Project pouffe

Almost by accident we moved into a new house last September. We had just started to think that we should keep an eye on the market, when BOOM out of nowhere, a great house appeared, right in the area we wanted, at a price we could afford. Awesome.

So we are in, and the extra space is super helpful, but it was a bit of a wrench leaving a home that we had done so much work to, to then go to back to living out of boxes. We are very fortunate - the decor in our new place might not be to our taste, but the lady who lived here previously really looked after it and it is perfectly livable in.

There are a million and one projects on the cards, but just before Christmas we decided to do the living room. Not the most urgent of jobs, but everything else requires some kind of major construction work or upheaval. This would give us a room that was finally ours, and that we could make snug and cosy.

As part of this, I got to thinking about how I could include some knitted items into the design. Mr Knitty is quite the expert when it comes to interior design. Me, I pick paint colours based on the ones I like the look of, rather than how effective they will actually be once they are slapped across four walls (I was convinced that I wanted a bright yellow bedroom, and quickly got the eye roll....) But, I did think I'd be able to sneak in a few smart knitted bits into the room.

I have always had a thing for the big knitted pouffes - the ones that look like they've been made with some kind of rope. And with a bit of research I came across this lovely, and very simple pattern. It's made with Rowan Big Wool, which is possibly THE loveliest yarn I've worked with for a long time, although I did wonder whether it was going to be durable enough to withstand being jumped on by enthusiastic small Knitties. But it is super soft and works up beautifully.

The repeat is super simple - just K3P3, shifting around every couple of rows. It was so simple, that I have to admit that I ended up ignoring the written instructions and just kept going round and round, which meant that I probably did end up with my own interpretation of where to move the row on. But I don't think you can tell any difference really.

To stuff it I used an old single duvet which has done the job nicely. It's not as sturdy as the ones you can buy - I think these are stuffed with coconut matting or have a foam filling, but when you've got something that does the job for no extra cost, it's worth a try. Plus it's good fun 'pouffing' it up again once it's gone flat.

I will definitely make another - perhaps in a bright blue that will complement Mr Knitty's gorgeous cornflower blue walls. Has anyone else got any good tips for knitting home accessories?