Play with Intarsia to Make a Scarf or Hood

I’m a big fan of graphic knitting patterns and projects that look more complicated than they really are. Both are true of the Rust & Rhythm scarf and hood (she calls it a bonnet, but it’s a hood to me) projects by Anna Husemann.

The basis of both projects is a simple 3×3 garter stitch ribbing pattern that’s embellished with large graphic colorwork worked in intarsia. Because the stitch pattern itself is a simple 2 row repeat, you can focus on the colorwork and making sure your color changes are crisp.

The pattern includes step by step instructions for joining colors in intarsia so that both sides of your projects will look great.

The patterns are rated as for intermediate knitters. Some experience with intarsia would be helpful (but if you’ve never done it before check out my intarsia tutorial). They call for 4 colors of DK weight yarn (Hobbi’s Highland Wool specifically), but you could probably use even more colors if you want to make the design your own.

The scarf version measures 8.75 inches/2 cm wide and is 77.25 inches/196 cm long. The hooded version includes smaller scale versions of the same graphic patterns. The scarf part is 3.25 inches/8 cm wide and 58.5 inches/149 cm long. There are two options for the hood sizing, depending on how tight you want it to be (or how much hair you have).

Both of the patterns are available for free on Hobbi’s website: scarf | hood. These links will get you to the pattern download in English, but both patterns are available in several other languages, too (including German, French, Italian, Spanish and more). If you need one of those patterns you can search the Hobbi website, or the designer has direct links to each of the languages on the Ravelry pattern page for each design: scarf | hood.

Checking out the Ravelry pages also gives you a chance to see the colors other people have picked, including some that use only two colors or as many as 12 colors if you would rather take it another direction.

[Photos: Anna Husemann]

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Every knitter has a stash. Some of us have a neat little basket. Some of us have a “please don’t open that cupboard too quickly” situation. So a book called Knitting Stylish Stuff from Your Stash already feels like it understands the assignment.

Written by Erica Berntsen, this book is all about turning leftover yarn, odd skeins, and those slightly mysterious yarn purchases we were definitely going to use “one day” into stylish, wearable projects. The book includes 20 scrappy knitting designs and focuses on making the most of what you already have, with a practical zero-waste approach. It’s published by Landauer Publishing and runs to 168 pages.

What I like about this book is that it doesn’t treat leftover yarn as second-best. Instead, it leans into the charm of mixed colours, textures, scraps, and creative combinations. That’s where stash knitting becomes fun rather than just economical. You’re not simply “using things up”; you’re making something with personality.

The projects are aimed at knitters who want fashionable, useful pieces rather than another pile of tiny odds-and-ends projects that never leave the craft room. It’s a good fit if you enjoy relaxed, creative knitting and don’t mind experimenting a little with colour and yarn pairing.

This would suit knitters who:

have too much leftover yarn and want realistic project ideas
enjoy scrappy, colourful knitting
like sustainable craft projects
want stylish stash-busting patterns
prefer practical makes over fussy novelty projects

I’d say this is especially appealing for knitters who already have a little confidence and enjoy making creative decisions as they go. If you are the sort of person who likes everything to match perfectly, scrappy knitting might make you twitch slightly. But if you love a good “let’s see what happens” project, this book will probably be right up your alley.

For anyone working through this book, it’s worth sorting your yarn stash first by weight, fibre, and colour family. A digital kitchen scale is surprisingly handy for checking how much yarn you actually have left, and a few clear storage tubs or yarn bags make the whole process much less chaotic. The book itself is a natural Amazon book recommendation, and Mary Maxim is a useful place to look if you need extra yarn to pull a stash project together.

Knitting Stylish Stuff from Your Stash is a clever, practical, and refreshingly useful book for knitters who want to stop saving yarn scraps for “someday” and actually turn them into something wearable. It’s creative without being wasteful, stylish without being intimidating, and a lovely reminder that your stash probably already has more potential than you think.

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