Knitting

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Organizing Your Stash for Knitting

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stash scarfThis is probably going to be the first of two posts about organization, because organizing your stash in a way that will encourage you to use it is slightly different, to my mind anyway, than organizing it for more long-term storage.

This kind of organization is meant to be inspirational, so that you’ll see different yarns together and just want to grab them and start working with them. It’s the kind of organization that gets those balls out of your stash and onto your needles.

Exactly how you go about organizing your stash for use will depend a bit on what and how much you have, what you’re planning to make with it — if you have any ideas so far — and your knitting style. stash busting

For instance I’m working on a giant blanket so I have a big bag full of little odd balls (and some larger balls that I don’t think I’ll use for other projects) so I can just grab that or pull out a couple of balls at random when I want to work on the project.

Some of my stash is organized by color, so I might be inspired to put two fibers with different texture but a similar color together (I’m working on a light blue scarf that’s alternating mohair and a ribbon yarn right now; I’ll show you more when it’s done). Some of my stash is arranged by fiber — all my cotton yarn is together, and all my Cascade 220 — or weight (sock yarn) so if I want to work on a project using those kinds of yarns its easy to find what I need.

You might have a couple of projects in mind already just from looking through your yarn (if you don’t, most of the next couple of weeks will be devoted to giving you ideas) so you should set those yarns aside. Put them in a pretty basket or bowl somewhere you’ll see them often. Hear them calling to you.

Or just make a basket or bowl full of a bunch of yarns you like. They don’t have to “go together” or make any sense other than the fact that you like them. Spend some time looking at them and thinking about them.

And get ready to knit.

Have you started (or finished?) any projects from your stash lately? I’d love to hear what you’ve been working on. After that scarf, I’m thinking hard about a multicolored linen stitch bag.

Comments

  1. I have just learned to knit but I hsve been crocheting for years. I was wondering if there is a pattern that uses both crocheting and knitting. It would use up ny stssh faster too.

  3. My stash is organized by type (dish cloth cotton, sock, etc), then grouped by color family (warm, cool, neutral). That works best for comparing color combinations for me. I’ve been knitting stuffed hearts for a Valentine display and for gifts, in between knitting a sweater for my dog.

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.