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Great Books for Stash-Busting

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stash bustingI have offered you a lot of great ideas this month on how to use bits of stash, big and small. But if you need even more ideas, you might want to check out a book or two on stash busting or one skein projects to get you even more inspired.

It happens that Knit Picks was thinking small, too, because it just released the Under 100 Knit Collection (there’s a crochet version, too, but we get a lot more patterns), full of 30 patterns for knit accessories like hats, socks, scarves, boot cuffs, bags and shawls, all of which use 100 grams or fewer of yarn and many of which have stash busting in mind because they’re worked with stripes of colorwork patterns.

Stashbuster Knits by Melissa Leapman is another great one. I’ve even kind of forgiven her for beating me to it (I’ve had notes for a similar book in my pile of stuff that never gets done since before her book was published). It includes 21 patterns organized by yarn weight so you can find ideas based on what you have a lot of in your stash.

One skein pattern books are also great to look at if you have a lot of single skeins or want to combine some of your little balls in a project. I particularly like One-Skein Wonders edited by Judith Durant (as well as Luxury Yarn One-Skein Wonders for those super-special balls) and One Skein by Leigh Radford. All are nice collections with a lot of variety that are sure to inspire you to work through some yarn.

Do you have a favorite one-skein or stash-busting book? I’d love to hear about it!

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Knit and Felt Some Tabi Style Slippers

The felted slipper craze that began last year doesn’t seem like it’s fading away. The Sailor Slippers, often striped knit and felted slippers made with super bulky yarn, because the project of the moment late last year (check out more knit slipper options in this post all about sailor slippers) and they’re still consistently popular with knitters.

Which makes sense because they are fun and fast to knit, and seeing them go from this giant thing to something that actually fits a foot feels a little magical. 

I have always loved felting (in fact my first book was about felting knitting) and it’s always fun for me to see people rediscover this technique. 

If you’ve knit enough plain slippers to fit all the feet you know, maybe it’s time to stitch up some tabi style slippers instead. 

Maymade Knits has designed these cute tabi ballerina slippers, made with bulky yarn and felted. They’re worked flat at first and then in rounds, and are available in 10 EU sizes (the Internet tells me add 31 to your American shoe size to get your EU size). The designer says the slippers are meant to have a close fit and you should choose a size a little smaller than your foot for the ideal fit. 

The pattern includes a video tutorial along with the written pattern. 

You can grab this pattern on Ravelry. The same designer has her own version of the striped felted slipper as well, called Sarah’s Striped Slippers. These are worked in super bulky yarn and have a contrasting foot and a striped body. These are knit flat and seamed and there are 7 size options available. Check that pattern out here if you’re looking for a more traditional slipper shape. They also look roomier so you can wear them with socks if you like. 

[Photo: Maymade Knits]