Hello darlings!
My name is Maro and I am a yarn addict. There I said it! I need a 12 step program to help me stop buying yarn, lol. No, seriously, I have a slight addiction to yarn but I do tend to use every last piece I buy. I can’t help it, I just can’t bring myself to throw away yarn. Not even a small piece of it. No. I save it all in a fabric bag and use it as stuffing for my amigurumis. I do the same thing with my fabric scraps.
When I was 5 months pregnant to Natalia I was home with lots of time on my hands. I think that was one of the most creative and productive times for me as a crafter. I made hundreds of projects those nine months. I puked and I crafted, that’s what I did. Thankfully I never puked ON a project so thank god for small favors right?
One of those projects was a crochet pillow case for Natalia’s nursery.
I used all my scrap yarn and it felt good to make something out of all those bits and pieces. I've done it before and I've already told you all about my yarn scrap buster projects. On the one side I used shades of blue and green but on the other there was no rime or reason to the color changes. It came out colorful and fun!
Supplies
Scrap yarn, any type, any color
Crochet hook – most of my yarn was worsted type and thus I used my favorite 4.5mm hook
Pair of scissors
Stuffing or pillow inlet
Piece of fabric for the stuffing to be held in
Crochet pattern
Abbreviations
This pattern is written in US crochet terms
Ch: chain
Hdc: half double crochet
Dc: double crochet
Trc: treble crochet
Sl st: slip stitch
Blo: back loop only
Tog: together
MC: magic circle
The pattern for this pillow is pretty straightforward. You just make two large crochet flat circles and sew them together.
I used double crochet but you can use single crochet or half double crochet if you’d like.
R1: Start with a magic ring.
R2: Ch3, 10 dc in the ring, sl st to the first DC to close.
R3: Ch3, 2dc in each stitch, sl st to the first DC to close.
R4: Ch3, *1dc in first stitch, 2dc in next*, repeat from * to * around, sl st to the first DC to close.
R4: Ch3, *1dc in first 2 stitches, 2dc in next*, repeat from * to * around, sl st to the first DC to close.
R5: Ch3, *1dc in first 3 stitches, 2dc in next*, repeat from * to * around, sl st to the first DC to close.
R6: Ch3, *1dc in first 4 stitches, 2dc in next*, repeat from * to * around, sl st to the first DC to close.
R7: Ch3, *1dc in first 5 stitches, 2dc in next*, repeat from * to * around, sl st to the first DC to close.
R8: Ch3, *1dc in first 6 stitches, 2dc in next*, repeat from * to * around, sl st to the first DC to close.
R9: Ch3, *1dc in first 7 stitches, 2dc in next*, repeat from * to * around, sl st to the first DC to close.
R10: Ch3, *1dc in first 8 stitches, 2dc in next*, repeat from * to * around, sl st to the first DC to close.
Continue in this matter by adding one stitch to the number of stitches before your first increase in each round (hope this makes sense). I ended up with 25 rows for each side.
NOTES:
- The coolest thing about this pattern is that you don’t have to weave your ends in. Once you finish the circle turn it on its wrong side and knot the ends together two by two. That way they will not come off when you wash the cover.
- DO make sure your magic circle is well knotted or weaved in since it’s the first thing that will come apart if given the chance.
- If you use different types of yarn you may need to compensate a bit on the number of stitches to get your circle to lay flat. For example if at same point you decide to use a thicker type of yarn you might want to do less increases for that round.
Pillow cover assembly
Once your circles are finished it’s time to sew them together. Although I don’t mind sewing, I used my crochet hook and a slip stitch to close the pillow case.
Put the two circles right sides together and try to align the stitches. If all has gone well you should have the same amount of stitches on each circle. However if you are off for a couple don’t worry you can cover that up easily by stitching a couple of them together.
Use a simple slip stitch to join the two circles together. Leave an opening to put in the stuffing and resume once the stuffing is done. Cut off your yarn and weave it in (it’s going to be the only weaving in you’ll need to do.
Stuffing or pillow inlet
You can go ahead and stuff the pillow case with your usual stuffing. However, if this is going to be used often, I don’t recommend just putting the stuffing in since the double crochet stitch leaves plenty of room for them to escape.
I used a piece of thin fabric I had and made a circle and filled that circle with all my stuffing. Mind you that my stuffing was yarn scraps, fabric scraps and miscellaneous pieces of stuffing I had lying around.
Can you spot Mini the cat in the photos?
Off course if you are a sane kind of person – and not a dork like me - you can buy and use a circular pillow inlet and have more time to drink a nice cup of tea.
As soon as you add the inlet pillow you continue sewing the two parts of the cover together. Your pillow is now ready to enjoy! Mine is actually really big and Natalia can sit on it and read her baby books!
I hope you enjoyed this pattern. I love how big and soft this pillow is and Natalia seems to find it cool too!
What have you done with your scrap yarn lately? Any cool projects you want to share with me?
