Knit a Twilight Fade Pillow

Crochet designer Connie Lee Lynch loves exploring crochet motifs that put her handspun yarns to best use. She’s also a watercolor artist, and I love seeing how her creative aesthetic moves between those three mediums. Many of her fiber works, like the Twilight Fade Pillow, become a canvas with blending and flowing color.

Connie’s pillow design has just been published in Spin Off Spring 2025, and I was set to crochet my own when I saw Connie’s side note in the project suggesting that knitters could explore long and short stitches to achieve a similar look. Well, I couldn’t resist adding yet another medium into the mix! I love the result, and I’m happy to share the pattern here.

Knitted Twilight Fade

My plan was to make a much smaller pillow cover for a soft, 12-inch-square pillow I place behind my lower back when spinning. And I started with the same fiber components that Connie did: a hand-dyed braid from Kim Dyes Yarn (the fiber that is on the cover of the issue!) and a group of combed tops in a range of sheepy shades. Connie describes in the project how she created two-ply yarns that transitioned between colors for a painterly effect. However, for a knitted fabric with elongated stitches, I thought a three-ply would create plump stitches with more durability.

Connie suggested using an elongated knit stitch to mimic the chainless treble-crochet stitches she used in the project.

Project Notes

• I spun two chain-plied yarns: One from a hand-dyed top and one from four different natural-color tops spun into a gradient sequence. You could just as easily spin the gradient colors as separate skeins or use leftover yarns. Jump in and have fun! The pattern below simply indicates when to switch colors, allowing you to use more than two yarn sources as shown.
• Blocking is very important during swatching and working the final piece. I suggest washing your swatch, pinning as you might a lace swatch, and allowing to fully dry before measuring.
• I decided to knit this in the round because it is so fast, and seaming would have been tricky. I do suggest breaking the working yarns where indicated in the pattern. You can weave these in or simply tie firmly and allow to remain inside the pillow cover. (Really—no one will know!)
• I prefer pillow covers that have a snug fit, so I designed this version with about one inch of negative ease.
  
• I used a zipper closure. This might make some spinners nervous, but using a handsewing technique, it is quick and easy. I used a vintage 12-inch zipper I found at a thrift shop.

Kate used a thrifted zipper to close the opening.

Special Stitches

Elongated Stitch Insert needle into first stitch, wrap working yarn around the right needle tip three times and pull through. Work every stitch of the rnd in this way. The extra loops are removed on the following rnd.

Materials

Fiber MC: Merino Combed Top (Kim Dyes Yarn), Petrichor, 4 oz (114 g). CC: Assorted natural-color wool combed tops, 11/2 oz (43 g). (About 3 oz [85 g] total fiber used.)
Yarn Hand-dyed (MC): 3-ply chain-ply (lightweight worsted), 90 yd. Undyed gradient (CC): 3-ply chain-ply (lightweight worsted), 90 yd.
Needles Size 4 (3.5 mm): 16" or 20" circular (cir). Adjust needle size if necessary to obtain the correct gauge.
Notions Markers (m); tapestry needle; 12" zipper; sewing thread and needle; 12" x 12" pillow form.
Gauge 20 sts and 19 rows = 4" in patt, blocked.
Finished Size 24" in circumfe rence x 12" wide when pillow is inserted.

Instructions

Knitted Twilight Fade Pillow

With MC and using the long-tail method, CO 114 sts. Place marker (pm) and join for working in the rnd, being careful not to twist sts.
Set-up rnd Purl. Do not break yarn.
Rnd 1 Join CC, knit.
Rnd 2 Purl.
Rnd 3 Change to MC, knit.
Rnd 4 Purl.
Rnd 5 Change to CC, knit.
Rnd 6 Purl, break yarn.
Rnd 7 Change to MC, work elongated st to end of rnd (see Special Stitches).
Rnd 8 Purl, dropping the two extra loops as you work each st.
Rnd 9 Change and join CC, knit.
Rnd 10 Purl.
Rnd 11 Change to MC, knit.
Rnd 12 Purl, break yarn.
Rnd 13 Change to CC, work elongated st to end of rnd.
Rnd 14 Purl, dropping the two extra loops as you work each stitch.
Repeat Rnds 9–14 six more times or until work is about 1" from desired size.
Repeat Rnds 9–12.
Next Rnd Change to MC, knit.
Holding needles parallel with RS facing, BO all sts using the three-needle bind-off method.

Finishing

Weave in any remaining yarn ends. Wet block to your desired size and allow to fully dry. Hand sew zipper to CO edges.

The Spring 2025 issue of Spin Off features the crocheted version of the Twilight Fade Pillow, shown here. Photo by Matt Graves

Find Connie Lee Lynch’s crocheted version of the Twilight Fade Pillow in the Spring 2025 issue of Spin Off.

Kate Larson, editor of Spin Off, teaches handspinning around the country and spends as many hours as life allows in the barn with her beloved flock of Border Leicesters.