Why Destashing Is Stressful!

I’ve figured out why I don’t like to de-stash. For one thing, it involves using yarns that have outlived their “O.M.G I Need To Knit With This Right Now”-full ness.

But, I think mainly, it’s like using up an emergency cache of batteries, or the last Q-tip, your last dollar in your checking accout, or even the last piece of chocolate. What if you need it later. What if you find the perfect pattern and you know you have the perfect yarn and just can’t find it, because you’ve already used it, but it was already eliminated from your memory banks because it was stashed? What if??

“As if” is more like it. I can remember stuff that isn’t life threatening. It’s stuff that I need to use everyday (like the fact that I rode my motorcycle to the grocery store, and am wandering around in the parking lot with a cart full of groceries looking for my truck, ask me about “creative bungie-ing”) that I can’t seem to keep track of. I remember full well that I have 397 different colors of green in my stash (I went through a really weird “green” phase), but I can’t remember that the really cool new knitting clutch that I want to try out is green. “Where are my keys”? That one’s not even in the ballpark.

So, back to stashing. Stashing is kind of like a life force all it’s own. You save it up for a rainy day, and then when the rainy day hits, you’re all good. De-stashing is like spending. I suppose some might find it gratifying to finally find a use for all of those greens, I stress over it. Yeah, it saves me money, but what if, in the end, I end up spending more because I’ve already used the stuff I spent money on the first place to save money?

It’s very stressful!

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.

Next Pattern:

Have you read?

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