Two things I’m loving this spring: the Bean Stitch, and accent pillows!

So, to make this free pattern I combined the Bean Stitch with a classic ribbing to create this beautiful pillow. Vanna’s Choice in “Linen” and “Graphite” come together to give it that rustic-modern look that is always a winner to me.

Once you get the hang of the Bean Stitch, this pillow works up quick. I made it in two days while watching Nashville reruns during my son’s naps… and he’s a catnapper (UGH), so I think that’s pretty impressive! (Any of you other mamas who’ve had catnappers, I know you’re feeling my pain right now. Seriously, my laundry piles are sky high and we’ve had pizza for dinner one too many times this month. Good thing he’s cute!)

Scroll down for the free pattern, or Klik hier voor de Nederlandse vertaling (Dutch translation). (Nederlandse vertaling gemaakt door Rita van Someren voor Haken voor Iedereen en Summerday’s Creations. Dit patroon mag niet in andere groepen, websites, blogs etc. gedeeld worden.)

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BEAN STITCH ACCENT PILLOW

Level: Easyish

Size: 11.5″ x 11.5″ (stretches to fit a 12″ square pillow insert)

Hooks: I (5.5mm) and H (5.0mm)

Yarn: I used about 275 yards of Vanna’s Choice (from Lion Brand), a #4 aran weight yarn. The breakdown is as follows:

COLOR A (ribbing): Vanna’s Choice “Linen” (about 75 yards)
COLOR B (main section): Vanna’s Choice “Graphite” (about 200 yards)

You’ll also need: Yarn needle for weaving in ends, 12″ pillow insert

Gauge: Your 15 rows of ribbing (as instructed in the “first ribbing” section of the pattern) should measure about 4″ unstretched.

Abbreviations Used:
   ST/STS (stitch/stitches)
SL ST (slip stitch)
SK (skip)
CH (chain)
SC (single crochet)
BLO (back loops only)

Special Stitch:

Bean Stitch – Insert hook into stitch, yarn over and pull through (2 loops on hook). Yarn over, insert hook into same stitch, yarn over and pull through (4 loops on hook). Yarn over, insert hook into same stitch, yarn over and pull through (6 loops on hook). Yarn over and pull through all 6 loops. Chain 1 to close the stitch.

Notes:
(1) This pattern is written in American Standard Terms.
(2) Starting CHs do not count as stitches.
(3) Make 2.
(4) Each side of the pillow is worked in one piece (with color changes). In other words, the second ribbing section is not created and sewn on separately. Once both sides of the pillow are complete, you will follow the instructions to sew them together with your pillow insert inside.
(5) A Dutch translation is available here. Nederlandse vertaling gemaakt door Rita van Someren voor Haken voor Iedereen en Summerday’s Creations. Dit patroon mag niet in andere groepen, websites, blogs etc. gedeeld worden.

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SECTION 1: FIRST RIBBING

To begin: With larger hook and COLOR A, CH9.

Row 1: SC in 2nd CH from hook and in each remaining CH. (8)

Rows 2-40:  CH1, turn. SC in 1st ST. SC in BLO of each of the next 6 STS. SC in last ST. (8)

– – – – – – – – –

SECTION 2: BODY OF PILLOW

Body, Row 1: CH1, do not turn. SC evenly down the long edge of the ribbing, putting 1SC in each ribbing row (each peak and each valley). (40)

Switch to COLOR B, fasten off previous color.

Row 2: CH1, turn. SC in each ST across. (40)

Note: At this point we will begin using the Bean Stitch. The bulkiness of this stitch might cause you to unintentionally loosen your tension significantly. To rectify this, you can switch to a smaller hook size. The ribbing will stretch around the pillow so it is not imperative that your bean stitch rows be exactly the same length as your strip of ribbing, but you will want to measure a bean stitch row every so often to make sure you aren’t crocheting the beans so loosely that the length is more than 11.5″. If it is, you’ll want to lower your hook size even more.

Rows 3-22: CH1, turn. SK 1st ST, BEAN STITCH in next ST. (SK next ST, BEAN STITCH in next ST) across. (40, or 20 bean stitches)

Note: If you switched to a lower hook size for rows 3-22, you can switch back to your first hook size now.

Row 23: CH1, turn. SC in each ST across. (40)

Switch to COLOR A, fasten off previous color.

Row 24: CH1, turn. SC in each ST across. (40)

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SECTION 3: LAST RIBBING

In this section, we will be creating the second ribbing by making vertical ribs and attaching them with slip stitches to the last row of the body as we go. We’ll be referring to “Row 24” quite a bit; that’s the last row of the body of the pillow we completed, and that’s what the ribbing will be attaching to. 

With hook still in your last stitch from Row 24, CH9.

