Mary Beth Temple says she’s never not knitting or crocheting. She teaches at conferences across the country, as well as online, and has authored eleven books about yarn crafts, with more on the way. Chances are you’ve come across some of her designs.
One of the latest is Mary Beth’s Rainbow Chevron Pillow, featured in the new issue of I Like Knitting. Using colorful fabric and our Vintage yarn, the pillow is knit flat in pieces with a repeating lace chevron pattern. The knitted front and back are then sewn together with the front and back pieces of fabric inside. The pillow is finished with an applied I-cord edging.
How did you come up with this design?
I have been in a bit of a pillow/blanket phase recently. I moved last year and have been paying more attention to home decor than I had been in the past. I have always been interested in the play between lacy overlays and textured or patterned linings – why have a boring white pillow lining when you don’t have to? I wanted to make the lining fabric an integral part of the design rather than an afterthought.
Any interesting stories about your process?
I tried several different stitch and fabric pattern combinations before I settled on this one. I like that both patterns are based on straight lines so they complement one another. And while I think the fabric would have been too bold as a pillow on its own, getting peeks of the bright colors through the lace is just right.
How did you decide on the yarn?
I am a big fan of Vintage. I like the color palette, I wanted something that is easily cleaned because home decor items often receive spills or pet hairs, and I could experiment in different yarn weights because Vintage comes in DK, Worsted and Chunky.
What’s your favorite project you’ve ever made? Why?
Wow, I don’t think I can pick an absolute favorite. With a gun to my head, I guess it would be something my daughter requested. I love when she wants to wear my things! She has an insanely vibrant set of striped knit legwarmers that match her dance costume (she is an Open Champion Irish Step Dancer) that I love to watch her wear.
What’s your favorite thing about knitting/crochet?
Portability! I travel a lot and love that I can whip out a WIP and get some rows done no matter where I am.
Do you have a cool design you want to share? Or did you recently finish a project with Berroco yarn? You can email Ashley: apalumbo@berroco.com or post it to the Berroco Lovers forum in Ravelry.