Pretty Ways to Use Your Yarn Stash

I’m all about using yarn stash most of the year, but this time of year especially I spend a lot of time thinking about and sharing patterns that you can use if you want to pare down your stash a bit. Whether you’re looking to use advent calendar yarns or the odd balls you’ve accumulated through the years, these patterns should give you some fun ideas.

The Happy Scarf is a free download on Ravelry from AC Kao that you can use as a jumping off point for making your own from your stash. They used light fingering weight yarn and larger than expected needles to get nice drape on the bias garter stitch design. It uses about 50 yards of each color but you can use more or less depending on your stash.

Another fun bias knit project is the Kruger Cowl from Bigger than Life Knits. It’s worked flat with a ruched pattern on the bias, and the ends are grafted together when the knitting is done. Each contrasting color is only about 9 grams, so you can use mini skeins or leftovers for this fun and colorful project.

Make a stash-busting hat for heads of all sizes with the Hudson Hat pattern from family roots. This stripey stockinette stitch hat can take all your worsted weight odd balls to make a super sweet long stocking cap with ear flaps and braids, and an optional tassel. It comes in five sizes from newborn to “big noggin’ adult.”

Sarah Ayers is taking the quilting trend in knitting a step further with the Starlite Blanket. Worked in sport weight yarn (though you could use different yarn to get blocks of different sizes) it’s made from classic flying geese units that are joined as you go to make the star squares. The pattern is on Ravelry and is sized to make a stroller sized blanket up to a king sized bed. That would use a lot of stash!

Getting ready for back to school makes me think about pencil crafts, so let’s take a look at some pencil themed knitting patterns!

I recently made a pencil on a circular knitting machine, and it was a fun, quick, easy project that uses little bits of leftover yarn (and if you don’t have yellow you can make it a colored pencil using whatever color’s your favorite). And if you want to make a bigger version check out this pattern from Orange Olive Road on Etsy.

If you want to knit a pencil pillow by hand, check out Sketchy, available on Ravelry from Shana S. Cohen. This one uses worsted weight yarn and has two size options and the choice to make a pencil with an eraser or a colored pencil.

Pencil scarves seem to be the most popular kind of pencil knitting pattern, and there are lot of cute ones. This one from Cosy Craft UK mostly uses garter stitch, with some welts to add texture and what looks like an I-cord edging. It calls for DK weight yarn.

If you want to go all garter stitch try this version from Emsley Co Creations, which uses five colors of DK weight yarn and just a little shaping to make the point of the pencil.

There’s also this fun, mostly stockinette so it looks like it curls a bit, pencil pattern that looks like it’s worked in chunky yarn from Little Knits Studio. This one uses just a little garter stitch and easy shaping for the point.

If you don’t want a pencil scarf, how about some pencil socks? The No. 2 Pencil Socks from The Yarn Enabler are available from Ravelry and use five colors of sock yarn. They feature wide ribs to mimic the texture of a pencil and have options to be worked from the top down or the toe up.

Needs Sharpening by Alexander Walker is a free pattern on Ravelry that uses five colors of sock yarn to make a sort of shortie sock. The little bit of black at the tips of the toes inspired the name. These, too, can be worked in either direction and are available in three sizes.

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