Last Ribbing, Row 1: Turn work and SC in 2nd CH from hook and in each remaining CH (Fig. A). SL ST in the first SC of Row 24, then SL ST in the next SC of Row 24 as well (Fig. B). (8, plus the 2 SL STS along Row 24)

Row 2: CH1, turn. Skipping over the 2 SL STS you put in Row 24 (Fig. C), SC in BLO of each of the first 7 STS of the ribbing. SC in final ST (Fig. D). (8)

Row 3: CH1, turn. SC in first ST of ribbing. SC in BLO of each of the next 7 STS of ribbing. SL ST in each of the next 2 STS of Row 24 (Fig. E). (8, plus the 2 SL STS along Row 24)

Row 4: CH1, turn. Skipping over the 2 SL STS you put in Row 24, SC in BLO of each of the first 7 STS of the ribbing. SC in final ST. (8)

Repeat Rows 3-4 all the way along Row 24 (See Fig. F for a progress photo). You should end up with 40 rows of ribbing, which is the number of stitches in Row 2

Do not fasten off, but do take a moment to weave in your other ends, then proceed to Edging.

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EDGING

We need to put 40 STS along each edge of our square, and to keep it looking really nice, we’re going to edge each section in its own color. Continuing with COLOR A, CH1. SC evenly down the long edge of the ribbing, putting 1SC in each ribbing row (each peak and each valley) for 40 SC. CH1 to round the corner, then proceed to next edge. SC in each of the first 9 STS (8 ribbing stitches + Row 1 of the body). Attach COLOR B (Fig. G). (Note: You can decide if you want to carry the color you aren’t using behind the current color, or fasten it off and reattach it at the next appropriate section. I carried mine.) SC along the BEAN STITCH section of the pillow, putting 1SC in each BEAN STITCH row for a total of 20 SC. SC in the final row of COLOR B (Row 23, the row of single crochet). Switch to COLOR A. Complete 9 more SC to finish the edge, then CH1 to round the corner. Repeat the process for edges 3 & 4, then join with a SL ST to the top of the first SC.

Fasten off and weave in all ends.

– – – – – – – – –

SEWING THEM TOGETHER

Keeping your pillow insert handy, hold the two piece together exactly how you want them to be arranged on the pillow. Pick a spot on the edging that is the beginning of a COLOR A section, and attach COLOR A through the same stitch on both pieces (Fig. H). CH1, then SL ST evenly through both layers around the entire COLOR A section (Fig. I), putting (SC, CH1, SC) in each corner. When you come to the COLOR B section, attach COLOR B and fasten off COLOR A (or carry it along if you prefer) and continue. Once you’ve completed about 3/4 of the perimeter of the pillow, stuff your pillow insert inside (Fig. J). Continue to SC the rest of the way around. Join with a SL ST to the first SC.  Fasten off and weave in ends.

When I was choosing the theme for my newest little monkey’s nursery, I fell in love with this gorgeous navy, gray and green bedding set. In the spirit of keeping things simple and inexpensive, I bought the bed skirt and some off-brand coordinating sheets and changing pad covers. I wanted to add an accent pillow for the rocker to help tie everything together, but the pillow that came with the set was $52.

FIFTY-TWO DOLLARS.

It was really cute, but who has that much money to spend on a decorative pillow? So instead, after making Henry’s Baby Blanket in his nursery colors, I decided to just make a coordinating pillow. I’m giving you the pattern for it today!

As you can see, the pillow only includes 2 color blocks (as opposed to Henry’s Baby Blanket, which uses 3 different colors of blocks). There just wasn’t room for 3 of them on a 12″ pillow without them being reeeaaally skinny. I opted to leave out the green color simply because I figure that when Henry grows out of his nursery, the pillow will be easier to coordinate with a different decor later if it doesn’t have the green in it.

So, if you’re making the baby blanket for someone in their chosen nursery colors, now you can blow them away with a coordinating accent pillow!

Prefer a PDF?

This pattern can be completed using the 100% free version right here on this page. However, many people prefer the convenience of a printable, ad-free PDF.

All-Access Passholders get the ad-free version of this and all of my other blog patterns. It’s a pretty sweet deal, if I do say so myself! Learn more about it here or continuing scrolling for the free version.

HENRY’S ACCENT PILLOW

Level: Easyish

Size: 11″ x 11″ (stretches to fit a 12″ square pillow insert)

Hook: H (5.0mm)

Yarn: I used about 325 yards of Cascade Longwood (from Jimmy Beans Wool), a lighter #4 worsted weight yarn. Here’s my breakdown, and the colors as assigned in the pattern:

COLOR A (White): Cascade Longwood – 01 White (about 135 yards)
COLOR B (Gray): Cascade Longwood – 02 Frost Gray (about 95 yards)
COLOR C (Navy): Cascade Longwood – 40 Midnight (about 95 yards)

You’ll also need: Yarn needle for weaving in ends, 12″ pillow insert

Gauge: 11 rows of ribbing (as instructed in the “first ribbing” section of the pattern) should measure 2.5″.

