Stash-Busting Afghan Projects

January 15, 2014 by Sarah White 1 Comment

The first thing I think of when I think of stash busting is a really big blanket. I guess that’s because I’m working on a really big blanket, and have been on and off (mostly off, admittedly) for about a year now. It’s in strips that are 6 feet long, and I’m hoping to make it 6 feet wide, if I can stand it that long (there is no worry of running out of yarn before it’s that size). It will be massively huge, heavy, warm, completely unwashable and awesome. And it will use a lot of yarn.

You can find more Stash Busting Knitting patterns here

I guess that’s the main reason afghans and stash busting go together, because they’re a great way to use up a lot of yarn. You can make individual squares with the different colors, or just let it stripe, or make log cabin blocks and sew them together. (Speaking of log cabins, check out the Parcheesi Afghan by Janine Bajus, which combines log cabin squares and garter stitch borders.

You don’t really need a pattern for a project like this. It can be as simple as knitting long strips and sewing them together when you’re done (as in this project, Blankety-Blank, from Completely Cauchy), which has the benefit of being more portable than my join as you go method. If you want a slightly more organized look, try the N² Imaginations Stashbuster Afghan.

Mitered squares are another great choice for stash-busting, because you can make them small or large and they’re really portable and easy once you get the hang of the shaping. The Stained Glass Mitered Afghan by Joan L. Hamer is a beauty and a free Ravelry download. Looking for more Stained glass style knitting patterns? Check these out on Etsy.

Looking for a shape that’s not quite square? Why not knit “squares” that are shaped like fish, as in this project from April Broken? Or try Frankie Brown’s little buttons, which are still square but are filled with fluff to make a puffy blanket. (Frankie also has the amazing 10-Stitch Blanket, which is worked in a squareish spiral so that you never have more than 10 stitches on the needle at a time.)

If you want to get really crazy, check out the Oddball Sampler Afghan by Sarah Bradberry, which is made up of all sorts of different squares.

And if you’re willing to pay for a pattern, the beekeeper’s quilt by tiny owl knits is a classic with its puffy hexies. Lee Meredith also has a cool-looking project in her Color-by-Number Stash-Busting Blanket, which uses fun tricks for minimal finishing.

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Book Review: Brooklyn Tweed’s Knit & Crochet Blankets

Blankets are a great blank slate project that you can change up in a million different ways. From color to stitch pattern to size, the possibilities are almost endless.

Jared Flood, the designer behind Brooklyn Tweed, was inspired by a log cabin quilt his mother made in 1995 to re-create that design in knitting, which led to more blankets and ultimate Brooklyn Tweed’s Knit and Crochet Blankets, which includes 25 patterns from an array of designers using different skills and techniques to make cozy, pretty blankets.

The patterns are divided into three aesthetic themes: traditions, minimalism and colorplay. The patterns are rated on a scale of one to five, with one being the easiest, and there aren’t any pieces rated five. Two blankets are rated one, 14 are two, eight are three and one is four.

In addition, three of the 25 patterns are crocheted, but they either use single crochet or granny stitch, so they are pretty easy even if you don’t do a lot of crochet. You can see all the patterns on Ravelry.

Some of my favorites include Rattan by Rastus Hsu, a chunky blanket worked in knits and purls with simple crossing stitches to make a raised woven look; Homewood by Seth Richardson, covers in dramatic, loopy cables; Ainur Berkimbayeva’s Tessellate, one of the beginner projects that doesn’t really look beginner but is totally worked in knit and purl stitches; Warp + Weft by Aist? Butkevi?ien?, which is mostly knits and purls but makes a fun woven look fabric that blew my mind a little bit; and the same designer’s Canyonland, a multicolored blanket with wavy stripes.

The patterns tell you how to resize them for different dimensions and include information on pattern repeats where it is possible to make a totally custom size.

Many different techniques are included here such as cables, lace, shadow knitting, intarsia and other colorwork techniques, as well as modular knitting and lots of sewing pieces together. The patterns are all presented with charts, but there are line by line written instructions available on the Brooklyn Tweed website if you need them.

The book ends with a deep dive into log cabin knitting, telling the story of the quilt Jared’s mom made and how he made it in knitting, as well as the multitude of variations you can make if you want your own log cabin style design.

The back of the book includes a little written information about some of the special techniques needed, but there are no photos.

This is a lovely book full of inspiration for knitting and crochet blankets for any skill level. If you like to make blankets as gifts or aspire to have a handmade blanket in every room of the house, these designs would be a great place to start.

About the book: 192 pages, paperback, 25 patterns. Published 2024 by Abrams Books, suggested retail price $24.99.

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