Kaleidoscope Cushion

Earlier this year I was practising some bullion stitches as part of a freeform design I am planning. Bullion stitches however you make them are a bit fiddly and take time to make. At the same time I was looking at my collection of textured stitches and I came across this variation on a treble which gives a similar look to a bullion stitch and is a lot easier to make.
Depending on how big you want your bullion stitch lookalike you make the clusters bigger by using more trebles.
You can find more of my hints and tips on how to improve your crochet here.....

I find inspiration for new designs from various places. Sometimes it’s something as simple as seeing flower combinations in the garden.

My summer bolster cushion with popcorn flowers were inspired by some pale lime Christmas Rose flowers that looked so lovely alongside the pale sage green/grey of the Brunnera that grows next to it.


I’ve been planning the design of my Kaleidoscope cushions collection since last autumn but a busy winter with crochet workshops and commission designs took up my time. You can follow the story of my Kaleidoscope Collection here......

Finally getting around to thinking about the new cushions I spotted a woven tapestry cushion in a shop window. It had squares of different bright colours with stripes of a main colour between them. As often happens this set me off on a myriad of ideas so I decided to design the first kaleidoscope using the tapestry idea and incorporate the treble cluster around stitch which is very nice to make. I offset the multi coloured squares which looks really nice, but it would equally as good if the squares were all in the same position.

I thought the style of the first kaleidoscope cushion would be better suited to an envelope style cushion. I made these decorative buttons which match the cushion and include the cluster around stitch. The first kaleidoscope cushion is easy to make and grows quickly, changing colour always stops me getting bored!

The pattern is ready to go click here 

Ten Ways to Improve your Crochet Techniques

1. Hold your yarn as in the diagram it takes a bit of getting use to but is definitely worth it, it really helps keep your tension right and feeds the yarn more easily
2. Make a small piece of work if you are making garments, cushions and throws. Doing this will show you if you are crocheting too tight or too slack. It will save you time later on and prevent you having to pull out large pieces of work! Change to larger hook if your work too tight and a smaller hook if your work is too loose.
3. Use a larger hook for your foundation row if working a straight piece of work. This will make the loops of your foundation row larger and make it easier to crochet into the loops on the next row.
4. If you are making cushions, blankets or throws try using a different sized hook or thicker yarn for an open work finish.
5. If you can’t manage a magic circle you can create a similar effect by crocheting into the last chain. For example stitches for the first part of your magic circle are ‘1dc 5 tr 1dc’ (1sc, 5dc, 1sc US) make 3 or 4 chain and crochet the same stitches into the last chain, then join to the first stitch with a slip stitch.
6. If you are using motifs you don’t have to stick to the numbers of rows given make less or more rows as you like.
7. Having difficulty understanding which yarn to use for your pattern?

8. If you are crocheting in the round, count your stitches and use stitch markers or a piece bit of different coloured yarn to mark the beginning of rows.
9. Use a soft grip crochet hook rather than a metal one, they are more comfortable. Metal and plastic hooks make your hands sweat!
10. Try using different yarns of the same weight for your crochet cushions and throws, to create a different effect. For example add a tweedy yarn, one with silk in it or add a linen yarn. Using one ball of a more expensive yarn will make your finished project look more expensive.

How to improve the look of your crochet..... click here to read