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2020 is the Year of Using Your Stash

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Happy new year! As we work on our resolutions and goals for the year (and decade!) to come, I see a lot of people talking about using their stash and not buying new yarn/supplies while they have things they can use at home.

(I actually have a whole website devoted to this idea, so as you can imagine, I’m totally in.)

There are some knitters out there who are trying to help the rest of us get through our stashes, such as Amanda Scott (browngyrlknits on Instagram) who posted her stash down 2020 guidelines in November. She suggested doing a yarn inventory and making a list of patterns before the end of the year, but better late(ish) than never, right?

I also saw Julie Ann from Twin Stitches Designs is teaming up with the Crazy Sock Lady to host a stash busters knitalong, with different project themes for each quarter (Q1 is socks).

And speaking of socks, extermiknit is doing a year of scrappy socks knitalong, with the first quarter beign represented by the theme of color.

Do you have plans to use your yarn stash this year? I’d love to hear about it!

[Photo: BrownGyrlKnits via Instagram.]

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Beyond Basic Pumpkin Knitting Patterns

Over the years I have shared a lot of pumpkin knitting patterns, and I’ve knit and crocheted a lot of pumpkins myself. But it feels like there are always more fun things to try with knit pumpkins, so this year I wanted to look a little more beyond basic stockinette or ribbed pumpkins and share some pumpkin patterns with cables, bobbles and colorwork. 

In the cable collection we’ve got these cute little basic cable and ribbed pumpkins from Elly Bear Knits. There are two sizes that make a wide, flat pumpkin and a taller round pumpkin. Both are worked in the round as a tube that’s cinched top and bottom when you’re done, and they use bulky weight yarn. 

Another cute cable pumpkin knitting pattern comes from Gray Bear Akswokrat. This one is knit flat and it looks like a chunky yarn but you could use other weights to make pumpkins of different sizes. This one also has an I-cord stem and uses yarn to cinch up the sections of the pumpkin, giving it a more natural look. 

Add some bobbles to your pumpkins with this design from Autumn Shelter Makes. Also worked in the round in a tube, it features a repeating pattern of bobbles and uses yarn wrapped around the outside to make segments. This one looks like worsted weight yarn to me. 

Of course there’s nothing that says your pumpkin has to be a single color, so let’s throw in some colorwork. I love the look of the Cozy Fall Pumpkin knitting pattern from South Stitch Girls. The little leather loop adds a rustic touch but you could also just add a stick. These pumpkins have five colorwork options and are worked in worsted weight yarn in the round. 

There’s also the Autumn Fair Isle Trio pumpkins pattern from Equestriann Style, which has three different sizes of pumpkins with four colorwork designs. They are worked in super bulky yarn in the round and look good with high contrast or more muted color combinations.