Knitting Patterns – Stash-Busting Hats

Today I thought we’d look at a slightly smaller project than scarves and afghans to focus our stash-busting efforts on: hats. Hats are one accessory that you can make really wild (well, scarves, too, I suppose) and throw lots of different colors together to make something really fun to knit and to wear.

Of course you can throw stripes on any basic hat pattern (I have a kid’s version I did with a bunch of sample balls and an adult’s version done in a particular sequence of stripes) but if you need more visual inspiration here are some more projects to check out.

Lots of basics on the same theme of using big stripes, often broken up with purl ridges, such as the Stash Hat by Christina McNamee, Casey Braden’s Stash Buster, A Colorful Hat for Baby by Amanda Cathleen Morgan and the Scrap-happy Celebration Hat (also kid sized) by Cosette Cornelius-Bates.

Christy Wasson’s Striped & Slouchy Hat and the Destashification Slouch Hat show how simple stripes work in stockinette, and Melody Lisa’s Scrappy Gnome hat brings pixie pride to any member of the family.

The Slip-Stitch Hat by Renee Rico is offered in three different sizes so you can bust stash for every member of your family.

If you have extra bits of sock yarn and don’t want to use them to knit socks, check out Kelly McClure’s cute Sockhead Hat.

Don’t forget that you can use stash on stranded knitting projects, too, like Sheila MacDonald’s Inga Hat or the Scrappy Gems Fair Isle Hat by Tina Edgar. And then there’s Lee Meredith’s Vortex; originally worked in Noro, it would be lovely as a stash buster, too.

Do you have a favorite stash-busting hat pattern? I’d love it if you’d share! Check out this stash-busting knitting book on Amazon.

Looking for more Knitted Beanie patterns? Check out these Knitting patterns we found on Etsy.

Looking to buy your Yarn online? Check out these online yarn specials.

Specific to knitters, you can join our Knitting Patterns Only group to get, well, knitting patterns, ask questions and gain inspiration for what to knit next.

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I know knitting a dress sounds like a major time commitment. And that’s before I even tell you that this particular dress, the Sixth Ave Skater Dress by Briana Luppino, is worked in light fingering weight yarn.

But would you just take a moment to look at it and tell me if it doesn’t look like it would be worth all the time you would spend knitting it? And it’s miles of stockinette stitch so it’s actually beginner friendly and a great semi-mindless knit you can take with you on your travels this summer and wear when it is done.

The dress is worked from the top down with tank straps, a scoop neck, waist shaping and a flowy skirt for a fun and comfortable fit.

The pattern has 10 sizes, with finished bust measurements ranging from 28 to 64 inches, or 71.5 to 163 cm. The sample shown was worked with 4 inches/10 cm of negative ease at the bust, and the designer says most people like between 2 and 6 inches/5 to 15 cm of negative ease in the bust and around 10 inches/25.4 cm positive ease in the hips.

(To refresh your memory, negative ease means the measurement of the garment is smaller than your actual body measurement, while positive ease is bigger than your body.)

To pick a size you’d work from the bust measurement because you can always add more or fewer decreases as you need to get your desired fit at the waist and hips. And because it’s worked from the top down you can try it on as often as you like to make sure it’s the perfect fit.

The I-cord edgings give the dress a super casual feel, and I think this would be a great one to add to your summer rotation. (Yes, even with a wool blend yarn.)

You can see lots of cute finished versions and grab a copy of the pattern for yourself on Ravelry.

[Photo: Briana Luppino]

Book Review – Knitted Tanks and Tunics

How to Knit a Simple Sweater Dress

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