How to Knit a Pillow Cover

Leave a tail about 6 inches long. Make a loop in the yarn, then pull a second loop up through it and tighten it gently. That little knot is your first stitch. Slide it onto the needle in your left hand and snug it up so it moves along the needle without falling off. Kristabel is right-handed, so she talks about left and right needles all the way through.

Push the right needle up through the slip knot from the front. Wrap the yarn around the right needle, pull a new loop through, and place that loop on the left needle. You now have two stitches. Repeat with the newest stitch each time until you have 32 on the needle. Count them twice. This knitted cast on gives a firm, neat bottom edge for the cushion.

Row 1 is knit 2, purl 2, all the way across. To knit, keep the yarn behind the work. Put the right needle into the first stitch from front to back, wrap the yarn around it, pull the new loop through, and let it sit on the right needle. Slide the old stitch off the left needle. Do that twice before you switch to purl.

Bring the yarn between the needles to the front. Push the right needle into the front of the next stitch from right to left, wrap the yarn around, and pull the loop out through the back. Repeat for the second purl. Take the yarn to the back again before the next knit. Keep going, knit 2 and purl 2, until the row ends with two purls.

Turn the work. Slip the first stitch from the left needle to the right without knitting it. This gives the sides a smooth, tidy edge. Knit the next stitch, then purl 2, knit 2 across the row, ending with purl 2. On this row you knit the stitches that look like knits and purl the bumpy ones, so the pattern stacks up in pairs.

Now swap them to build the checkerboard. On row 3, slip the first stitch, purl the next, then knit 2, purl 2 across, ending with knit 2. Work row 4 the same way. Where you had knits sitting on knits, you now have purls on top. That swap every two rows makes the raised squares of double moss stitch.

Keep repeating rows 1 to 4. After a few repeats you will see the pattern clearly. The purls stand up as little bumps and the knits lie flat. If a square looks wrong, you will spot it right away. Kristabel knits about 40 rows. Hold the panel against the cover and stop when it reaches the top edge.

Knit two stitches. With the left needle, lift the first stitch on the right needle over the second and off the end. One stitch stays. Knit one more and lift the older stitch over it again. Keep going across the row. When one stitch is left, cut the yarn with a 6 inch tail and pull it through the last loop to lock it.

Two tails are left, one at the cast on and one at the bind off. Push a crochet hook through the edge stitches near a tail, catch the yarn, and pull it through. Work it in and out along the edge for a few inches, then trim what is left. Chunky yarn is too thick for many sewing needles, and a hook makes this easy.

Lay the cover flat with the closure underneath and set the panel on top. Pin the four corners first, then pin along each side so the knitting is spread evenly. Thread a needle with thread that matches the yarn. Sew all four edges with a small running stitch through the knitting and the front layer only. Slide in the pillow form and you are done.