2020 is the Year of Using Your Stash

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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I hadn’t heard of Laura Sebastian’s fantasy series Castles in Their Bones until I stumbled upon Mary P. Hunt’s knitting patterns inspired by the series, but if you’re already a fan (of this series in particular or fantasy in general) you’re sure to enjoy these designs.

The book series, in case you’re curious, follows triplet princesses who each marry a prince on their 16th birthday as part of their mother’s master plan to take over the whole continent of Vesteria. (Thanks, GoodReads!)

I don’t know how I found the (all these links ahead are to Ravelry, FYI) Star-Touched Hat knitting pattern, but it was the first one I saw. There’s also a coordinating cowl and mittens if you want to complete the full set.

All of them prominently feature stars and have a sort of Art Deco feel. They call for DK weight yarn in two colors, so you could make them all to match or use different colors for each.

The hat comes in five sizes, ranging in circumference from 18.5 to 22.3 inches (or 47 to 57 cm). It can be worked with a short brim or a folded brim.

The mittens come in small and large adult sizes, with extended sizes for both (more length is included in the extended sizes). These feature a cool Latvian braid at the top of the cuff, which is a fun skill to learn.

And the cowl is one size, on the smaller side as cowls go, measuring about 13.5 inches/34.5 cm tall and 26 inches/66 cm around.

The designer suggests you can hold a bit of metallic thread along with your yarn to give it more of a sparkly, regal, celestial feel, but that’s totally up to you!

As mentioned above you can get all of these patterns on Ravelry. As of this writing there doesn’t seem to be a discount from buying all three, but maybe that will change.

[Photo: Mary P. Hunt]

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