Knitting

Free Patterns, Tutorials and Project Ideas

Knitting Patterns – Stash-Busting Hats

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Today I thought we’d look at a slightly smaller project than scarves and afghans to focus our stash-busting efforts on: hats. Hats are one accessory that you can make really wild (well, scarves, too, I suppose) and throw lots of different colors together to make something really fun to knit and to wear.

Of course you can throw stripes on any basic hat pattern (I have a kid’s version I did with a bunch of sample balls and an adult’s version done in a particular sequence of stripes) but if you need more visual inspiration here are some more projects to check out. stash busting

Lots of basics on the same theme of using big stripes, often broken up with purl ridges, such as the Stash Hat by Christina McNamee, Casey Braden’s Stash Buster, A Colorful Hat for Baby by Amanda Cathleen Morgan and the Scrap-happy Celebration Hat (also kid sized) by Cosette Cornelius-Bates.

Christy Wasson’s Striped & Slouchy Hat and the Destashification Slouch Hat show how simple stripes work in stockinette, and Melody Lisa’s Scrappy Gnome hat brings pixie pride to any member of the family.

The Slip-Stitch Hat by Renee Rico is offered in three different sizes so you can bust stash for every member of your family.

If you have extra bits of sock yarn and don’t want to use them to knit socks, check out Kelly McClure’s cute Sockhead Hat.

Don’t forget that you can use stash on stranded knitting projects, too, like Sheila MacDonald’s Inga Hat or the Scrappy Gems Fair Isle Hat by Tina Edgar. And then there’s Lee Meredith’s Vortex; originally worked in Noro, it would be lovely as a stash buster, too.

Do you have a favorite stash-busting hat pattern? I’d love it if you’d share! Check out this stash-busting knitting book on Amazon.

Looking for more Knitted Beanie patterns? Check out these Knitting patterns we found on Etsy.

Looking to buy your Yarn online? Check out these online yarn specials.

Specific to knitters, you can join our Knitting Patterns Only group to get, well, knitting patterns, ask questions and gain inspiration for what to knit next.

Comments

  1. Sarah, thanks for these patterns! Just started working on a scrap bustin’ scarf and a hat would make a new ensemble for me!

    This is a really fun series!

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.