Knit Rainbow Pouf

This is an extremely quick and simple project if you already know the very basics of knitting. All you have to know for this is how to cast on, knit, and cast off! That's it! This can be worked up over a weekend.

What's great about this project is that you can fill it with things you'd otherwise get rid of. If you have clothing or blankets or towels or anything cloth/stuffing-related that you'd want to toss, stuff it into this pouf. For this pouf, I used an old comforter.

6 balls of Lion Brand Hometown Yarn:
Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Purple

8mm or larger pair of circular knitting needles.

You can make this any size you want so adapt this method to your preferred sized pouf.

I cast on 100.

I planned on making the stripes vertical so I did not work in the round. I worked a flat piece. However, if you want horizontal stripes like how mine ended up you can join after you cast-on and work in rounds so you don't have to sew. Whatever you're comfortable with! A flat piece is probably easier for beginners.

If you work a flat piece, knit every row.
If you work in-the-round, alternate knit and purl every round.

If you work flat, when you change colors at the end of each row leave long tails and knot together. You can use these tails to seamlessly stitch everything together in the end.

One side will be defined lines and the other will give the illusion of almost fading between colors.

Continue the pattern below until your pouf is as tall as you want it to be but keep in mind this pouf will have a LOT of stretch! I did 2 entire rainbow sections (plus a little bit into orange again)

The pattern is as follows:
(Chart also included in pictures and as a PDF)
4 rounds Red
2 rounds Orange
2 rounds Red
4 rounds Orange
2 rounds Yellow
2 rounds Orange
4 rounds Yellow
2 rounds Green
2 rounds Yellow
4 rounds Green
2 rounds Blue
2 rounds Green
4 rounds Blue
2 rounds Purple
2 rounds Blue
4 rounds Purple
2 rounds Red
2 rounds Purple
repeat.

When you have made your pouf as big as you need, cast-off and leave an extra long tail

If you made yours in the round you don't have to worry about sewing the sides.

If you made it flat, you can easily sew the sides closed by matching the rows up right sides together. You can use a big darning needle to sew or a crochet hook to pull the yarn through. I found it easier to use a crochet hook instead of threading the needle for every color change.

Use the tails and work at least one stitch through each row of the matching color to make a seamless round.

Regardless of making it flat or in the round you'll need to close the top and bottom. Use your darning needle for this part and weave the tail from the cast-off side through every few stitches. At the end you can pull tight and close. You will likely have a small opening remaining. You can decrease the size of this hole by increasing the space between stitches when you go around with the tail. I am ok with the hole. If you want, you could cover the hole by stitching lines decoratively across or use a patch of knit or a piece of fabric and sew it into place from the inside.

Use poly-fil if you want but I really love using random stuff I have in the house. I chose an old Queen comforter. I like the heft, the shape it keeps, and its sturdiness. Another fantastic option is cheap pillows. You can find pillows as cheap as a few bucks each and you'd need 2-3 which ends up cheaper than polyfil.

Stuff it really well and then cut a length of yarn to sew up the top like you did to the bottom. I didn't want to make my pouf permanently sewn up so I chose to make a slip knot and tuck it back inside. If for some reason I need my comforter back or want to put something else in there, I can.

Your pouf will probably be a really funky shape at this point, so have fun smashing it into a better shape.

Now you have a really cool handmade pouf to enjoy. This can be used as a footrest or a little floor seat. I made mine small enough to fit under the desk to put my feet on. I can smash it down on the side into a flatter shape and sit comfortably at my desk with it.