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?

Classic Dishcloth Knitting Patterns

Fall will be here before we know it, and that means there are holidays coming right behind where we might be entertaining at home. It’s always fun to have a hand knit touch in your home for other people to see, and if you’re going to be in the kitchen all day you might as well have some nice knit dish cloths to use. 

I love this little plaid hand towel from Darling Jadore. Use a little bit of leftover cotton yarn from another project for the plaid portion. It looks like the horizontal stripes are worked as you knit and the vertical stripes are done with duplicate stitch, making this a quick and easy project even newer knitters can make. 

Combine garter stitch and an easy eyelet pattern worked sideways to make the Annette Dish Towel from Cluck Cluck Boots, which is meant to be reminiscent of flour sack towels. It calls for DK weight yarn and you can work it in one color or two (or even three!). 

Add a little more texture with this set of kitchen towels from Whileberry Creative. They’re mostly worked in garter stitch with borders in easy knit/purl patterns, and you can work them in sport or worsted weight yarn. 

Two of Wands Shop has another cute allover knit and purl pattern they call the Seersucker Textured Tea Towel. It’s an easy repeating pattern worked in worsted weight yarn, and there’s a chart in the pattern you can use, but don’t have to, if you want to practice knitting from a chart. 

The Classic Cloth dish towel from Handmade Home by Connie is another one that can use a little leftover yarn in a contrasting color, or you could color block it our use stripes throughout the pattern. This one uses worsted weight yarn and another easy repeating knit purl stitch pattern. 

If you like to hang your towel on the oven handle or elsewhere but it’s always falling off, try the Stay Put kitchen towel from Fancy Step Knits. This project is worked in garter stitch and includes a hole partway through so you can pull the towel through itself over a rod or handle. Stripes are optional but a nice addition.