Get Started on Stash Busting with Ziggy Triangle

I think that many knitters have as a new year’s resolution or goal to use more of their stash whenever a new year rolls around. I say pretty much every year that I’m not going to buy more yarn (unless, you know, I really need it for a project) and even when I’m not accumulating much, it still feels like I’m not making much of a dent in what I already have.

If you’re looking for projects that can help you use stash — whether it’s little bits of leftovers or whole skeins — I’ll be sharing more of that sort of stuff as we head into the new year and beyond. But for now, I’ve got the Ziggy Triangle by Leila Raven, which is perfect for using a solid yarn and a multicolored yarn, or a solid and a bunch of odd balls.

The pattern was designed for sport weight yarn but it’s easy to customize if you want to make it with different yarn. This would be a fun one to use your advent calendar minis or whatever bold yarn you have on hand.

It features a lacy zigzag pattern, and the designer recommends a smooth and colorful yarn paired with a more neutral, fuzzy yarn so you get a contrast in textures as well as in colors.

Because this is worked as a triangle, you can make it any size you want, just make sure you know how much yarn went into the first half so you leave enough for the second half (you can weigh your yarn before you start and through the process to see when you need to start decreasing).

As written the pattern makes a sweet little neck kerchief, but again, you can always make it bigger if you want, if you have more yarn or use a heavier weight yarn instead of the sport weight.

You can find the pattern on Ravelry.

[photo: Leila Raven]

Next Pattern:

Blankets are a great blank slate project that you can change up in a million different ways. From color to stitch pattern to size, the possibilities are almost endless.

Jared Flood, the designer behind Brooklyn Tweed, was inspired by a log cabin quilt his mother made in 1995 to re-create that design in knitting, which led to more blankets and ultimate Brooklyn Tweed’s Knit and Crochet Blankets, which includes 25 patterns from an array of designers using different skills and techniques to make cozy, pretty blankets.

The patterns are divided into three aesthetic themes: traditions, minimalism and colorplay. The patterns are rated on a scale of one to five, with one being the easiest, and there aren’t any pieces rated five. Two blankets are rated one, 14 are two, eight are three and one is four.

In addition, three of the 25 patterns are crocheted, but they either use single crochet or granny stitch, so they are pretty easy even if you don’t do a lot of crochet. You can see all the patterns on Ravelry.

Some of my favorites include Rattan by Rastus Hsu, a chunky blanket worked in knits and purls with simple crossing stitches to make a raised woven look; Homewood by Seth Richardson, covers in dramatic, loopy cables; Ainur Berkimbayeva’s Tessellate, one of the beginner projects that doesn’t really look beginner but is totally worked in knit and purl stitches; Warp + Weft by Aist? Butkevi?ien?, which is mostly knits and purls but makes a fun woven look fabric that blew my mind a little bit; and the same designer’s Canyonland, a multicolored blanket with wavy stripes.

The patterns tell you how to resize them for different dimensions and include information on pattern repeats where it is possible to make a totally custom size.

Many different techniques are included here such as cables, lace, shadow knitting, intarsia and other colorwork techniques, as well as modular knitting and lots of sewing pieces together. The patterns are all presented with charts, but there are line by line written instructions available on the Brooklyn Tweed website if you need them.

The book ends with a deep dive into log cabin knitting, telling the story of the quilt Jared’s mom made and how he made it in knitting, as well as the multitude of variations you can make if you want your own log cabin style design.

The back of the book includes a little written information about some of the special techniques needed, but there are no photos.

This is a lovely book full of inspiration for knitting and crochet blankets for any skill level. If you like to make blankets as gifts or aspire to have a handmade blanket in every room of the house, these designs would be a great place to start.

About the book: 192 pages, paperback, 25 patterns. Published 2024 by Abrams Books, suggested retail price $24.99.

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