Seated cat cushion with optional pet name

Cast on (each piece)

74

Front rows

98

Each back flap

61 rows

Cover inside seams

40.0 × 40.0 cm

For a 40 × 40 cm cushion pad. Seam allowances are added to the counts: 1 seam stitch at each side edge of every piece; 2 seam rows on the front (its cast-on and bind-off rows) and 1 on each back flap, at its outer edge only (the lower flap's cast-on row, the upper flap's last row) — the garter opening edges are not seamed. All are taken into a backstitch seam worked one stitch / one row in from the edge. Inside the seams the cover measures 40.0 × 40.0 cm (72 sts × 96 rows, rounded up to whole stitches and rows). No extra ease is added: the cover is the pad size and the knitted fabric stretches over the pad. Envelope overlap 10.0 cm (asked: 10 cm). Gauge: 18 sts and 24 rows per 10 cm in stockinette.

Front

Terms used here: k = knit; p = purl; sts = stitches; RS = right side (the outside); WS = wrong side; garter stitch = knit every row; stockinette = knit the RS rows, purl the WS rows; duplicate stitch = embroidery that covers one knitted V with a new strand.

Odd-numbered rows are right-side (RS) rows. Cast on 74 sts.

• Rows 1–98 (stockinette, front): k74 on RS rows, p74 on WS rows — 74 sts.

Bind off on the next row (row 99, RS) knitwise without pulling tight.

Lower back flap

Cast on 74 sts.

• Rows 1–55 (stockinette, lower flap): k74 on RS rows, p74 on WS rows — 74 sts.
• Rows 56–61 (garter, lower flap opening edge): knit every row — 74 sts.

Bind off on the next row (row 62, WS) knitwise without pulling tight. The garter rows are the opening edge.

Upper back flap

Cast on 74 sts.

• Rows 1–6 (garter, upper flap opening edge): knit every row — 74 sts.
• Rows 7–61 (stockinette, upper flap): k74 on RS rows, p74 on WS rows — 74 sts.

Bind off on the next row (row 62, WS) purlwise without pulling tight. The garter rows at the cast-on are the opening edge.

Duplicate stitch

Block the front first. Then embroider with the motif colour, one duplicate stitch over each marked stitch (each chart square covers a block of 2 × 2 stitches).

Cat (duplicate stitch, deep indigo): rows 34–77, stitches 22–53 — each chart square is 2 × 2 stitches, 820 duplicate stitches. Count rows from the cast-on edge and stitches from the right-hand edge with the right side facing; work the chart's bottom row on row 34.

The name is a separate chart in the lettering colour, in its own rows below the cat (tall letters (7 base rows)).

Name (duplicate stitch, madder (brand accent)): rows 23–29, stitches 28–48 — 56 duplicate stitches, worked after the cat. Count rows from the cast-on edge and stitches from the right-hand edge with the right side facing; work the chart's bottom row on row 23.

Assembly

1. Weave in all ends on the wrong side of each piece.
2. Lay the front right side up. Place the upper flap on it right side down, its bound-off edge on the front's top edge. Place the lower flap right side down, its cast-on edge on the front's bottom edge; its garter edge overlaps the upper flap in the middle.
3. Pin all round. Backstitch around all four sides through every layer, one stitch in from the side edges (between the seam stitch and the next stitch) and one row in from the top and bottom edges (between the seam row and the next row), so the seam stitches and seam rows end up inside the cover. Reinforce the ends of the overlap with a few extra stitches.
4. Turn the cover right side out through the envelope opening, push out the corners and insert the pad.

Decorative cushion. It is not a baby or sleep product and is not tested for children. The envelope back has no buttons or other small parts. Use a pad of the stated size; wash the cover according to the yarn label.

Materials

• Main yarn (Oat) that gives your gauge in stockinette
• Motif colour (Deep indigo): about 27 m for 820 duplicate stitches
• Lettering colour (Madder (brand accent)): about 3 m for 56 duplicate stitches
• Cushion pad 40 × 40 cm
• Knitting needles, blunt yarn needle, pins, scissors

Duplicate-stitch amounts come from our yarn model (1.25 × a knitted stitch, plus two 15 cm ends and 10% reserve), not from a made sample.

No fabric yarn amount is assumed. Add a weighed, measured swatch below for an area-based estimate of the main fabric.

Approximate time: about 16.5–34.4 hours of stitching: 16,280 stitches at 10–20 stitches per minute; 876 duplicate stitches at 2–5 per minute. Every pace above is an assumed range, not a timed sample; enter your own pace to replace the main one. Finishing (seams, weaving in ends, blocking) is not included.

Stitch totals: 16,280 knitted stitches (front 7,252, flaps 9,028), 876 duplicate stitches.

• ✓ Front: Every row uses 74 stitches and makes 74 stitches.
• ✓ Front: The written row groups cover every row exactly once.
• ✓ Lower flap: Every row uses 74 stitches and makes 74 stitches.
• ✓ Lower flap: The written row groups cover every row exactly once.
• ✓ Upper flap: Every row uses 74 stitches and makes 74 stitches.
• ✓ Upper flap: The written row groups cover every row exactly once.
• ✓ Back flaps: 61 + 61 rows (each with 1 seam row) overlap by 24 rows (10.0 cm); inside the seams the back has the front's 96 rows
• ✓ Seam allowance added to the counts: 1 seam stitch at each side of every piece; front: 2 seam rows (cast-on and bind-off edges); each back flap: 1 outer seam row (the garter opening edges are not seamed). Inside the seams: 72 sts × 96 rows
• ✓ The cat (32 × 44 sts) stays at least 2 cm inside the seam stitches on every side
• ✓ The name sits 4 rows below the cat, inside the margins, in separate rows from the cat