Use Your Stash on a Sweater That’s All Stripes

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]

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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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