Our apartment has been very, very oatmeal-colored for a while. I get that the monochromatic aesthetic is a thing right now, and I think it looks plenty lovely in other homes, sure. But I like color. A lot. I just can’t always commit to a palette, and so, you know, oatmeal prevails. Finally, I just couldn’t take it anymore and started mulling over how to make a 22″ x 22″ pillow cover for the drab throws on our couch.

Recently I’ve been hankering for a bright pop of golden yellow. I just needed it. I’d also been reading up on ways to lessen some of my anxiety, especially since I’m feeling kind of trapped indoors in the colder weather, and adding a few hints of color to a living space was a common piece of advice I encountered for making an environment friendlier to one’s overall wellbeing. A sunny pillow cover to replace the ones on the big throw pillows that came with my couch seemed like the perfect fix.

I also saw this bulky Lion Brand Hometown USA yarn and knew it needed to find a home with me. Then I remembered my pillow plight, and the rest is history. Two new soft, shiny, new pillowcases in my favorite pattern, a plush seed stitch for a touch of texture, were born. They knit up super fast for an easy and beautiful decor refresh. Here’s how to make a jumbo, 22” square pillow cover of your own.

You’ll need:
5 skeins Lion Brand Hometown USA (I used Madison Mustard)
30” Circular Needles in US 11 (or size needed to obtain a gauge of 11 stitches = 5″ in seed stitch)
Tapestry Needle

Cast on 102 stitches using a long-tail cast on.
Note: It helps to leave a long enough tail, about 30”, to use for sewing up what will be the bottom of your pillow cover at the end, but it’s not necessary—you can just use a cut strand of yarn if you don’t feel like fooling with the loose tail while you’re knitting.  

Join in the round by slipping the first stitch on the right needle onto the left. Knit these two stitches together.

*p1 k1, repeating from * until cover measures 22” tall. Bind off, and cut yarn leaving about a 30” tail to stitch the top of your cover together using a tapestry needle. I did this by bringing the needle under and through the inner “loops” created by the bind-off and repeating for the opposite side of the opening until I reached the end—see photo below. Then, tie it off in a discreet knot underneath the stitches you just made. Weave in any loose ends from where you started a new skein on the inside of the cover. 

Insert your pillow into the cover. Repeat whichever method of stitching you chose for the bottom of the cover to close it up, and you’ve got yourself one cozy new decor piece! I personally think mine looks better with a little black cat perched on top for contrast.

What are some of your favorite DIY ways to brighten up a room? Let me know in the comments!