A Simple Knit Seat Cushion!


Hi, I’m Kristen Mangus, the knitting video host and designer from the GoodKnit Kisses YouTube channel. I love teaching and being the knitting host for Yarnspirations this year. I hope you enjoy my latest blog and tutorial for YOU.

Let’s work on the Bernat Knit Seat Cushion today! This is one of the fantastic patterns featured in the Outdoor Living Lookbook. If you haven’t checked out this lookbook yet you are missing out on some of the best patterns of the year.


Bernat Knit Seat Cushion


Bernat Knit Seat Cushion

When I was browsing through the new lookbook I admit this was not the first pattern to jump off the page and grab my attention. It is, after all, a humble seat cushion. It can’t compete with the flashy Boho Bunting or the pizazz of the Full Circle Crochet Pillow. Those two are right in your face demanding attention while our little cushion waits patiently in the background to be of service when you need it.

What the Knit Seat Cushion lacks in flair it more than makes up for in functionality! Let’s face it. This is flat out the easiest way to give your patio chairs a makeover. A new cushion can revitalize your furniture without the hassle of paint or stain. Plus our modest little friend is more than just eye candy. This cushion adds comfort to your outdoor seating and you’ll appreciate that more when you’re sitting on your deck after a long hard week at work!

The cushion is knit in stripes of two colors using a seed stitch pattern that gives it style and texture. The cotton and nylon blend of the Bernat Maker Home Dec yarn provides the perfect stitch definition for the seed stitch to pop but is soft and squishy enough to make it comfortable to sit on. With 16 colors to choose from you can find just the right combination to fit your taste.

The pattern falls in the EASY SKILL level for knitting. I cover all stitches, cast on, bind off, changing colors two ways, resizing the pattern to fit your needs, seaming and weaving in the ends. I want to make sure even new knitters can make this project from start to finish. If you have never knit a stitch before I do recommend learning the longtail cast on, knit and purl with one of my slower videos first.

Let’s get started together!

The Pattern

Bernat Knit Seat Cushion

The Yarn

Needles & Supplies

  • US 10½ (6.5 mm) knitting needles
  • 16” (40.5 cm) square piece of foam or store-bought cushion
  • Scissors
  • Tapestry needle

Skill Level

Easy

Size

Approx 16″ square [40.5 cm square].

Gauge

14 sts and 24 rows = 4" [10 cm] in Seed St Pat.

Skills demonstrated in tutorial

  • Longtail cast-on
  • Knit stitch
  • Purl stitch
  • Change colors – two different methods
  • Cast off in pattern (bind off)
  • Knit the ties
  • Weaving in ends
  • Seaming

The Stitches

You are going to love the simplicity of this pattern! Two stitches. One row repeat. Zero border. If you are looking for the perfect pattern to work on while binge watching your favorite show this is IT!


Bernat Knit Seat Cushion


Before we dive into the pattern my video tutorial starts by walking you through how to resize it. If your seat cushions are larger or smaller than the 16” square we are working on you can still use this pattern! I’ll explain the process of measuring gauge and figuring out how many stitches you’ll need to cast on to fit your seat cushions.


Bernat Knit Seat Cushion


Now we’re ready to get to work. Each cushion is made up of two knit squares that are seamed together after they are finished. We’ll start with the longtail cast on and then we jump directly into the stitch pattern. The seed stitch is a one row repeat that is easy to memorize. Once you get the rhythm of the knit and purl stitches you can just work away and not even think about it.

The next step may be new to some of you: color changes. I’ll cover two ways of adding and changing to a new color. Since this a striped pattern we’ll be changing colors often and I want to make sure you understand the techniques.


Bernat Knit Seat Cushion


Once you’ve mastered the stitch pattern and color changes you’ll find your seat cushion almost knits itself. I’ll take you through how to cast off in pattern. That means we’ll continue to follow the K1, P1 pattern even as we bind off our piece.


Bernat Knit Seat Cushion


Lastly, I’ll teach you the finishing techniques. Weaving in the ends in pattern will hide those yarn tails invisibly. We’ll knit the ties that will be attached to back of the cushion for securing them to your chair. Finally, we will use the mattress stitch to sew our two pieces together and attach the ties.

Knit Seat Cushion Video tutorial

If you need a slower video on basic stitches (longtail cast-on, knit, purl & bind-off) or other techniques, please check out my slower tutorials on GoodKnit Kisses YouTube playlist.

Come knit along with me!

Happy Knitting!

Needles & Supplies

  • US 10½ (6.5 mm) knitting needles
  • 16” (40.5 cm) square piece of foam or store-bought cushion
  • Scissors
  • Tapestry needle

Skill Level

Easy

Size

Approx 16″ square [40.5 cm square].

Gauge

14 sts and 24 rows = 4" [10 cm] in Seed St Pat.

Skills demonstrated in tutorial

  • Longtail cast-on
  • Knit stitch
  • Purl stitch
  • Change colors – two different methods
  • Cast off in pattern (bind off)
  • Knit the ties
  • Weaving in ends
  • Seaming

The Stitches

You are going to love the simplicity of this pattern! Two stitches. One row repeat. Zero border. If you are looking for the perfect pattern to work on while binge watching your favorite show this is IT!


Bernat Knit Seat Cushion


Before we dive into the pattern my video tutorial starts by walking you through how to resize it. If your seat cushions are larger or smaller than the 16” square we are working on you can still use this pattern! I’ll explain the process of measuring gauge and figuring out how many stitches you’ll need to cast on to fit your seat cushions.


Bernat Knit Seat Cushion


Now we’re ready to get to work. Each cushion is made up of two knit squares that are seamed together after they are finished. We’ll start with the longtail cast on and then we jump directly into the stitch pattern. The seed stitch is a one row repeat that is easy to memorize. Once you get the rhythm of the knit and purl stitches you can just work away and not even think about it.

The next step may be new to some of you: color changes. I’ll cover two ways of adding and changing to a new color. Since this a striped pattern we’ll be changing colors often and I want to make sure you understand the techniques.


Bernat Knit Seat Cushion


Once you’ve mastered the stitch pattern and color changes you’ll find your seat cushion almost knits itself. I’ll take you through how to cast off in pattern. That means we’ll continue to follow the K1, P1 pattern even as we bind off our piece.


Bernat Knit Seat Cushion


Lastly, I’ll teach you the finishing techniques. Weaving in the ends in pattern will hide those yarn tails invisibly. We’ll knit the ties that will be attached to back of the cushion for securing them to your chair. Finally, we will use the mattress stitch to sew our two pieces together and attach the ties.

Knit Seat Cushion Video tutorial

If you need a slower video on basic stitches (longtail cast-on, knit, purl & bind-off) or other techniques, please check out my slower tutorials on GoodKnit Kisses YouTube playlist.

Come knit along with me!

Happy Knitting!