Stash Busting with Knitted Toys

I don’t knit a lot of toys, and I don’t know why that is, because I always enjoy doing it and they’re so sweet and fun to look at and play with.

But dolls and other toys are a great way to use up bits of stash because a teddy bear is still adorable in stripes, or you can make different parts of a toy in different colors to use up some of your little bits.

Looking for more Knitting patterns for Teddy Bears? Check it out here.

Here are a few ideas to get you started.

Dolls: I love these little Knubblechen dolls from Ravelry user pzi888. They’re worked in sock yarn, and there is an English translation. Manne has little cork dolls (there’s a translation for this simple pattern, too), while Tonya Gunn has knit gnomes in a smaller version than those first ones.

Animal toys: I love Mary MCK’s Syndey the Stash-Busting Snake, but there’s also Socktopus by Laura Edwards, Susan B. Anderson’s adorable Elefante, Sheldon the turtle by Ruth Homrighaus, Rebecca Danger’s Bunny Nuggets, the Owls Two Ways by Ana Clerc (that’s knit or crochet) and Bob, from Mochimochi Land, which may not be an animal so much as, well, I don’t really know (he’s inspired by the plastic floaty thing in the toliet. Eww.).

Balls and other toys: Check out Celestine from Berroco (my mom made my daughter one of these once!), the Braided Ball by Marleen Hartog and Doddy by Carol Feller, which is a ball made out of pentagons.

That should get you going! If you have any favorite toy patterns, I hope you’ll share!

Next Pattern:

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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Have you read?

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