A Stashbusting Challenge
For my birthday this year, I bought myself “52 Week of Easy Knits” by Laine Publishing. I had checked it out at the library and quickly realized that I wanted to make basically every pattern inside it, and after searching local bookstores and my other local yarn stores I managed to snag the last copy I could find in Ritual Dyes. As a side note: your local yarn store(s) are a treasure trove for pattern books, and I highly recommend popping into them to peruse patterns and samples whenever possible!
After flipping through the book some more, I have decided to make this into a one-year stashbusting challenge for myself, with the rules as follows:
Flip through the book in order, starting with the first knit in the book and working my way towards the end. Anytime I come to a pattern that I don’t have yarn in my stash for I will bookmark it and move on to the next pattern until I have made my way through the book. I will then go back through all of the bookmarked patterns and start again in order, as I expect the contents of my stash to change throughout the year and I may not need to purchase for a project if I simply wait until later. Once I have completed two re-examinations of the book I may start buying yarn to complete any patterns I haven’t had stashed yarn for.
While I am using this as a stashbusting challenge, I still have to make things I want to wear, so I am not forced to knit a project with yarn from my stash that I dislike for the object simply because it is the proper weight, fiber, and amount.
I can flip through and knit ahead as needed to complete gift knits, but I should refrain from flipping ahead otherwise unless true inspiration strikes and I can’t wait until I get to that project to work on my idea.
Using math to make stash yarn in different weights work is encouraged for this challenge.
Each project is slated to take about a week, but I will give myself grace as some will go longer and some will be much faster. If I finish a project before the week is up I do not have to start a new one until the next week. If I know I have a busy week or other knitting to work on I can flip ahead and pick a faster project for my week, or save the stashbusting projects for public transit that week. My weeks will start on Mondays.
If you also own a copy of this book, or can access it at your local library, or maybe you just have a very large stash to bust and would like to join me in an officially-unofficial, year-long, multi-project knit-along, you can tag @hubrishearthcraft and #ultimatehubrismal on Instagram. For anyone who doesn’t have a way to get a copy of the book, I’ll post a weekly free pattern that you can make to participate. Knit, crochet, and/or sewing are all welcome! And feel free to pick your own pattern if you aren’t inspired by what you see here- the important things are that you stashbust in a creative way while creating a community to celebrate that with you. I’ll be finishing up my challenge around this time next year, but this is all for fun, so if you want to take five years then do it! Just make sure you’re having fun and making things you actually want to wear or gift!
I’ll be starting this week with the first pattern in the book, “Give Me the Tee” by Jenny Ansah. I’ve blocked multiple swatches from a variety of stash yarns for it at this point, and I think I’ve finally found a combination that works for both myself and the math. I can’t wait to get started, and I hope some of you will join me! I can’t wait to see what you make.
My suggested free patterns for this first “week” are:
For Knitters:
For a top that is light on yarn usage and somewhat similar in shape to “Give Me the Tee”, go with “Cloud Whisper” by Mount Merino. This would be a great way to use any excess mohair you have laying around. It would look lovely striped with multiple colors if you need to use up a bunch of fluffy little scraps!
For a more tee-like tee, try the “Weekend Tee” by Therese Chynoweth. This would be perfect if you have any yarn laying around that you bought for a project you’ve never made, or for striping with scraps! I think either bold stripes or just rainbow marling throughout would be a great way to use up multiple weights of yarn, and a single solid color for the ribbing could really tie it all together.
For a floral, springy vibe, I’d recommend “Flowers in Shadow” by Christie Wareham-Norfolk. This is another one that you’d have to get creative with colorwork on if you don’t have a lot of the same yarn in your stash, but I think that the floral design and neck and sleeve edgings really lend themselves to that purpose.
For Crocheters:
The “Honeycomb Mesh Crochet Top” by Jennifer Renaud comes with options for customizing the length, allowing you to work with your available stash. It’s also the perfect time of year to quickly make this and layer it.
For a more tee-like option in crochet, I give you the “Selene Shirt” by Carrie M Chambers. This could be really cute in multiple colors if you don’t have enough of one color in your stash to make it, and funky or mismatched buttons could really amp up the fun.
For a floral crochet option, try the “Crochet Daisy Top” by Emma Wilkinson. This is such a cute and springy top, and the granny square construction makes it perfect for stashbusting.