Make Your Own Pottery Barn Cable Knit Pillow

I recently spotted some beautiful pillows from Pottery Barn that I planned to buy for our home, but when I added up the cost of two pillows and tax and shipping to Canada, it was in the hundreds of dollars. Since I’ve been knitting for 35 years I thought it would be easy to make these pillows. It was easy and quick and I was able to use a readily available yarn from Michaels to make a pair of cable knit pillows for $15 worth of yarn and some leftover fabric scraps. In this post, Make Your Own Pottery Barn Cable Knit Pillow, I share the knitting pattern I created, the assembly method, and some styling ideas.

To complete this project, you need to have some basic knitting knowledge such as knitting and purling and how to use a cable needle. A sewing machine will make sewing up the pillow at the end quick and easy.

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Winter Décor

I think that all winter décor can benefit from the inclusion of cozy, knitted textiles. Blankets and pillows are my favourite ways to incorporate hand-knitted items into my décor. And sometimes the simplest patterns look just as beautiful as the more complicated ones. Chunky, and super chunky weight yarns have been really popular in recent years and the best part about these yarns is how fast they knit up. The pillows in this post can be knit from start to finish in just a few short hours. You can also change the weight of the yarn and needle size to achieve a smaller or larger pillow.

When I think of winter décor, I think of candles, fireplaces, blankets, cable knits, and a favourite chair to read a book. Winter decor is all about staying protected from the elements and creating the coziest of spaces. You can read about my green and white living room decor here.

Cable Knit Pillow Pattern

Finished Measurements: 20” square pillow cover to fit a 22” square pillow insert

Yarn: Chunky weight (#5), shown in Bernat Softee Chunky (Dark Green); 100 yd/99 m per 3.5 oz/100 g ball; Two balls are needed for one pillow

Needles: US size 11/8 mm circular needle (100 cm long) and US size 11/8 mm cable needle

Gauge: 12 sts and 16 rows = 4”/10 cm in St st

Backing fabric: Cotton canvas (a half yard piece is sufficient)

Also needed: Tapestry needle for sewing in ends

*Note- The finished knitted measurement will be 21” square. A ½” hem is used when sewing the knitted front to the cotton backing. Therefore, the final size of the assembled pillow is 20” square. To give the pillow a fitted appearance that best highlights the cable details, use a 22” pillow insert. Choose an insert colour that is similar in tone to your chosen yarn colour.

Abbreviations:

• St st- stocking stitch
• K- knit stitch
• P- purl stitch
• CO- cast on
• RS- right side
• WS- wrong side
• C10F- slip 5 stitches to cable needle and hold at front of work, knit next 5 stitches from left hand needle, then knit 5 stitches from the cable needle

Instructions

Using the circular needle, CO 60 stitches.

Row 1 (RS): P7, K10, P8, K10, P8, K10, P7

Row 2 (WS): K7, P10, K8, P10, K8, P10, K7

Rows 3-6: Repeat rows 1 and 2 twice

Row 7 (Cable Row, RS): P7, C10F, P8, C10F, P8, C10F, P7

Row 8: Same as row 2

Rows 9-24: Repeat rows 1 and 2 eight times

Rows 25-78: Starting on row 25 (RS Cable Row), repeat rows 7-24 three times

Row 79: Same as row 7

Row 80: Same as row 2

Rows 81-84: Repeat rows 1 and 2 twice

Cast off in pattern

Block the piece to a 21” square if you like. This step can be omitted if your piece already measures close to 21” square.

Sewing up

*Note- this pillow uses an envelope closure on the back side

• To make the backing, cut two pieces of cotton canvas- one piece 17” by 21” and the other 14” by 21”.
• On each piece, hem one of the 21” long sides with a 1” double hem.
• Overlap the hemmed edges by several inches so that the fabric forms a 21” square with an opening in the middle. Pin the overlapping sides and sew to ¼” from the edge to secure.

To assemble

• Weave in knitting ends with a tapestry needle
• Place your knitted piece and cotton backing right sides together and pin around all four sides. I aligned my pieces so that the envelope opening is vertical (see photo).
• Using a sewing machine, and using a ½” seam, sew around the perimeter of the pillow. You do not need to leave an opening. Sewing perfectly straight is not critical as the knitting will hide a multitude of minor sewing imperfections.
• Turn the pillow right side out through the envelope closure, poking out the corners with your fingers. Insert the pillow form and enjoy!

In case you still want to purchase the Pottery Barn pillow, here it is along with a few other cable knit pillows they offer.

Styling

I made my pillows in a rich green colour because I already have an assortment of cream-coloured pillows. You can make them in any colour you choose to compliment your décor. I have them displayed on our antique living room sofa that I reupholstered earlier this year in natural-toned Belgian linen. Click here for the reupholstery post. I alternated cream and green pillows for contrast. In addition, I displayed a hand-knit ultra-chunky blanket to add even more coziness. I hope you enjoyed my post, Make Your Own Pottery Barn Cable Knit Pillow.