Another Great Shawl to Use Your Leftovers

I am always a fan of stash busting projects that allow you to use all the little bits and pieces left from other projects or the balls of yarn you just aren’t sure what to do with. And if you can use a fun technique along the way, so much the better.

ChiWei Ranck’s Natural Bridges Shawl is a pattern like that. It uses a bunch of bits of fingering/sock weight yarn melded together with garter stitch intarsia.

This is a variation of a pattern called Natural Formations, which is a scarf design by Ann-Marie Baker. This design makes a mini triangular shawl, and ChiWei’s design combines two of these little shawls into a bigger project, bridging them together.

You’ll need the original Natural Formations pattern to make this project. It’s available on Ravelry, and the instructions for making the bigger version are available as a free download.

It’s so fun to me to see people take a different spin on a project or technique and make a very different looking project. I love the bigger version but the mini scarf by itself is cute, too. You could make a small one to use in spring and summer and then make a bigger one for colder weather.

Either way, you’ll be able to use lots of leftovers or mini skeins. The original scarf used six minis, and Natural Bridges uses six for each scarf half and six more for the bridge, so 18 mini skeins or leftovers from other projects can be used, which sounds pretty great to me.

I love the scrappy look of this project, and even though the original was planned to use specific mini skeins, it’s a great way to use up bits of stash or those advent calendar minis you never know what to do with. A couple of bold colors thrown in with a more muted palette is a lot of fun, or you could even do it in tonal shades if you have lots of leftovers in similar colors.

[Photo: ChiWei Ranck]

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I have two cats, and I have always wanted to make them some kind of cat bed. But I also feel like they would completely ignore it, so I would be better off spending my knitting time on someone who I know will appreciate it (me). If you want to give it a try, though, here are some cute pet beds to knit for cats, small dogs, and maybe even some bigger dogs.

My favorite of the ones I came across in writing this post is the Capiti knit cave that looks like a cat. This one is from Ursule Knits, and from the pattern description it sounds like it is lightly felted by hand to make it stand up, so you need to use wool to make it. It calls for DK weight but I’m sure worsted would work, too.

The Maya Cat Cave is another cute cave-like project. Designed by Lavi V and using super bulky yarn, it’s like a purpose-made sack for your kitty to hang out in. It uses a metal ring (like you might use to make a dreamcatcher) to make the opening sturdy. You can find this one on Ravelry.

If you don’t want to be quite as literal as a cave, this pet bed nest from Monique Rae is another good choice. This one is flat on the bottom with short sides. It uses two strands of worsted weight yarn held together and comes in six sizes for a range of cats and dogs to be cozy in.

This circular cat bed knitting pattern from Ginger Purl is cute and easy to knit if you’re familiar with knitting flat circle. This one is striped, which is a great reminder that cats don’t care what color their bed is, so you might as well use leftover yarn on it.

I am a little skeptical that this pet bed that’s made with roving and arm knitting will look as good once an animal has seen it, but it is a cute and quick project (and you could just use it as a basket that kitty is allowed to get in rather than a dedicated space). The pattern is from Wools by Nicky and includes a video tutorial if you’re new to arm knitting.

If you’d rather knit a blanket for the dog or cat in your life, check out the Ziggy Zag Pet Blanket by Paws and Purls Knits. This pretty reversible blanket comes in five sizes for various pets, and if you make it in washable yarn it’s the perfect thing for your furry friend to cuddle with.

Or if you have a pet who will submit to a hood, I love this hooded pet blanket from Yarnspirations. Using Bernat Blanket yarn, it’s super cozy (and bright!) and pretty easy to knit as it’s all worked in one piece. The pattern only has one size but it’s just a rectangle with a hood so you could probably adjust it pretty easily for the size of your pet.

7 Knitting Patterns For Your Pet

Book Review: Knitting with Dog Hair

Knitting News: Knitting More than Your Bit, Knitting for Pets and More

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