Make a seat!

I found this lovely chair, one of a pair, at an antique store. The fabric is original from the 19^th century, and I have been trying to figure out how to cover the seat that goes with the style and is both pretty and comfortable. I planned on sewing a cover in linen but that didn’t really appeal. It was first when I saw Erika Knight’s knitted armchair cover in her book “Simple Knits with a Twist: Unique Projects for Creative Knitters” that I found the solution – a knitted blanket that was shaped after the seat. I simply measured the chair and the gauge for my selected yarn and stitch size with my chosen pattern, and calculated the number of stitches needed to fit the seat.

The pattern I used is very simple using only knit and purl:

Row 1: *k1 p1, repeat to end of row
Row 2: knit
Row 3: *p1 k1, repeat to end of row
Row 4: knit

Repeat row 1-4. I choose to give the blanket an edge using k3 in the beginning and end of each row, and starting and finishing the work with 3 rows knit. I also used rather thin stitches for the yarn to make the blanket stiff. After the knitting is done, damp the blanket and stretch it to the measured size of the seat, and let it dry (I haven't done that part just yet...). Another good idea I think would be to knit a larger piece that is felted in the washing machine. It can then be cut in the right size. Then you don’t have to think about the gauge… :)