Stash Busting for Halos of Hope, 2013 Wrap Up

It’s been a year now that I have been working on my 6 pounds of Bernat CottonTots yarn stash-6 pounds!!!! There was so much yarn in the box (a standard paper box) that the lid didn’t close properly. Why I had that much yarn, I have no clue.  But I had it and I decided to spend 2013 crocheting it into soft hats for Halos of Hope.  Hats were crocheted that looked like frogs, sharks, pigs, owls, bunnies, chicks, baby birds, fish, cats and a cartoon character. I also made hats with hearts, flowers, stripes, swirls and stars. And a few solid hats as well. It’s been both a joy and a challenge to find the right pattern for the yarn on hand. Especially towards the end of the challenge when I had less full skeins and lots of partial and small bits of yarn. Being true to my thrifty self, I have been determined to use every last bit of yarn, even those scraps no bigger than a yard or two.
Over November and December I made 7 hats.  I used the last full skein on the Yellow Kitty Hat.  The remaining hats were made with partial skeins and the small leftovers.

The Owl Hat is one of my favorites.  For the owl features I followed the Owl Bib pattern and for the hat, I followed the Crazy Frog Hat pattern  (psssst!  That pattern is FREE with every Crochet by Darleen Hopkins pattern purchase.)

The Pink Heart Hat and the Blue/Green/Purple Striped Hat are both based on the Crazy Frog Hat pattern as well.  I just changed color as I ran out of yarn.  The cute heart is a pattern by Jill Gilbank and you can find it on her website, PlanetJune.

Both the Blue/Brown Swirl Hat and the Pastel Stripes were patterns I was just playing around with, possible prototypes for future Crochet by Darleen Hopkins patterns!

The last, the adorable striped hat with the huge flower, is an adaptation of the Daisy Hat pattern by Akua Lezli Hope.  I had to adapt it a little for the heavier weight yarn.  I love how it came out and I’m excited to one day make the hat as the pattern is written and in a lighter weight yarn.

Shortly after starting the draft of this post, I found out about Halos of Hope’s-Stripe It Up January.  I guess I had a Stripe It Up December.  Stripes are a great way to use leftover yarn.
In just 3 easy steps you can use up those last little bits of yarn and make a hat that costs nothing.
1. Group scraps that go well together.
2. Follow a hat pattern you like.
3. Change color when you run out of yarn.  It is that easy!

Got Scraps? Join Halos of Hope this January and Stripe It Up!  See Hat Guidelines for more information.

The Final Stash Bust Countdown

November and December’s 7 hats weigh in at 1 pound 1 1/2 ounces.

Total hats made in the 2013 Stash Bust Challenge: 32!

Total weight of the 32 hats made: 5 pounds 15 1/2 ounces!

I am JUST UNDER 6 pounds!  I don’t have enough yarn left for any more hats but I do have some ideas for what is left.  So, I’ll have one last post in this challenge!  Please check back.   : )