Knit Diagonal Stripes Pillow Pattern – Unbiased

This seemingly simple, striped pillow has a secret – it’s knit on the bias! Knit diagonal stripes, then seam them together to make them straight again. The only indication of the unique construction is the diagonal seams and offset stripes at the back.

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Finishing Touches KAL

I designed this pattern for the Finishing Touches KAL. This year long event is broken into 4 sections, and this is my 2nd pattern is for the 3rd section: Home. We have great prizes for each of the 4 sections, thanks to our generous sponsors. See all the details, including the giveaway entry information and links to the other patterns, in the main KAL post on Underground Crafter. Be sure to join in all the fun on the KAL Corner Knitting Facebook group too.

Lion Brand Vanna’s Choice yarn

Lion Brand originally sent me this Vanna’s Choice yarn for another project. I actually have quite the stash of leftover bits of Vanna’s Choice! With a soft feel and wide range of colors, it’s one of my go-to yarns when I want a good, everyday acrylic. My favorites are the earthy, neutral colors, like the ones I used in this pillow.

Why Unbiased?

This design came about as an experiment in bias knitting. Bias knitting, or knitting on the bias, simply means knitting diagonally. For a square like this pillow, that means working from corner to corner to knit diagonal stripes. But what happens when you take that bias knit fabric and seam it on the bias (along the diagonal edges)?

Folding the corners in makes those diagonal stripes line up straight again. In other words, they become “un-biased”! From the front, it looks like this pillow is just knit straight up in stripes. At the back though, the folded in corners create diagonal seams and an interesting reversal of the striping pattern.

Seaming Tutorial

The visible seams are an important part of this design. So I added a photo and video tutorial just for those! See the seaming tutorial for some great tips on getting a neat and pretty seam.

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Unbiased Pillow

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Materials

• Lion Brand Vanna’s Choice Yarn (100% acrylic, 170 yds / 100 g per skein)
  • 175 yds #125 Taupe (A)
  • 100 yds #174 Olive (B)
• Size 8 / 5mm knitting needles, or size needed to obtain gauge.
• Tapestry Needle
• 14 inch, square pillow form
• 1 or 2 buttons of any desired size (optional)

Project Level

Intermediate: Basic increases, decreases, and stripes. The seaming requires a little concentration.

Size

To fit a 14 inch, square pillow form

Gauge

15 sts x 23 rows = 4 inches in stockinette

Abbreviations used

k = knit
p = purl
m1r = make one right
m1l = make one left
ssk = slip, slip, knit
k2tog = knit 2 together
RS = right side
WS = wrong side

Recommended Resources

• Selvedges from Vogue Knitting (shows the garter selvedge used in this pattern)
• Long Tail Cast On from Purl Soho
• Knitting Increases from Knitting Help
• Knitting Decreases from Knitting Help
• Knitting Seams – How to Seam the Unbiased Pillow

Instructions

Increasing

Wide Stockinette Stripe

With A, cast on 3, using a long tail cast on.

Row 1 (RS): With A, k 1, m1r, k across to last st, m1l, k 1. (5 sts)

Row 2: K 1, p across to last st, k 1.

Rows 3-10: Repeat rows 1-2 four times more. (13 sts)

Wide Garter Stripe

Carry unused colors up along side edge.

Row 11: With B, k 1, m1r, k across to last st, m1l, k 1. (15 sts)

Row 12: K across.

Rows 13-16: Repeat rows 11-12 twice more. (19 sts)

Narrow Stockinette Stripe

Row 17-18: With A, repeat rows 1-2. (21 sts)

Narrow Garter Stripe:

Rows 19-20: With B, repeat rows 11-12. (23 sts)

Rows 21-90: Repeat rows 1-20 three times more, then repeat rows 1-10 once more. (93 sts)

Decreasing

Wide Garter Stripe:

Row 91: With B, k 1, ssk, k across to last 3 sts, k2tog, k 1. (91 sts)

Row 92: K across.

Rows 93-96: Repeat rows 91-92 twice more. (87 sts)

Narrow Stockinette Stripe:

Row 97: With A, k 1, ssk, k across to last 3 sts, k2tog, k 1. ( 85 sts)

Row 98: K 1, p across to last st, k 1.

Narrow Garter Stripe:

Rows 99 – 100: With B, repeat rows 91-92. (83 sts)

Wide Stockinette Stripe:

Rows 101 – 110: With A, repeat rows 97-98 five times. (73 sts)

Rows 111 – 180: Repeat rows 91-110 three times more, then repeat rows 91-99 once more. (5 sts)

Row 180: Ssk, k 1, k2tog. (3 sts)

Bind off: Slip first st knitwise, k2tog, pass slipped stitch over. Cut yarn leaving a 24 inch tail for seaming, and fasten off.

Block your fabric before seaming. It should measure approximately 18 inches square.

Seaming

The seams are part of the design and should be visible but neat. Take your time with the seaming to make sure everything lines up. Seaming tutorial coming soon!

Lay square flat with wrong side up. Fold 2 corners in so that they meet in the center with RS up.

Line up striped sections and seam adjoining edges using the following rules:

• Always seam into the stitch that is one stitch in from the edge. This will be just behind the garter stitch selvedge.
• Each garter ridge has 2 lines of bumps – top and bottom. When working into garter stitch, on one side of the seam work into the top bump of the ridge, and on the other side work into the bottom bump of the ridge. In both cases, insert needle from top to bottom.

• When working into stockinette, work into one loop of the increase or decrease stitch at the edge. Choose the loop furthest from the edge, and insert needle so that it points towards the seam.

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• Where stockinette meets garter in the striped section, one garter ridge should line up with 1 row of stockinette. The garter ridge is 2 rows, but it is more compact, so it works out evenly this way.
• After each section, pull the seaming thread snug. The seam should come together firmly, but not pucker.

Repeat for remaining corners, leaving only one seam unworked.

Sew in all tails except for the one you plan to use for the last seam.

Insert pillow form, then seam remaining edge and weave in end. .

Optional Button(s)

If desired, either sew a button over the center of the pillow only on the side where the seams meet, OR place one button in the center of each side of the pillow and sew them together, going through the center of the pillow.

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I hope you enjoy making this Unbiased pillow pattern. A downloadable pdf of this pattern is also available on Ravelry, for a small fee. The fee for the pdf format is to offset the advertising revenue lost when you print or download the pattern rather than viewing it online.

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