Off the hook...linen stitch crochet cushion

Never try to photograph a cushion on the floor with a daft dog in the room. Riley really likes to be in on everything. 'Cushion, floor, ah, is that for me?' Plonk.

Actually it's quite difficult to photograph a cushion in situ when everyone is sprawled out on sofas ready for a Saturday afternoon family Netflix fest. It's so rare that we are all at home at the same time on a weekend these days. A good film is also the only thing (apart from meal times) that will coax J out of his room.

I think this is the first linen stitch project I've ever done. It's so simple but I love the texture. I used two rows of each colour. I'm sure it would be interesting to experiment with variations and even a one colour piece would produce a nice texture.

I wimped out on making a button closure. This envelope construction is so quick and easy. I used the last of two lovely plain wool blankets I picked up for £2 each. This new cushion ties in well with those just made with the blankets alone. Now all I have to do is keep the animals off it! Riley has a rather naughty habit which involves helping himself to a sofa, knocking all the cushions flat and then shuffling them into a nest and finally crashing out on top of them. He did that the very first day we brought him home and we all thought it was cute, adorable and very funny. It's slightly less funny now!