I was thinking this morning about a long-neglected ebook project I’ve started and stopped working on a multitude of times over the past 10 years or so that’s all about using your stash. It occurred to me that maybe more than specific projects that use leftovers (because who knows what kind of yarn or how much of it each person has, or what they might like to make with it) it might be better to provide stash-busting strategies.
And one of the best stash-busting strategies I know is adding stripes to a project.
The All Stripes Sweater from Sylvia Watts-Cherry takes “just add a stripe” to the extreme, making a sweater with stripes of varying widths broken up by a strip of garter stitch when the colors change. This drop shoulder sweater is worked from the bottom up in the round and has a crew neck and a relaxed fit. It looks like it might be reversible, too.
The pattern is available in nine sizes, with chest measurements ranging from 37.5 inches to 70.5 inches, with a suggested positive ease of 5.5 to 9 inches.
While the pattern has a stripe structure for you to follow and calls for six colors of yarn, of course you can add in more and not repeat colors, or make up your own sequence. I like that this picture shows several different color schemes so you can get an idea of how the sweater might look using yarn from your stash.
In addition to having striping options, you also have different options for the weight of yarn you use. The pattern is available (all links ahead are from Ravelry) using super bulky, worsted weight or DK yarn specifications, so you can either buy yarn or use your stash you already have to make a sweater of the weight you prefer.
[Photo: Sylvia Watts-Cherry]
