This texture-rich pillow cover is a feast of crochet stitches: post stitches form the basket weave and Tunisian knit stitch provides the counterpoint. Find some great yarn, add decorative buttons, and you’ve got yourself a wonderful new look for your home.

Skill Level: Intermediate

Size: To fit a 14” x 14” pillow

Gauge: Approx.  14 sts/11.25 rows = 4” in basket weave pattern 

Materials

Yarn: Cascade Yarns 220 Superwash Aran (100% superwash merino wool; 150 yards [138 meters]/100 grams): #1993 Smoke Blue (4 skeins)
Hook: US size I/9 (5.5 mm) hook, US size I/9 (5.5 mm) Tunisian crochet hook
Notions: Tapestry needle, two 1 3/8” (3 ½ cm) diameter buttons, sewing needle and thread in analogous button color

Abbreviation

Bpdc: Back post double crochet
Ending tss: Ending tunisian simple stitch
Fpdc: Front post double crochet
Hdc: Half double crochet
Scblo: Single crochet in back loop of designated st
Scflo: Single crochet in front loop of designated st
Tks: Tunisian knit stitch
Tps: Tunisian purl stitch

Special Stitches

Bpdc: Yo, insert hk from back to front to back of post of designated st, yo, pull up lp, (yo and through 2 lps on hk) twice.
Fpdc: Yo, insert hk from front to back to front of post of designated st, yo, pull up lp, (yo and through 2 lps on hk) twice.
Tunisian crochet note: Tunisian crochet stitches are completed in a series of forward and backward passes on the same side of the crochet fabric with an elongated crochet hook.
Ending tss (ending tunisian simple st): Insert hook under front vertical bar of final st from front to back, yo, draw lp through.
Tks (tunisian knit st): Forward pass: insert hk from front to back between 2 vertical bars of next st, yo and draw lp through.
Taking lps off hk (tunisian crochet backward pass): Yo, draw through 1 lp on hook, *yo, draw through 2 lps on hook, rep from * across remainder of row. Last lp on hook counts as first st of next row.

Pattern Notes

Pillow cover is worked in two pieces and then seamed on rs with slip stitches.
Ch 2 at the beginning of any row counts as first hdc.
On all tunisian crochet rows, the backward pass (taking lps off hk), is accomplished in the same manner.

Pattern

Side One

With crochet hk, ch 37.
Row 1: Dc in 4th ch from hk, dc in each ch across. Turn. (34 dc)
Row 2: Ch 2, *fpdc in next 4 sts, bpdc in next 4 sts. Rep from * across, ending with hdc in top initial ch 3. Turn. (16 fpdc, 16 bpdc, 2 hdc)
Row 3: Ch 2, * fpdc in next 4 sts, bpdc in next 4 sts. Rep from * across, ending with hdc in top of initial ch 2. Turn. (16 fpdc, 16 bpdc, 2 hdc)
Row 4: Ch 2, *bpdc in next 4 sts, fpdc in next 4 sts. Rep from * across, ending with hdc in top of initial ch 2. Turn. (16 bpdc, 16 fpdc, 2 hdc)
Row 5: Repeat row 4.
Rows 6-7: Repeat row 3.
Rows 8-9: Repeat row 4.
Repeat rows 6-9 for basket weave pattern until piece measures 10” from beg. Do not fasten off.

Working Tunisian Side Piece

Turn work 90 degrees clockwise so that left side is now working edge.
Row 1 (RS): 2 sc in corner, work 33 sc evenly spaced across side edge. Turn. (35 sc)
Row 2 (WS): Ch 1, scblo in each sc across. Turn. (35 scblo)
Row 3 (first Tunisian crochet row, forward pass): With Tunisian crochet hk, sk first sc, *insert hk in next st, yo, pull up a lp. Rep from * across row. (35 lps on hk)
Row 3 (backward pass): Yo, draw through 1 lp on hook, *yo, draw through 2 lps on hook. Rep from * across remainder of row. (1 lp on hk)
Row 4 (forward pass): Sk first st, *tks in next st. Rep from * until last st in row, ending tss in final st. (35 lps on hk)
Row 4 (backward pass): Yo, draw through 1 lp on hook, *yo, draw through 2 lps on hook. Rep from * across remainder of row. (1 lp on hk)
Repeat Tunisian row 4 until piece measures 13 ½” from beg.
Tks bind-off row (forward pass only): Sk first st, * insert hk from front to back between 2 vertical bars of next st, yo, draw lp up and through lp on hk. Rep from * across row until last st in row, ending with insert hk under front vertical bar of final st from front to back, yo, draw lp up and through lp on hk. Turn. (1 lp on hk, 35 sts across row)
Final Row: With crochet hk, ch 1, sc flo in each st across row. Fasten off. (35 scflo) 

