My Stars and Stares Eye Pillow appeared in this most recent Knitty. I promised a post about fillings and such, so here it is! Eye pillows can be filled with various stuffings. Each has advantages. Rice is inexpensive, odorless, and retains heat well. However, because of its shape, it may poke through the pillow. This isn't a problem with the Stars and Stares pillow, because of the thickness of the case. Flax Seed is flat and won't poke through the pillow like rice might. When microwaved, it produces a mild scent which I find rather pleasant, though not everyone agrees. Lentils are another smooth choice, smaller and lighter than other legumes. Buckwheat hulls are widely used for full-sized pillows. They are very supportive and would be good stuffing for an ergonomic wrist rest to use with your computer keyboard. When settling into position they make a rustling sound similar to the ocean. For ideas about scented pillows, Aromatherapy.com is an excellent resource. Visit "Mood Blends" for ideas for combinations that are said to produce certain results. Just be sure to cross-check any essential oils you plan to use if you are pregnant or breastfeeding, or have a condition such as epilepsy or high blood pressure. I have only used whole herbs and spices and tea blends, not essential oils. I have seen recommendations for anywhere from 3 - 4 to 15 - 20 drops essential oil in a pillow the size of Stars and Stares. If you want to use your pillow in your yarn stash as a sachet, fill it with moth repellents such as lavender, cedar, peppermint, rosemary, cinnamon sticks, and eucalyptus. Silverfish are said to keep away from citrus, bay leaves, sage, lavender oil, cedar shavings, and whole cloves (not ground!). For use in an eye pillow, you may want to grind your herbs and spices or teas. Put small amounts in a resealable paper tea bag or two and insert into your pillow. More pictures in the next post!
3 Comments
Meredith M C
3/14/2015 07:05:14 am
I love the eye pillow, especially the black and white design. I'm wondering why you designed these to be so tightly knitted to keep the stuffing in instead of using a fabric bag which is then put into the knitted cover. It could make the knitting runner to not have to knit so tight. But maybe the fabric bag idea has some flaws that I haven't thought of?
Reply
That's a great question, and one I gave some thought to while working on Stars and Stares. The answer is that I wanted the pillow to require no sewing whatsoever. If you want to make a fabric bag, you could knit at a more comfortable gauge (or use fingering weight yarn at the same gauge). The foot of a large adult sock works well, and then you would only have to sew one end!
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Meredith MC
3/14/2015 06:38:26 pm
I love the adult sock idea! I will use that idea. Thank you. Your comment will be posted after it is approved.
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