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Wrapping up Stash-Busting Month

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stash bustingWhew! When I had the idea to do a “little series” on stash-busting this month, I didn’t quite realize what I was getting myself into. It ended up being 16 posts full of ideas, advice, patterns and inspiration.

I hope that it has been as helpful as it was fun, and if you missed any part of it or just want to have a reference to look back on you can find the whole series in the category Use Your Yarn Stash.

There has been such a great response that I think I am going to try to do another one (maybe not quite as big) next month on the topic of finishing: inspiration to finish those projects, the skills you need to do it well, and whatever else comes up.

Please keep sharing your comments and any ideas you have for things you’d like to learn about. That’s what I’m here for!

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Comments

  1. Sarah, I really enjoyed this series,, lots of great ideas and some really great patterns. Thanks for putting this together. But I have to confess did buy yarn today.

  2. Really enjoyed this series you put together! So many good and interesting ideas, both from the posts AND the comments. Still using up most of my stash on a rug, but I’m also experimenting with using up colors of chunky yarn, in hooded cowls…

  3. Right now I am trying to work more projects from my ever growing yarn stash! I have that terrible problem where I go out to buy yarn for one project, and take home extra for hypothetical projects as well! Stopping by via your blog and via the #SITSBlogging thingy (belatedly!)

Have you read?

Knit a Sweet Hood Covered with Flowers

I happen to live in the Northern Hemisphere, but I know we have a lot of Southern Hemisphere friends, too, who are heading into the cooler months as we are warming up. Whichever one of the seasons you’re in, you might want to  stitch up this sweet little hood.

This pattern by saskie&co is called snug hood and it uses two colors of yarn to make a close-fitting pixie style hood (almost a balaclava but it doesn’t cover your face, though there is a neck covering portion to keep you a little warmer). You can use the fingering weight wool and mohair held together that are called for in the pattern, or use a single strand of DK weight yarn.

The neck portion and the edging around the face are worked in ribbing in a single color, while the body of the hat includes an allover colorwork flower pattern. The project is worked both flat and in the round and there is colorwork that is knit flat, which means you’ll have to purl in colorwork (which some people don’t like; also, you can’t see what you’re doing as well on the back of the work).

The pattern comes in one size and the colorwork is charted. Testers noted this is a quick and easy project and a great way to learn some new skills (chart reading, working stranded colorwork flat) if you’ve never tried those things before. They noted the hood is cute, comfortable and warm, and a few said it didn’t take as much yarn as the pattern suggests, so bear that in mind if you’re trying to use stash.

Speaking of the pattern notes, check out all the cute color variations in the projects on Ravelry. From pink and red to blue and white to gray and cream, there are lots of great options to think about.

You can buy this pattern on Ravelry.

[Photo: saskie&co]