Knitting

Free Patterns, Tutorials and Project Ideas

General Stash-Busting Project Ideas

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stash bustingOver the next week or so I’m going to be sharing a lot of different specific patterns that would be good for stash busting, but first I wanted to offer some general considerations for using bits of stash in projects to get you thinking.

If you have a bunch of odd balls that you’d like to use in a project, stripes are of course the classic. Whether you add stripes to a simple hat pattern or make a horizontal scarf in which you change yarns every row (I have one over at About if you want to see how it’s done), using stripes and a simple stitch pattern is a classic way to use up bits of yarn.

You could also use each ball to knit a swatch (all the same stitch pattern or a variety) and sew them together into a blanket.

Another option is to work a project mostly in one yarn and use an odd ball to work a single stripe. Alternatively you could work just the cast on in a different yarn for a interesting look.

Stitch Patterns for Stash-Busting

Both garter and stockinette are great choices when you’re going to be working random stripes, but stockinette in particular looks best if you’re consistently changing yarns on the same side of the work.

Other stitch patterns that are great for stripes include chevrons, fan patterns and patterns with slip stitches like linen stitch and bamboo stitch.

I’d love to hear your thoughts on stitch patterns and projects that are great for stash busting, and stay tuned for a ton more ideas.

Comments

  1. I made a blanket of hexagons, each knit in the round, outside edge to center. You don’t really have to worry about where the yarn runs out, so long as you leave a tail to weave in. I hate, loathe, abhor and abominate sewing blocks together, so I picked up stitches on edges, and made it seamless. Sort of the ultimate “un-vented” pattern.

Have you read?

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.