Zippy Foot Pouf

Loom Knitting Advent, day 24 of brings you a wonderful addition to your home decor: the Zippy Foot Pouf!

Designed by Bethany Dailey

I have always loved the look of those oversized knitted foot poufs that seem to fairly scream, “I’m cushy and soft, and your house will be so much more cozy with me in it!”  Well, as soon as the Zippy looms came into being, I knew that recreating one of those adorable foot stools was now a possibility!  Another fun thing about this project is that it will give you the opportunity to put those tired linens you may have hanging around your house to good use…what a terrific way to upcycle, right?

Materials

Knitting loom:  (5) Zippys and connectors (or 20 peg equivalent if using the Zippy Corners).

Yarn:  Red Heart Grande (46 yrds per skein), super bulky #6 weight: approx 9 skeins (in color: currant)  **Note: this yarn is very bulky for a #6…almost rope-like.  If you substitute a yarn of a thinner width, you’ll possibly need to hold 2 strands as one throughout to get the desired thickness for the project.

Notions:  loom tool, 6.5mm crochet hook (for cast on and help with possible missed stitches, etc), scissors, wide eye yarn needle, row counter, knitting pins,  removeable stitch markers or bits of scrap yarn, one large decorative button (if desired), stuffing of choice (see Pattern Notes for more details on this).

Gauge: 6 stitches and 9.5 rows per 4”

Pouf Measurements: (**All measurements given are before stuffing…once the item is stuffed firmly the measurements will inflate.)

Circumference: approx 62.75″

Diameter approx :20″

Height: approx 13.5″

Skills Needed: U-Stitch, E-wrap, Purl, Slip, Wrap & Turn,  CO of your choice, and Basic BO, Seaming Skills.

Abbreviations: 

CO=cast on

S1=slip one stitch (do not knit it, carry working yarn behind peg)

K=knit (pattern uses U-stitch)

P=purl stitch

KO=knit off

St(s)=stitches

WY=working yarn

W&T=wrap & turn (Remove the loop from the peg and hold it. With working yarn, simply wrap around the peg, then place the loop back on the peg.)

BO=Bind off

Pattern Notes:

As this is working with very large pegs, knit with a snug (yet not too tight) tension throughout.  Using the U-stitch as knits helps achieve a fabric that is not too holey for your finished pouf.

Notes on Stuffing: This project allows you to use those tired, worn out linens, duvets, and pillows you may have lying around the house, but don’t have a use for. If you are quicker than me about destashing cupboards and don’t already have these items, lol, a trip to the second hand store of your choice would be a very inexpensive way to aquire a good selection.  Make sure that you have laundered all items before using to stuff your pouf. You will need a pretty good stack of sheets, blankets, etc, to get a firm pouf that will easily support your feet.  The sample uses 2 fiberfill pillows propped up on their sides and rolled together in the center, with all the blankets and sheets wrapped evenly around them to fill out the pouf.

Video Tutorials and Web Tools:

Working with the Half Hitch:  https://youtu.be/a8aWyT4sc4w

Working a Wrap & Turn: https://youtu.be/5e3J0fuYz-U  (shown at 2:20 in tutorial)

INSTRUCTIONS

Top & Bottom:  (Make 2)

Connect 3 Zippy looms together for a total of 12 pegs.  CO to all 12 pegs.

Prepare to create a series of 8 short row wedges.

Step 1:  S1, K1, W&T peg 3.

Step 2:  K2 back to peg 1.

Step 3:  S1, K2 (KO 2 over 1 on peg with 2 loops), W&T peg 4.

Step 4:  K3 back to peg 1.

Step 5:  S1, K3 (KO 2 over 1 on peg with 2 loops), W&T peg 5.

Step 6:  K4 back to peg 1.

Step 7:  S1, K4 (KO 2 over 1 on peg with 2 loops), W&T peg 6.

Step 8:  K5 back to peg 1.

Step 9:  S1, K5 (KO 2 over 1 on peg with 2 loops), W&T peg 7.

Step 10:  K6 back to peg 1.

Step 11:  S1, K6 (KO 2 over 1 on peg with 2 loops), W&T peg 8.

Step 12:  K7 back to peg 1.

Step 13:  S1, K7 (KO 2 over 1 on peg with 2 loops), W&T peg 9.

Step 14:  K8 back to peg 1.

Step 15:  S1, K8 (KO 2 over 1 on peg with 2 loops), W&T peg 10.

Step 16:  K9 back to peg 1.

Step 17:  S1, K9 (KO 2 over 1 on peg with 2 loops), W&T peg 11.

Step 18:  K10 back to peg 1.

Step 19:  S1, K10 (KO 2 over 1 on peg with 2 loops), W&T peg 12.

Step 20:  K11 back to peg 1.

Step 21:  S1, K11 (on 12^th peg KO 2 sts over 1).

Step 22:  S1, P10, K1.

Repeat Steps 1-22 seven more times to create a total of 8 wedges– except on Step 22 of 8^th wedge.

Step 22 of 8^th Wedge:  This will be the BO row.  Use the BBO, but purl all sts, rather than knitting them as follows:

• Slip peg 12, purl peg 11,
• Move loop from peg 11 to peg 12, KO,
• Move loop back to peg 11,
• Purl peg 10,
• Move loop from peg 10 to peg 11, KO,
• Move loop back to peg 10…
• Repeat steps until last loop has been bound off,
• Leave any length of yarn in place without cutting…this will be used during the assembly of the pouf later.

Using yarn tail, seam up BO and CO edges, moving toward the center of circle.  Gather the loose stitches at the inside of center and cinch tightly.  Knot and trim.  If desired, a large, decorative button can be sewn to the circle which will be the top of the pouf.

To achieve a flat and uniform shape, block circles lightly.

Sides:

Connect 5 Zippy looms together for a total of 20 pegs (alternatively, 4 Zippy looms and 4 corners could also be used).  CO to all 20 pegs to work as a flat panel.

Rows 1-17: Repeat the following 2 row pattern (Row 17 ends with A):

A- K1, P1, K1, P1, K12, P1, K1, P1, K1.

B- K2, P1, K1, P1, K10, P1, K1, P1, K2.

Row 18:  Work Row B above, but on the first and last loop of the row, add either a removable stitch marker, or a small piece of scrap yarn as a place holder.

Repeat Rows 1-18 seven more times. (144 rows total)

BBO all sts.  Leave a long tail for seaming sides together.

Finishing:

Stitch the CO edge to the BO edge. (Sample uses mattress stitch, but feel free to use the seaming technique most comfortable.)

Using the knitting pins, secure the bottom of the pouf to the sides.  Match the markers used on each 18th row of the sides to the long lines of the pouf. This will aid in keeping the pieces lined up correctly while seaming.  Using the long BO tails, seam the bottom to the sides.

Begin adding the stuffing to the pouf (see Pattern Notes for more instructions).  Start with the rolled, on-edge pillows, then wrap blankets and sheets, etc snuggly around them.  Keep building from the bottom to the top, until even with the pillows’ top edges.  Keep pulling the sides and bottom of the pouf up around the stuffing to create a firm base and sides.  The idea is to create a firm cylinder of stuffing that doesn’t bulge outward when pushed down upon.

Repeat the same procedure with the top piece of the pouf as used for seaming the bottom.  Stop before seaming all the way to adjust stuffing as necessary, or to add additional items to fill out pouf.  Once the pouf is smoothly stuffed, complete the seaming process.  Pull all tails to the inside.

Now, pull up a chair, grab your favorite read, and …

ZZZZZzzzzzzzzzzzzzz….