I have never met a yarn lover who didn’t love mini skeins. They’re affordable, colourful and the possibilities are endless. Many of us knitters love buying mini skeins but, hands up if you are guilty of collecting mini skeins but not actually using them in projects! 

Well, I’m here to help with some inspiration for how to use your Winter Solstice Minis box… or any minis you have sitting around that need a project. 

The Winter Solstice Box includes 21 minis each weighing 20 grams which in total is approximately 1,680 metres. If you’ve opted for the deluxe box you will also get a full 100g skein to use alongside the minis, giving you a whopping 2,105 approximate metres. For many of us, this meterage is enough to make a garment! 

*Disclaimer* all links in this blog post will be to Ravelry. I know Ravelry isn’t accessible to everyone but unfortunately it is still the most widely available collection of knitting patterns that I am aware of. If anyone needs help with finding these patterns elsewhere, please contact me at nicola@botanicalyarn.com and I will do my best to help. All images are also taken from Ravelry. 

You can knit or crochet anything from socks to blankets using mini skeins. And with the increased popularity of yarn advent calendars, designers are often writing patterns specifically for lots of minis that coordinate together. So here is a round up of some of my favourite mini skein patterns. In this post I am going to focus on smaller things you can make with your minis. Keep an eye out for future posts with shawl inspiration and maybe even one for blankets!

Socks

Let's start small and work our way up; here are some of my favourite sock patterns using mini skeins. 

I love this Pixel Rise Sock pattern by Kemper Wray. Stripy socks with a twist.

There are heaps of advent themed socks, like these two versions by Natalie Sheldon, I hope she releases a 2021 version as well! Advent Socks 2019 and  Advent Socks 2020 ; both of which are free!

Or how about these lovely textured socks by Knitting Expat Designs called the Bundled Up Socks. 

These adorable baby socks are crochet! You can make one with a mini skein or less and have adorably mismatched socks for the baby in your life. Advent Baby Socks by Rainsford.

Hats

 

Cowls

Cowls make really satisfying knits, almost always no purling and actually, a lot of folks find them much easier to wear than shawls. I love these mini skein friendly versions.

The 100 Colours Cowl by Keith Leonard is truly stunning. What a difference changing the contrast colour makes! 

Charlie Button has this free Simple Advent Minis Cowl pattern, can I also say, I love this way of modelling cowls! 

Stephen West was inevitably going to be features on this list somewhere! Here is his Painting Waves Cowl that would work great with the Winter Solstice Minis if you've opted for the extra 100g skein. 

 When I think of advent/mini skein patterns Helen Stewart is another designer who comes to mind, every winter she releases a pattern book called Knitvent, and I love this cowl from her 2017 instalment; called Land of Sweets.

 I have one more crochet pattern for the list, how about this lovely Mini Skein Set Infinity Scarf by Lucienne Crochet. 

Have I left out any of your favourite smaller accessories to make with mini skeins? Do you feel inspired by any of these patterns? Keep your eyes out for my next blog post featuring 20 amazing shawls you can knit with mini skeins! 

Nicola x