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Are You Ready for Some Stash Busting?

January 8, 2014 by Sarah White

stash busting As I’ve been reading the comments on this week’s giveaway about crafty resolutions, I noticed that a lot of people want to finish more projects and work from their stash. I can’t help you much with the finishing (I’m the worst when it comes to UFOs), but it occurs to me that I can help with motivating you and inspiring you to use more of your stash.

So, starting today and on through the rest of the month, I’m going to be focusing a lot on how to organize your odd balls and skeins, sharing projects you can make with a little or a lot of your stash, and helping you store yarn and keep your stash more under control in the future. I hope.

Through this process I hope you’ll share with me how it’s going, what you’re working on or how you intend to use your stash in the future. This should be a lot of fun!

To get started, go to the dark places in your house where you keep your stash and get as much of it in one place as you can. This may be the hardest part, just seeing it all together and trying to figure out how to sort it and what to do with it. Don’t worry, I’ll be with you every step of the way.

Who’s with me? I’ll bet most of our stashes could use a spring (even though it’s still winter or summer) cleaning.

Stash Busting? Try Knitting a Zero-Waste Shawl

Stash Busting with Knitted Toys

Getting Started Stash Busting: Whats in There?

Wrapping up Stash-Busting Month

 

 

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Comments

  1. Carmen in WI says

    January 8, 2014 at 1:34 pm

    One of my favorite ways to stash-bust is to join a KAL (knit-along; or CAL/crochet-a-long) and resolve to only use yarn that is already in my stash. I’ve also used up a few leftover skeins by making hats which I plan to donate to charity.

  2. Helen says

    January 8, 2014 at 1:39 pm

    Eeek I really need to do this! :/

  3. Leslie says

    January 8, 2014 at 1:43 pm

    I’m ready! My stuff is hiding in different places around the house…. this way my other half doesn’t know how much i have. 😉

  4. Muireann says

    January 8, 2014 at 1:50 pm

    Perfect, I look forward to seeing your posts!

  5. Rhonda says

    January 8, 2014 at 2:13 pm

    I’m with you!

  6. becky says

    January 8, 2014 at 2:40 pm

    I’m in!

  7. Mel says

    January 8, 2014 at 2:45 pm

    I’m in! I promised the hubs I won’t buy any more yarn until I use what I have stashed in my craft room…and the garage lol

  8. Dina aka Bossymamma says

    January 8, 2014 at 2:50 pm

    I’ve been working through my stash – particularly ends of balls – for about three months. As soon as I clear some, a friend gives me more! I have been knitting squares, scarves and hats for Syrian refugees.

  9. Lisa says

    January 8, 2014 at 3:02 pm

    I’m in too!

  10. Peggy Coffey says

    January 8, 2014 at 4:50 pm

    I also told my husband I wouldn’t buy any new yarn until I made a dent in my stash. I have lots of small balls of yarn and need some ideas. Looking forward o it.

  11. Eliz says

    January 8, 2014 at 6:38 pm

    I have started doing this but stalled upon realizing how many different weights of yarn I have…that don’t work well together on lots of projects. Any solutions for remnants of diff. weights (sock, worsted and bulky mostly)?

  12. Marcy says

    January 8, 2014 at 6:53 pm

    Me too! Count me in! Knitting is t my only stash–I have a ton of great fabric and felted wool as well. So this is the year of any UFO.

  13. Vicki K. says

    January 8, 2014 at 7:36 pm

    I’m afraid that if I really got it all out in one place at the same time, my family would sign me up for “Hoarders”!

  14. Rose says

    January 8, 2014 at 11:14 pm

    Prior to reading this I had gathered my stash……. Scared seeing it all in one space! I’m in…..

