Saw the single skein in a charity shop and decided it was what I wanted to make a cover for cherry stone pollow I boght a friend for Christmas. I cast the bottom as for a toe-up sock so as not to have to seam and was kniting in the round.
On the sides I had ribbing with some cable (nautical theme!). Bottom 5cm and top 5 were alternating dotted rib from Knitting Stitches Visual Encyclopedia. It is rather misleadingly called rib as it does not really pull in but gived a slightly aptterned texture that is very pleasing. Then I switched central panel to an anchor against reverse stockinette stich background on each side of the pillow cover. The anchors I borrowed from a dishcloth pattern http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/anchors-away-dish.... When I reached the top of the pillow I cast off in i-cord bind-off for one side and carried on with the flap adding some button-holes before casting off in a 3-stitch i-cord again.
This is the first design I ever put together myself and was really proud to put it on the pillow when I got home (I knit it all when I was on holiday) and see that it fit. Yay!