Join the Swatch Club

There are so many fun programs for knitters, crafters, kids and just about anyone else who loves getting samples or curated collections of fun stuff these days. You can get a box of just about anything delivered to your home on a regular basis to inspire your creativity.

I recently got word that British crafty company Minerva Crafts has started a swatch club for knitters, which will get participants access to about 30 small samples of yarn every three months for a year. (Each sample is only about a foot long, so it’s not enough to knit with, just a sneak peek at all the goodies on offer.)

In all that’s about 120 different yarns to check out. This could be a lot of fun because you might be sent something you wouldn’t ordinarily choose at the store but playing with it you’ll find that it’s actually something you really like or that you want to use for a particular pattern. It’s all about broadening your knitting horizons.

You can choose a natural palette if you’re a fan of neutrals or a mixed option for bolder choices. Each set costs £18, and deliveries are made in September, December, March and June. For a limited time you can use the coupon code SWATCH50 at checkout to get 50 percent off your order.

Would you sign up for a program like this? I’d love to hear your thoughts.

[Photo via Minerva Crafts.]

Next Pattern:

Using your yarn stash is important to me throughout the year, but as I start to feel the end of the year coming on I get more excited about using things I already have in the house. Maybe that’s because I don’t want to go to a store in the thick of holiday shopping times, or I like the idea of having a little space in my stash when the new year rolls around.

It’s super satisfying to use up all the little odd balls you’ve made over the year (or years), and I have several stash busting blankets I work on when it’s cold and will maybe finish someday.

If you’d like to start a stash busting project that’s perfect for using up odd balls, check out the Soukish pattern from Neisha Abdulla. This pattern is made for fingering weight/sock yarn, and it’s worked in a tube with allover color work.

This is great for a couple of reasons. You don’t really have to weave in your ends when you can hide them in a tube (this is one time you might even get by just tying a knot when you change colors!) and you can change colors whenever you run out of yarn and it will look good.

Of course the pattern is made with blocks where the designer changed colors, but you can change yours more or less often as you need to make it work for your stash. You can use blank charts to design your own color combinations, or even your own stitch patterns if you like. You can also adjust the length of the scarf as needed or turn it into a cowl based on the amount of yarn you have.

This project looks like a lot of fun and would be a great thing to have on hand to stitch up and then to wear during the cold, gloomy months.

You can get a copy of the pattern on Ravelry.

[Photo: Neisha Abdulla]

Another Way to Use Up All Your Sock Yarn Scraps

Gather Your Scraps for a Fun Wrap

A Scrappy Shawl Knitting Pattern to Use All Your Odd Balls

Use All Your Yarn Scraps on This Great Cardigan Knitting Pattern

Next Pattern:

Have you read?

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