Interweave Knits: Hourglass Pillows

Yippee, the preview is up for the Interweave Knits Spring 2011 issue and my Hourglass Pillows are part of the great pattern collection! :)

"Hourglass Pillows": Interweave Knits Spring 2011

I love color work and I am always looking to learn new techniques or modernize the traditional designs.
With these hourglass pillows, I believe I was able to combine both of those goals. And there are so many color combinations possible!

I ended up with 4 pillow color combinations, each pillow has a 3-color side and a 2-color side, keeping the hourglass the same on both sides.

 
One thing I’m always bothered by are the jagged lines you get when you work in intarsia. As the yarn gets thicker, those “steps” at the color changes get more and more pronounced - distracting from the actual design.

 Traditional intarsia: steps at color change

With the shaped intarsia technique used for this project, you work paired increases and decreases at the color change that turn the jagged line into a smooth, straight line.

 Shaped intarsia: smooth line at color change

And as a bonus, depending on what kind of increase or decrease you choose, it can add a decorative finish to it.

Give it a shot with this "shaped intarsia".
Happy Knitting!