Abbreviations Used:
   ST/STS (stitch/stitches)
SL ST (slip stitch)
SK (skip)
CH (chain)
SC (single crochet)
HDC (half double crochet)
   SC+HDC (this just means to put a single crochet and a half double crochet in the same stitch)
HHDC (herringbone half double crochet; see “special stitch” below)
BLO (back loops only)

Special Stitch:
HHDC – Herringbone Half Double Crochet. Here’s how you do it:

HHDC: Yarn over, insert hook into stitch. Yarn over, pull loop through stitch AND through first loop on hook (this is similar to a slip stitch motion). Two loops remain on hook. Yarn over and pull through both loops.

(If you need additional help, Moogly has an excellent video tutorial here. Please note that while her video considers the CH2 at the beginning of rows as a stitch, the pattern below does not.)

Notes:
(1) This pattern is written in American Standard Terms.
(2) Starting CHs do not count as stitches.
(3) Pillow is worked in one piece (with color changes). In other words, the ribbing at the bottom is not created and sewn on separately.
(4) You need to make 2. I switched the colors for the color block sections on the second side so that the sides of the pillow would be slightly different (on one side, the herringbone section is gray and the SC+HDC combo section is navy, and vice versa on the other side).

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

SECTION 1: FIRST RIBBING

To begin: With COLOR A (white), CH9.

Row 1: SC in 2nd CH from hook and in each remaining CH. (8)

Rows 2-48:  CH1, turn. SC in BLO of each ST across. (8)

– – – – – – – – –

SECTION 2: BODY OF PILLOW

Body, Row 1: CH1, do not turn. SC evenly down the long edge of the ribbing, putting 1SC in each ribbing row (each peak and each valley). (48)

Switch to COLOR B (gray), fasten off previous color.

Row 2: CH1, turn. SC in each ST across. (48)

Rows 3-12: CH1, turn. HDC in 1st ST. (SK next ST, SC+HDC in next ST) across until 1 ST remains. SC in remaining ST. (48)

Row 13: CH1, turn. SC in each ST across. (48)

Switch to COLOR A (white), fasten off previous color.

Rows 14-15: CH1, turn. SC in each ST across. (48)

Switch to COLOR C (navy), fasten off previous color.

Row 16: CH1, turn. SC in each ST across. (48)

Rows 17-26: CH1, turn. HHDC in each ST across. (48)

Row 27: CH1, turn. SC in each ST across. (48)

Switch to COLOR A (white), fasten off previous color.

Row 28: CH1, turn. SC in each ST across. (48)

– – – – – – – – –

SECTION 3: LAST RIBBING

In this section, we will be creating the second ribbing by making vertical ribs and attaching them with slip stitches to the last row of the body as we go. We’ll be referring to “Row 28” quite a bit; that’s the last row of the body of the pillow we completed, and that’s what the ribbing will be attaching to. 

With hook still in your last stitch from Row 28, CH9.

Last Ribbing, Row 1: Turn work and SC in 2nd CH from hook and in each remaining CH. SL ST in the first SC of Row 28, then SL ST in the next SC of Row 28 as well. (8, plus the 2 SL STS along Row 28)

Row 2: CH1, turn. Skipping over the 2 SL STS you put in Row 28, SC in BLO of each of the 8 STS of the ribbing to create another row of ribbing. (8)

Row 3: CH1, turn. SC in BLO of each of the 8 STS of the ribbing to create another row of ribbing. SL ST in each of the next 2 STS of Row 28. (8, plus the 2 SL STS along Row 28)

Row 4: CH1, turn. Skipping over the 2 SL STS you put in Row 28, SC in BLO of each of the 8 STS of the ribbing to create another row of ribbing. (8)

Repeat Rows 3-4 all the way along Row 28. (You should end up with 48 rows of ribbing, which is the number of stitches in Row 28).

– – – – – – – – –

EDGING

Explanation: We need to put a SC edging around the entire pillow. Ideally, we want this to be a perfect square, so we need to make sure that we are putting 48 stitches along each side. The sides with the ribbing are easy; there are 48 rows of ribbing, so we’ll just put 1 stitch in each ribbing row (each peak and each valley). The other two sides are comprised of 44 rows (28 rows in the body + 8 stitches in each ribbing section), so we need to make sure we’re adding 4 stitches to get to 48. To do that, we’ll put 1 SC in each row of the pattern (including one in each of the 8 ribbing stitches) except for the color blocks. The color blocks are each 12 rows tall, so we’re going to put 14 stitches along each color block (just eyeball it the best you can). To get around corners, we’ll simply chain 1.

Here’s a visual:

So, to do this, keep your hook in the final stitch you completed in the second ribbing section. CH1, and SC evenly around the entire piece according to the directions above. When you get back to the beginning, join with a SL ST to the first SC you made.

Fasten off and weave in all ends.

– – – – – – – – –

SEWING THEM TOGETHER

Keeping your pillow insert handy, hold the two piece together exactly how you want them to be arranged on the pillow. Pick a spot on the edging and join COLOR A through the same stitch on both pieces. CH1, then SC evenly through both layers around the entire pillow, putting (SC, CH1, SC) in each corner. Once you’ve completed about 3/4 of the perimeter, stuff your pillow insert inside. Continue to SC the rest of the way around. Join with a SL ST to the first SC.  Fasten off and weave in ends.