Grab My Stash Busting Strategies Ebook

I have had the idea for a long time (since before my teenage daughter was born, probably) to write a book about stash busting for knitters and crocheters. Not necessarily about purging yarn (though I do have a book about decluttering your craft supplies, too), but ideas for helping you figure out what’s in your stash, what patterns might work for those yarns, and techniques to use to make your yarn go farther or to use more yarn in a project.

I’m excited to share that I’ve finally done it, and Stash-Busting Strategies is now available as a free download when you subscribe for email updates on my website Our Daily Craft.

This 50 page ebook covers all the basics of stash busting, including:

How to evaluate your stash and get it organized
How to figure out what those odd balls are: what yarn weight and material and how much you have, no ball band required
How to find patterns that will work with the yarn you have

After that, it’s rapid-fire ideas for ways to combine yarns so you can make the projects you want to make, or just to use more yarn so you go through your stash that much faster.

From adding stripes and other colorwork to pockets, hems, marling and more, I hope that these ideas will get you thinking about how to use your stash in ways you hadn’t considered before.

Rather than providing specific projects (since I don’t know how much of what kinds of yarn you have or what you like to knit), this is an idea book that intends to inspire you to shop your stash first and get creative. It includes plenty of examples from my own knitting life (because I’m notoriously terrible at judging how much yarn I need for a project) of things like working cuffs and necklines in a contrasting color, making a new yarn out of yarn I already have, and adding stripes to make a project the size it needs to be, just to name a few.

You can learn more about the book and sign up for updates here. I hope you’ll check it out!

Yarn Organization

22 Page Knitting Project Journal and Planner

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.

Next Pattern:

Have you read?

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