Working Tunisian Top Piece/Flap

With rs facing and basket weave section at right, tks section at left, using Tunisian hk attach yarn with sl st at top right corner.
Row 1: Ch 1 (counts as first sc), *scblo in next st. Rep from * across basket weave section of row, then work 16 sc across side of tks section. Turn. (34 scblo, 16 sc)
Row 2: Ch 1, scblo in first st, *scblo in next st. Rep from * across row. Turn. (50 scblo)
Row 3 (first Tunisian crochet row, forward pass): Work as for row 3 of Tunisian Side piece. (50 lps on hk)
Row 3 (backward pass): Work as for row 3 of Tunisian Side Piece.
Row 4 (forward and backward pass): Work as for row 4 of Tunisian Side Piece, with 50 lps on hk at end of forward pass.
Repeat row 4 until piece measures 17 ½” from beg.
Tks bind-off row (forward pass only): Work as for tks bind-off row of Tunisian Side Piece. Turn. (1 lp on hk, 50 sts across row)
Next Row: With crochet hk, ch 1, scflo in first st, *scflo in next st. Rep from * across. Turn. (50 scflo)
Next Row (buttonhole row): Ch 1, sc in next 15 sts, ch 3, sk next 3 sts, sc in next 14 sts, ch 3, sk next 3 sts, sc in final 15 sts. Turn. (44 sc, 2 ch-3 buttonhole sps)
Next Row: Ch 1, sc in first 15 sts, 3 sc in next ch-3 sp, sc in next 14 sts, 3 sc in next ch-3 sp, sc in remaining 15 sts. Turn. (50 sc)
Final Row: Ch 1, scblo in first st, *scblo in next st. Rep from * across. Fasten off. (50 scblo)

Side Two

With crochet hk, ch 49.
Row 1: Dc in 4th ch from hk, dc in each ch across. Turn. (46 dc)
Row 2: Ch 2, *fpdc in next 4 sts, bpdc in next 4 sts. Rep from * across, ending with hdc in top initial ch 3. Turn. (22 fpdc, 22 bpdc, 2 hdc)
Row 3: Ch 2, *bpdc in next 4 sts, fpdc in next 4 sts. Rep from * across, ending with hdc in top of initial ch 2. Turn. (22 bpdc, 22 fpdc, 2 hdc)
Row 4: Repeat row 3.
Row 5: Ch 2, * fpdc in next 4 sts, bpdc in next 4 sts. Rep from * across, ending with hdc in top of initial ch 2. Turn. (22 fpdc, 22 bpdc, 2 hdc)
Row 6: Repeat row 5.
Rows 7-9: Repeat rows 3-5.
Repeat rows 6-9 for basket weave pattern until piece measures 14” from beg. Fasten off. 

Finishing

Weave in ends; block pillow sides to dimensions.

With rs facing and following schematics, pin sides of pillow cover together so that 5” of side one top Tunisian piece/flap extends beyond the top edge of side two. With crochet hk, attach yarn at top right edge of flap portion of side one. Sl st along right flap edge and continue along side, bottom and opposite side, sl st seaming two pieces together.  End with sl st along left flap edge. Fasten off and weave in ends.

Insert pillow form into pillow cover and, with straight pins, mark button placement on side two to correspond with buttonholes. Removing pillow form and using needle and thread, sew buttons onto side two. Reinsert pillow form into pillow cover and button.