Knitting

Free Patterns, Tutorials and Project Ideas

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!

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?

Patchwork Blanket Knitting Patterns

Any time of year is a good time for stash busting, but if you can combine it with knitting a blanket that will keep you warm when it (finally!) gets cooler that’s even better. Let’s take a look at some fun patchwork blanket knitting patterns. 

If you want to keep it super simple, you can just make blocks of garter stitch and sew them together, like the beginner’s patchwork baby blanket from Mini Baa Baa or the color block blanket from Make and Do Crew. Both projects are worked in strips and sew together, with the baby version calling for two strands of DK or light worsted weight yarn held together and the larger one using bulky yarn. 

Add a little more texture with the mixed blocks of the cottage quilt throw from Mama in a Stitch. This one combines garter stitch and seed stitch and uses worsted weight yarn. She used a crochet join to make the chains on top of the blocks, but you can join them however you like. It calls for eight colors but you can use what you have, and there are three size options. 

Get a real sampler style patchwork blanket with this design from Knit Sew Make. It calls for worsted weight yarn and has four size options. All of the patterns just use knit and purl stitches so this one is still pretty easy for beginners. 

If you want a more complex colorwork project that will keep you entertained all season, try the Peace by Piece blanket pattern from Needle and Feather. This one is made up of two color colorwork blocks and calls for worsted weight yarn. You can choose to use just a few of the blocks and repeat them more often, or make multiples of the whole set. 

The knitted patchwork recipe from Martine Ellis (free on Ravelry) uses mitered squares in fingering weight yarn, so it’s perfect for using up all your leftover sock yarn and mini skeins. This one is a tutorial more than a pattern so you can make your blanket as big as you like or keep going until you run out of yarn. 

Susan B. Anderson’s 100 Squares blanket (find it on Ravelry) has a lot of mitered squares, too, but they’re arranged in fun ways and includes some quilt inspired designs as well. This one also is a bit of method more than pattern but it sure looks like a lot of fun for using all the leftovers. 

Of course you can totally improvise a patchwork blanket using the yarn and stitches you like, but I hope these patterns inspire you to look at your leftover yarn in a new way.