Knitting

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Bust Your Stash in the New Year

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striped dog stash busting knitting patternsOne of my perpetual New Year’s resolutions has to do with winnowing down my yarn stash, both through getting rid of things that I don’t love or can’t imagine actually using, and through actually knitting with the yarn that I have.

Stash-busting projects are great because they allow you to use a lot of yarn — often a lot of yarn you might only have one ball of, or a partial ball, or a mini skein — in a project that still ends up looking harmonious and planned.

I have two stash-busting blankets on the needles (they’re kind of perpetual projects, too), but these ultimate stash-busting projects collected by Love Knitting are pretty great, too.

That dog! The cowl! The hat and pillows that could be worked in even more/crazier stripes. This is a great list.

Have any favorite stash-busting projects? I’d love to hear about them!

[Photo: Penny Connor via Love Knitting.]

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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.

Check out these books dedicated to Knitted Cowl Patterns still looking for more cowl patterns? Check these out on Etsy.

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Comments

  2. I really like to save old pillows and use up those small amounts of yarn to make striped (or patterned pillows for throw pillows on the couch or just load up the bed with them. When I buy new bed pillows or just get tired of the ones in the living room, I just make new covers with the bits of yarn that have accumulated. Of course they look great with granny squares too, but those multi-colored stripes are hard to resist.

Have you read?

Add a Little Lace to Your Knitting Patterns

If you’re new to lace knitting or just aren’t sure how to incorporate the technique into garments, check out these tops and sweaters that use lace as a decorative element.

The easiest lace out there is eyelets, and you can practice them plenty with this eyelet covered sweater from Knitcro Addict. It uses light/DK weight yarn and is worked in four pieces knit flat. It’s intended to be a little cropped and a little oversized, and includes sizes XS to XXL in the pattern.

If you’re in parts of the world where it’s getting colder as you read this, the Nora sweater from Bummbul might be a good choice. This is actually a great one for learning lace because it’s worked in super bulky yarn, which makes it easier to see what you’re doing and makes the lace super graphic. This one just comes in one size, with a 42 inch (106) cm bust, but that could fit a variety of people depending on how much ease you like.

Minimi Knit Design has a cute allover lace cardigan worked in one piece from the bottom up. It’s worked in lace weight mohair held double, which maybe isn’t the best for those new to lace (because it can be hard to rip out) but it sure is pretty. Sizes range to fit from 30 to 66 inches/76 to 168 cm bust measurements.

If you’d rather not have lace all over your sweater, you can knit the Lumi sweater from Originally Lovely, which has a chevron lace pattern on the yoke and is otherwise worked in reverse stockinette stitch. (It’s worked inside out so you don’t have to purl every stitch.) The pattern has 9 sizes from XS to 5XL and uses worsted weight yarn.

Or try the super romantic sookie blouse from Trust the mojo (available on Ravelry). This sweet top is started working flat from the bottom up and has a V-neck and I-cord edgings. The sleeves are worked separately in the round, and the pieces are all joined together to work in one piece to finish off the top. It comes in eight sizes and is available in English and French.

You can also pair lacy sleeves with an otherwise plain top, like on the Starflower Wrap from Annelise Driscoll Gingrow. This intermediate pattern makes a wrap sweater with generous lacy sleeves and a double wrap belt. The pattern has nine sizes, from XS to 5XL, and is available for free from Hobbi.