DIY:Crochet pouffe

BushcraftZ 2015

Currently there are many rustic woven, knitted and crochet pouffes, ottomans or foot stools on the market. They are usually quite pricey. I therefore decided to create my own. 
For this project I found a very thick cotton string for a good price at our local market. I do not provide a specific pattern for this pouffe as the basic principles are easy to follow and can be adapted to any size and shape pouffe that one may wish to make. For the base of my pouffe I used a foam cube, however any old pouffe or ottoman can be covered in this manner. A friend suggested that one could also use a plastic crate. In South Africa we call them beer crates and are often used as makeshift seating arrangements. The hard plastic can be padded with foam before slipping over the crochet cover. This would make a great re-purposing project.

Method:

I used thick cotton string, a large crochet hook (15 mm) and a basic solid granny square pattern to crochet the top until I reached the dimensions required for the top of pouffe. (approximately 45cm x 45 cm).

BushcraftZ 2015

The sides were crochet in rounds, (No stitches were increased for the sides.) using basic treble crochet stitches (UK, tr) (US: double crochet, ds) until the sides were long enough so that the required height of the pouffe was reached, (45 cm).

A local foam company was commissioned to cut a high density foam cube 45 cm x 45 cm x 45 cm. This formed the base of the pouffe. The crochet cover was pulled over the foam cube.

BushcraftZ 2015

For the base of the pouffe a 55cm x 55cm square was cut from artificial leather  and stretched over the base of the pouffe by pushing the overhanging sides between the crochet cover and the foam. The base was attached to the crochet cover by stitching it in place using a thinner cotton string in the same colour.

BushcraftZ 2015