Buzzy Bee Cushion Cover
We’re big bee fans in our house. You may have already guessed that because my first ever post was about crocheting a cute little bee gnome, who we called Chessington. He was actually an offshoot made with left over yarn from a different project: the Buzzy Bee Cushion – a Christmas present for R.
It all started last summer when we were visiting R’s parents who kindly offered to take me to a huge yarn warehouse nearby. I’d never seen so much yarn and wool under one roof and I think everyone, myself included, got a bit more than we bargained for when we ended up spending a whole day there (fortunately, R’s mum had prepared a packed lunch that we ate in the car park). Anyway during this trip R wished for a honeycomb blanket (that the cushion is sitting on behind the cushion) and I gladly purchased some super chunky yellow and cream yarn to make hexis with.
However, he also requested bees on the blanket. I wasn’t really sure how to incorporate a bee into the blanket as I did not really think that appliqué would work well against the super chunky yarn. I also did not want the blanket to have anything hanging off it and getting in the way; it was very clear that it was going to be a blanket for snuggling under when watching TV rather than a display blanket to hang over the back of a chair. So after much humming and harring I sheepishly told R that his honeycomb blanket wouldn’t have any bees on it.
But I couldn’t quite get the idea of a bee motif out of my head and I eventually decided that if I crocheted a cushion to go with the blanket it could feature a bee, so it would be a blanket and cushion set. I wanted the bee to be as realistic as possible and chose intarsia crochet as the best way to do this. I started going through our home reference library (which as a household of be fans includes a well thumbed copy of a Field Guide to Bumblebees of Great Britain and Ireland) and began sketching out the pattern. Looking for yarn, I was thrilled to find Stylecraft Batik yarn in old gold, as it really gives the bumble bee his furry texture and lifts him as opposed to block colour.
The blanket was a Christmas present that R knew he was getting but I wanted to surprize him with the cushion. This meant secretly crocheting away while he was at work; I fortunately work from home so I could get my hook out during my lunch break. I managed to get the bee cushion finished just in time to give, but I was not too happy with the bees legs as they appeared slightly disconnected. So after Christmas, I went back to the drawing board and redesigned his legs into the form you see today.
If you would also like to make the Buzzy Bee Cushion Cover for yourself or a bee fan, it is available on Etsy and Ravelry.
Here is a list of the material that you will also need to crochet the Buzzy Pillow cover:
2 balls 100g Stylecraft Special DK – Duck Egg
1 ball 100g Stylecraft Special DK – Graphite
1 ball 50g Stylecraft Batik DK – Old Gold (the variegated yarn gives the bees body added texture)
1 ball 100g Stylecraft Wondersoft Stardust Cream (The thread of glitter gives the wings extra lightness, but a normal cream DK would also work)
Using the afflicate links in this post does not cost you any extra but I will earn a small commission, will help me keep developing pattern.
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