The first time I knit the "Happy [Mini-Skein Stash-Busting] Hat," it was just the "Happy Hat" and worked in a bulky yarn.

It flew off my needles and made me very happy, hence its name.

My stash does not include much in the way of bulky yarn but has plenty of other choices. I set to work (or rather play!) to create a comparable material. It was great fun, and I want to share that same opportunity with you now.

If you have been knitting for a while or have a few finished projects under your knitting belt, chances are you have a bit of leftover yarn from those projects. That is how I made 2 versions of the Happy Hat.

Maybe you have accumulated an array of adorable mini-skeins. These worked perfectly for 5 versions of the hat.

Both iterations are fun to knit, and both are A DELIGHT to gather yarn to begin.

Spoiler alert: In case you have trouble deciding on combinations, you can knit a bunch of these faster than the time it takes to choose the yarn! Trust me, inside of 7 days, I knit 11 of these!

So let's begin!

If you have a bit of bulky yarn to look over, grab it, and we will investigate. If you can grab even a scrap of it,

you will enjoy this activity all the more as it is designed to get YOUR creative juices flowing rather than just reading what I have to share.

My bulky yarn (shown in the first photo and above) is a voluptuous yarn to squeeze, and the color is dynamic. The assorted color is equally responsible for the mini-skein yarn assortment I created. I wanted the fabric I created from multiple strands to move and play in much the same way as the original yarn (see image below).

Pinch the bulky strand between your fingers. Notice the give or lack of? Is it pillowy and filled with lots of space for air? A bit more robust? Composed more of fiber than air?

When I knit this hat in the bulky yarn, the fabric created was sturdy; it can hold its upright shape from cast-on edge to pompom tip. In comparison, the "Happy [Mini-Skein Stash-Busting] Hat" works up at the same stitch and row count, but the hat has a bit more freedom of movement.

If you are interested in a deeper analysis of switching out yarn, with specific references to what we are talking about here now, head over to the Encourage Better podcast and have a listen.

So let's think about recreating this bulky yarn from our stash.

Suppose you use a bit of your bulky yarn and size 10.5 needles and cast on 12 stitches. For this exercise, I recommend using the long-tail cast-on method. Watch the yarn as you hold it in your left hand. As you pull the needle away with your right, does the yarn shrink much? Does it stretch and give? How about as you work the needle through the yarn and create a stitch and then another, do the stitched snug up tightly? Do they compress?

Now that we understand this thick yarn a bit better let's see if we can recreate it with some thinner stuff!

I used 5 strands of Kate Selene yarn for the hat (shown with the basket of yarn) 4 were her fingering weight, and 1 was her slubby yarn. The fingering weight yarns used were identical base, just assorted colors.

In this hat (below), I used 5 strands of Space Cadet Yarn mini-skeins. With the SCY minis, I drew from various sock bases in the mini-skein bundles I have: some sparkly, others with a touch of cashmere, and assorted levels of merino/nylon.

Holding the yarns together and using the same needle with the bulky stitches already on it, cast on 12 using the long-tail method. How does it compare? First impressions matter, so look at the two cast on segments with your detective hat on!

Before we can wrap up this little experiment, turn your work and work 3 or 4 rows in stockinette stitch (or more---which is what I did!). Then play Hercule Poirot one more time and look over these stitches to compare and contrast.

Take time to play around with yarn and make more discoveries.

Do you want to tap into your creativity? Desire to connect with the Intuitive Knitter inside you? The Swatch Me Series offers thoughtful, inspirational ways to see your knitting. These classes also provide clarity and insight into swatching, so you are best prepared for knitting projects.

Interested in learning more? Click below!

Knitter's Project Bag Collective Members receive all monthly live workshops I teach at no charge! Every live event is included as a membership perk, and the recorded replay is always available, along with a special class guide. Space in these classes for non-KPBC members is limited.

Swatch Class 1 Registration Link Here

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As always, I hope you are happily knitting today!

Have fun with this yarn adventure, and share your thoughts and observations below!