  15. Tigertailor says

    January 8, 2014 at 11:36 pm

    Well, now that I have recovered from the initial shock horror thoughts of exposing my stash…are we talking the whole stash, I mean the “really, really special, exquisite, dream of making something beautiful with it stash” too?…gulp..I’m not sure I can cope…..:-{

  16. Anja Bout says

    January 9, 2014 at 6:32 am

    I’m in. I daren’t to send you a picture of my stash 🙁

  17. Pat Hathaway says

    January 9, 2014 at 10:18 am

    My cleaning lady isn’t allowed in my craft room because she thinks I “might have that disease those people on TV have”–hoarders. She’s lucky we can pick up the rest of the house enough for to be able to clean! I have yarn in my closet, under the bed, and in bins in my craft room–I’ll never use it all up. sniff…sniff…I’m beginning to think I should just give it all to Goodwill.

  18. Sarah White says

    January 9, 2014 at 12:31 pm

    I’m so excited to see all this enthusiasm! And no, you don’t have to go through all your stash at once, and you don’t have to show my a picture. This is about encouraging you to do what you can, and what you’re comfortable with, and to make it exciting and fun to get in there and discover some projects you can’t wait to knit!

  19. Dottie says

    January 9, 2014 at 1:48 pm

    I’m in as well. Like a few others, yarn isn’t my only stash. Yikes. I could sure use some creative ideas to use it up, or at least make a dent in it. Thanks for putting this together. I’m looking forward to your posts!!!

  20. jane d says

    January 9, 2014 at 2:47 pm

    ALL of my stash(es)?? Really??

  21. Deborah Jennings says

    January 9, 2014 at 4:56 pm

    My MIL makes scrap quilts. Hers are made up of one row of each color at random. They turn out beautiful. Even though hers are crocheted, you can still knit them, too. Just a plain stitch.

  22. Linda says

    January 9, 2014 at 5:18 pm

    I am in! ????

  23. Theresa says

    January 9, 2014 at 8:44 pm

    Darn!! I was hoping to see some projects listed. I got all my yarn organized months ago.

  24. Cara Randall says

    January 10, 2014 at 4:06 am

    This sounds like a good plan. I have so many great yarns but they hang out in plastic totes and don’t become anything. I have a lot of fabric and a lot of spinning fibers, too, because I handspin yarn. This all sounds super!

  25. Sue Miller says

    January 10, 2014 at 1:41 pm

    I’m in. New stash buster ideas would be great.

Have you read?

Pencil Knitting Patterns

Getting ready for back to school makes me think about pencil crafts, so let’s take a look at some pencil themed knitting patterns! 

I recently made a pencil on a circular knitting machine, and it was a fun, quick, easy project that uses little bits of leftover yarn (and if you don’t have yellow you can make it a colored pencil using whatever color’s your favorite). And if you want to make a bigger version check out this pattern from Orange Olive Road on Etsy.

If you want to knit a pencil pillow by hand, check out Sketchy, available on Ravelry from Shana S. Cohen. This one uses worsted weight yarn and has two size options and the choice to make a pencil with an eraser or a colored pencil. 

Pencil scarves seem to be the most popular kind of pencil knitting pattern, and there are lot of cute ones. This one from Cosy Craft UK mostly uses garter stitch, with some welts to add texture and what looks like an I-cord edging. It calls for DK weight yarn. 

If you want to go all garter stitch try this version from Emsley Co Creations, which uses five colors of DK weight yarn and just a little shaping to make the point of the pencil.

There’s also this fun, mostly stockinette so it looks like it curls a bit, pencil pattern that looks like it’s worked in chunky yarn from Little Knits Studio. This one uses just a little garter stitch and easy shaping for the point. 

If you don’t want a pencil scarf, how about some pencil socks? The No. 2 Pencil Socks from The Yarn Enabler are available from Ravelry and use five colors of sock yarn. They feature wide ribs to mimic the texture of a pencil and have options to be worked from the top down or the toe up. 

Needs Sharpening by Alexander Walker is a free pattern on Ravelry that uses five colors of sock yarn to make a sort of shortie sock. The little bit of black at the tips of the toes inspired the name. These, too, can be worked in either direction and are available in three sizes. 

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