The Cosy Clan Cover, Free Pattern

The Inspiration

You understood from reading my articles that opting for a responsible process in the design of my projects is crucial to me. This consideration comes into play at every stage of creation: positioning myself correctly upstream to create a model that will stand the test of time, selecting the right materials, maintaining my creations well, repairing them, and giving them new value if I no longer wear them, etc.

As a result, I am always careful to minimize my dormant yarn stock and limit my raw material acquisitions by only purchasing when I have a genuine project in mind. Nevertheless, there are times when I end up with leftover yarn accumulating gradually.

I wanted to propose a project here that allows you to make the most of your yarn scraps while creating a useful model that can be adapted for various purposes and variations depending on the amount of yarn you have available.

So, I invite you to join me in creating a jacquard tartan pattern that you can adapt into a cushion cover or a protective sleeve for your computer.

The Project

It all begins with the meticulous selection of remnants from the end of previous projects. What appeals to me about this approach is that it not only reduces material waste but also gives each cover a unique story, with each thread recalling a previous project.

I was fortunate to have complete balls of yarn of the same quality that matched well together, which made the selection process easier. To assist you, know that for the main color (in this case, white), I used almost the entire skein, approximately 175 m/191 yds. For the pink and light purple, about half a skein was used, approximately 90 m/98 yds, and for the other colors, less than 50 m/55 yds were sufficient.

It's important to knit this project with yarns of the same group for a consistent result. If you're unsure about what that means, I invite you to subscribe to the newsletter at the bottom of the homepage. This will give you access to my free Responsible Knitting Guide, where I detail everything you need to know to start knitting with respect for resources and provide plenty of tips for beginners.

The Pattern

The pattern is created using stranded colorwork in stockinette stitch, worked back and forth from the bottom to the top. It consists of the repetition of two motifs in width and two in height.

Materials: 5 colors of merino or equivalent in weight group A. Approximately 175 m/191 yds of white, approximately 90 m/98 yds of pink and light purple, approximately 50 m/55 yds of yellow and dark purple.

Needles: Straight or circular needles 3 mm/US3 or equivalent to achieve the correct gauge.

Gauge 10X10 cm: 23 stitches X 26 rows

Finished sizes: A rectangle of 60x40 cm, which will then be folded in height to form a cover of 40x30 cm /15.7X11.8 in.

Instructions for assembling the jacquard piece:

Cast on 160 stitches, equivalent to 2 motifs plus the first 40 stitches of a third motif (only the first 10 stitches of the large white square will be knitted).
Place 14 markers to identify color changes as follows: |10 stitches; marker; 5 stitches; marker; 5 stitches; marker; 10 stitches; marker; 40 stitches; marker| X2; 10 stitches; marker; 5 stitches; marker; 5 stitches; marker; 10 stitches; marker; 10 stitches.
Replicate the motif pattern below twice in height and finish with a 12-row pink stripe (the first 12 rows of the motif). The finished piece measures 160 stitches in width and 136 rows in height.

Instructions for assembling the fabric lining:

I chose to line the entire piece with fabric to which I attached a 40 cm zipper. For the computer case version, I used a textured honeycomb cotton that provides cushioning to protect the computer from impacts and avoids the use of synthetic padding.

Cut two rectangles measuring 42x32 cm /16.5x12.6 in each.
Place the zipper on one long side of each rectangle.
Sew the edges of the rectangles, ensuring that the side with the visible zipper strips is on the outside. I opted for a Tote bag-style seam, taking into account the thickness of the computer. To do this, I stopped the seams 2 cm before the short edge and flattened the bottom to create a T-seam.
Slide the lining into the jacquard rectangle previously sewn on the sides and close it at the zipper.

And there you have it, you now have a super original cover that you can choose to use either for a cushion or as a computer cover!

Don’t forget to tag me on Instagram, Facebook or Tiktok #terrifiknits and #cosyclancover or #houssecosyclan once you're done or add this project to your Ravelry list ! Can't wait to discover your version !

Alternate Use

The advantage of patterns is that they serve as a creative reserve to easily customize a design. Thus, this pattern can easily be applied to any knitting pattern you desire. Here's a suggestion for applying it to the Stockholm sweater by PetiteKnit.