailing.  So, it's no surprise that I picked a nautical theme for my latest knitting pattern!

The Anchor Pillow knitting pattern is available on Ravelry, Craftsy, LoveKnitting and Etsy.

"The Anchor Pillow" Knitting Pattern

Anchors symbolize different things for different people.  For me, the anchor represents a safe harbor, security and being home. 

“The Anchor Pillow” design was inspired by a photo of an old brass anchor.  I used that photo as a guide when designing my anchor knitting chart.  The chart is included in the pattern...on one full page so it's big and easy to read. 

This is a two-color knitting pattern using the intarsia technique.  Experience with intarsia knitting is highly recommended!!  Even though there are only two colors, there are many transition points between the colors.  I wove in more than 30 ends.  I know…I could have woven the ends into my knitting as I was working.  However, weaving the ends in after I finished knitting gave me a chance to tighten up a few loose stitches.

Experience with two-color intarsia knitting highly recommended!

This pillow is knit with super bulky weight yarn and big needles so it knits up very quickly.  

I used Loops & Threads “Cozy Wool” super bulky yarn in ‘Sapphire’ (navy blue) and ‘Fleece’ (soft white). This yarn is sold exclusively at Michael's Craft Store. 

This pattern will work well with other super bulky yarns including Lion Brand Wool-Ease Thick & Quick or Lion Brand Hometown USA.

This pillow is designed for a 16” x 16” pillow form.  I used a very basic, inexpensive pillow form from a craft store.

"The Anchor Pillow" knitting pattern is perfect for any nautical themed decor. For a classic nautical look, use navy and white yarn.  This anchor pillow would also look great knit with any number of other color combinations.

The Anchor Pillow knitting pattern 

If you are interested, this pattern is available on Ravelry, Craftsy, LoveKnitting and Etsy.

Thanks so much for reading!  Happy knitting!

Mary Lee
Fifty Four Ten Studio

The Perfect Present Pillow – New Knitting Pattern

This weekend we are going to the wedding of the daughter of good friends.  This is the first time we are attending the wedding of a “child” who grew up with our children.  We have known the bride since she was about eight years old.  Our families did a lot of fun activities together when our kids were younger and this sweet girl was sort of the big sister to all the younger kids in our group of friends.  She was always a cheerful role model to the little ones.  I cannot believe she’s now in her early 20’s and getting married!

Though I purchased a small gift from the bridal couple’s gift registry, I wanted to knit a special gift for them.  I scanned through their gift registry at three stores and noticed that my favorite color of pale blue was obviously a favorite color of the bride-to-be. 

A few months ago, I bought one skein of Lion Brand Wool-Ease “Thick & Quick” in the color ‘Glacier’ on a whim.  Now I had the perfect project for it!  The only challenge was I only had one skein and there was no hope of finding a matching dye lot months later.  The solution…a reversible, two color pillow!

The Perfect Present Pillow knitting pattern is available on Ravelry, Craftsy, LoveKnitting and Etsy.

"The Perfect Present Pillow" - Knitting Pattern

I used the ‘Glacier’ colored yarn on the front in the textured knitting pattern.  On the back, I used Loops & Threads “Cozy Wool” in the color ‘Fleece’ and worked in basic stockinette stitch.  This pillow is designed for a 14” x 14” pillow form.  I used one skein to knit the front and one skein to knit the back…with a few yards leftover.

I love how the two color design worked out.  It isn’t immediately obvious that there’s a different color on each side.  If you prefer one color for both sides, you can work the textured pattern for both sides all in one color (instructions included in the pattern).

This pillow is very easy to knit!  With the super bulky yarn it knits up quick and can easily be finished within a couple of evenings or a weekend.  It’s a great pattern for any level of knitter...from confident beginner to advanced.  If you have not sewn up seams before, this pattern includes detailed, step-by-step finishing instructions with close-up photos.

Tutorial photos for finishing included in pattern.

This really is the perfect present for any occasion!  It's quick to knit, the materials are inexpensive (I spent less than $25 - not including needles) and the pillow design will go with almost any decor style. 

This knitted pillow will go with almost any decor style.

If you are interested, this pattern is available on Ravelry, LoveKnitting and in my Etsy shop.

This weekend is Mother’s Day in the United States (and other countries).  Happy Mother’s Day to all the moms!

Mary Lee
Fifty Four Ten Studio

Knitting with super bulky yarn again! New pillow pattern!

I think my stash of worsted weight yarn might be getting a little jealous!  For the past few weeks I’ve been knitting with big needles and super bulky yarn and it’s definitely addicting.   After I knit just a few rows I feel like I’ve made significant progress on my project and then I don’t want to put it down!  

I switched over to the super bulky yarn because I wanted to knit a few pillows to give as gifts for several spring occasions.  You may have already seen the first pillow I designed – The Parkway Pillow.  (This quickly became my most popular pattern!)  I made it for my mother for Mother’s Day. 

I recently published my second pillow knitting pattern called the “Fine Lines Pillow”.  You can find the pattern on Ravelry, Craftsy or in my Etsy shop.   

Fine Lines Pillow knitting pattern

I designed the Fine Lines Pillow especially for my sister.  Her house is modern and she prefers a clean, uncluttered look….the exact opposite of me!  I choose a very simple, linear design and a smaller rectangular shaped pillow form.    

When I finished knitting the pillow, I realized the design would look great in almost any décor style….contemporary, classic, traditional, eclectic, cottage, rustic, casual, and more.  It’s a pattern that I know I will use again for other gifts such as a birthday, Christmas or a wedding.   

Fine Lines Pillow knitting pattern - easy to knit with super bulky yarn.

The supplies for this pillow pattern are very simple and with a couple of craft store coupons you should be able to keep the cost to less than $25.00.   I used 180 yards of Loops & Threads “Cozy Wool” in the color “Fleece”.  I purchased this yarn at Michael’s Craft Store and it was inexpensive.  This is a great yarn for a very economical price!  I will definitely use this yarn again on future projects.  It’s very soft and I am very pleased with how it knits up. 

This pattern would also work well with other super bulky yarns including Lion Brand Wool-Ease Thick & Quick and Lion Brand Hometown USA.  

You’ll also need US size 13 knitting needles and a 12” x 16” pillow form.  The pillow form I purchased was not fancy….just a basic pillow form at the lowest price I could find.

This pillow pattern is great for any level of knitter…from confident beginner to expert.  You just need to know how to cast on stitches, knit and purl confidently, cast off stitches and weave in ends.  If you have never sewn up knitting seams before, there are eleven tutorial style photos and specific written directions to walk you through every step of the finishing process.  Careful sewing up of seams and finishing makes a huge difference in the quality of your finished knitting project.  Therefore, I include a lot of detail to help you be as successful as possible.  Here’s a couple examples of my tutorial photos:

Example of tutorial photos included in pattern.

 

On another note….yesterday I received a really nice e-mail from one of my customers who purchased “The Parkway Pillow” pattern about a week ago.  She said, “What a great project…I bought this on Etsy and flew right through it. It's soft and squishy and soooo beautiful. And much cheaper than the Pottery Barn store version I fell in love with! Thanks!”  I love to hear that my customers enjoyed using my patterns and were happy with their finished project!   

My Fine Lines Pillow knitting pattern is available on Ravelry, Craftsy and Etsy. 

I hope you are having a great day! Happy knitting!

Mary Lee
Fifty Four Ten Studio