Pavo Pillow in Berroco North Star - 381-6 - Downloadable PDF

Pavo Pillow in Berroco North Star – Knitted Cushion Pattern by Emily Nora O'Neil

The Pavo Pillow is a beautifully textured, knitted cushion cover designed by Emily Nora O'Neil and published by Berroco as part of Booklet #381. Available as a downloadable PDF, this intermediate-level knitting pattern produces a finished square pillow cover measuring approximately 18" x 18", designed to fit a standard knife-edge pillow form of the same dimensions. The result is a cozy, tactile home accessory that showcases the natural beauty of chunky-weight yarn worked in a combination of stockinette and a charted textural pattern.

What Is Being Made

This pattern creates a single-size, square knitted pillow cover — also referred to as a cushion cover — sized to fit an 18" square knife-edge pillow form. The finished piece is a one-size project, making it straightforward to plan for yardage and materials. The cover features a button closure, secured with four 1" buttons, which allows easy removal for washing or changing the pillow insert. It is a practical yet decorative home knitting project suited to intermediate knitters looking to expand their skills with in-the-round construction and charted stitch patterns.

Techniques Used

• Knitting in the round: The pillow cover is worked in the round using a 29" circular knitting needle, a technique that creates a seamless tube of fabric and eliminates the need for seaming along the sides of the cover.
• Working from a charted pattern: A portion of the design is worked from a stitch chart, requiring the knitter to read and follow a visual grid of symbols. This is a core intermediate skill that opens up a wide range of textural and colorwork possibilities.
• Stitch marker placement and management: The pattern calls for four stitch markers, including one in a contrasting color to mark the beginning of the round. Managing multiple markers is an important organizational technique in circular knitting.
• Button band and closure construction: The cover includes a button closure worked with four 1" buttons, introducing knitters to the technique of creating a functional opening in a knitted fabric — a skill transferable to garment knitting.
• Gauge swatching: The pattern strongly emphasizes checking gauge before beginning, noting two separate gauge measurements for stockinette and the charted pattern section, reinforcing the importance of accurate tension for a correctly sized finished object.

Stitches Used

• Stockinette stitch (St st): The foundational stitch of the cover, worked in the round by knitting every round. Gauge is set at 12 stitches and 16 rounds = 4 inches in stockinette.
• Charted pattern stitch: A separate textural or decorative stitch pattern is introduced via a chart, with its own gauge of 10 stitches and 16 rounds = 4 inches. The slightly looser stitch count indicates a more open or relief-based texture compared to plain stockinette.

Materials Required

• Yarn: 3 balls of Berroco North Star (50 grams per ball), a chunky-weight yarn, in colorway #3001 Tundra. Berroco North Star is a cozy, lofty yarn well suited to quick-knitting home décor projects.
• Needles: A 29-inch circular knitting needle, US size 13 (9.00 mm), or the size needed to obtain gauge. The longer circular needle accommodates the full circumference of the pillow cover when worked in the round.
• Notions: Four stitch markers (one in a contrasting color), four 1" buttons, and one 18" square knife-edge pillow form.

Difficulty and Suitability

Rated intermediate, the Pavo Pillow pattern is ideal for knitters who are comfortable with the basics — casting on, knitting, purling, and working in the round — and are ready to take the next