Pumpkin Pouf

Add a touch of autumn whimsy to your décor with this pumpkin pouf knit in super-chunky yarn. The soft knit cover is shaped with short rows and stuffed with bed pillows for a cushy place to prop your feet after a long day.

Skill Level: Intermediate

Size: Approximately 14” tall x 20” diameter

Gauge: 4 sts and 6 rows = 4” [10 cm] in Reverse St st

Materials

Yarn:

 Premier Yarns Couture Jazz (81% Acrylic, 19% Polymide; 16.5 yards [15 meters]/100 grams): 26-28 Rust (MC), 16 balls; 26-08 Olive (CC), 1 ball

Needles: US size 50 (25 mm): 32” circular

Notions: Sewing needle and thread to match MC yarn; three firm queen-size bed pillows for stuffing.

Abbreviations

k          knit
p          purl
p2tog   purl 2 sts together
RS       Right Side
rep       repeat
st(s)     stitch(es)
w&t      wrap & turn: with yarn to WS of work, slip next st to right-hand needle, bring yarn to RS of work, slip st back to left-hand needle, turn piece to continue working in the other direction for next row. See tutorial.
WS      Wrong Side

Pattern Notes

This yarn is a fluffy knitted tube. The cleanest way to join a new ball of yarn is to use a needle and thread to sew the two ends together. Tuck the end of the new ball of yarn inside the end of the old ball of yarn and quickly whipstitch them together. There is no need to be too fussy about it. Sew all of the skeins of yarn together at the start and roll them into one giant ball before begin knitting.

Pattern

With MC and using the Long Tail cast-on method, CO 32 sts. You’ll need to start your cast-on with a tail about 3 yards long.
Row 1 (WS): Purl.
Row 2 (RS): P29, w&t.
Row 3: K26, w&t.
Row 4: P23, w&t.
Row 5: K20, w&t.
Row 6: P17, w&t.
Row 7: K14, w&t.
Row 8: Purl to end of row.
Row 9: Purl.
Row 10: Knit.
Row 11: K29, w&t.
Row 12: P26, w&t.
Row 13: K23, w&t.
Row 14: P20, w&t.
Row 15: K17, w&t.
Row 16: P14, w&t.
Row 17: Knit to end of row.
Row 18: Knit

Repeat Rows 1-18 four more times.

BO all sts.

Stem

With RS facing and using CC, pick up and k18 sts along one short side edge of piece.

Row 1 (WS): (P2tog) 9 times – 9 sts.
Row 2 (RS): (K2tog) 4 times, k1 – 5 sts.
Row 3: Purl.
Row 4: Knit
Rows 5-6: Repeat Rows 3-4.

Cut yarn, leaving a tail 12” long. Thread tail through remaining sts and pull tight to fasten off.

Finishing

The easiest way to sew with this yarn is to use your fingers to poke and pull the yarn between the stitches.
Continuing with CC tail, sew seam down side of stem.

Using MC and with RS facing, sew the bound off edge to the cast-on edge until there is about 8” left open. Arrange pillows inside pouf, rolling them so the long edges of the pillows sit against the closed top of the pouf. Continue sewing seam, then weave tail in and out through the ends of the row and pull tight to gather bottom of pouf closed. Tie a knot and tuck ends in.