Butterfly Geo Cushion

Written By Kalisha Chorba

Walter posing with my completed Butterfly Geo Cushion

I immediately fell in love with Dee Hardwicke’s The Knitted Fabric: Colourwork Projects for You and Your Home the moment I saw it advertised among Laine’s publications in late 2023. Every project is full of color and life, and fearless in how she combines colors that I would not have intuitively seen as compatible.

I have not always been open to experimenting with color. In my 20s and 30s, I leaned towards neutrals in my attire and home decor, not because I had an affinity for gray, black, navy blue, and beige (or that I even looked good in those colors), but because I preferred not to be seen rather than be bold. That has changed in my 40s. In the safety of my home during COVID, I discovered designers like Stella Jean and Kemi Telford (both of whom heavily use African prints in their designs) and all of a sudden my world was filled with color. So when I saw The Knitted Fabric it felt like the perfect next step to bring that same color confidence and curiosity into my knitting.

The back of the Butterfly Geo Cushion, which is enclosed with buttons

I began with the Butterfly Geo Cushion in early 2024 (completed in May of that year), but it was a slow process. I am a notoriously slow knitter, partly because my multiple sclerosis causes cramping in my right hand from time to time, partly because I’m easily distracted by shiny new projects. But the length of time had nothing to do with the pattern itself, which kept me interested throughout. As you can tell from the pictures, aside from the ribbed banding with the button enclosure, you are almost always working with two colors per row, following the chart closely and watching these gorgeous geometric color combinations magically unfold. The rhythmic was meditative and perfect for evening post-work knitting sessions.

My only real challenge was maintaining consistent tension across the color changes, but honestly, that’s the magic of making objects by hand—any variation just adds to the charm.

Since I’m still building my confidence with color theory, I stuck with Dee Hardwicke’s original yarn and color choices. And the completed cushion turned out to be the exactly what my living room needed. It fits perfectly with the mid-century vibe I’ve been cultivating and gives my green velvet loveseat the pop of color it was missing.

While I knit the Butterfly Geo Cushion as my first handmade adornment for my first post-separation home, it has now been co-opted by my quality control manager, Walter. Apparently, it makes an excellent napping companion.

If you are looking for a project that is impressive, but not overwhelming, I can’t recommend this pattern enough. Dee Hardwicke’s designs always deliver, and this one is no exception.

THE END RESULT

Kalisha Chorba