5 Patterns To Use Up Scrap Yarn

What to Do With Leftover Yarn? Start Here.

If you're a knitter or crocheter, chances are you’ve got a growing pile of leftover yarn—those odd bits and partial skeins that are too nice to toss, but too small for a full project. The good news? You can absolutely turn those yarn scraps into something wonderful.

Before you dive into your next scrappy project, take a few minutes to get organized. First, if you can, sort your yarn by fibre type—wool, cotton, blends, etc. This helps ensure your finished project has a consistent look and feel (and behaves well when washed). If you know the fibre content, group similar fibres together.

Next, sort by thickness (also called yarn weight). Group fingering with fingering, DK with DK, and so on. This makes it easier to choose a project that matches what you have—or to combine similar weights if you’re feeling adventurous.

Finally, weigh your yarn scraps using a small kitchen scale. Knowing how many grams (or ounces) you have of each leftover will help you match them to the right project. You might be surprised how far 25g of fingering weight can go!

In this post, I’ll share 5 fun and useful project ideas to help you use up those beautiful leftovers—no matter the size of your stash.

1.  Sea Glass Cowl by Wool & Pine

This cowl is amazing to use up a variety of yarn weights.  You can mix and match DK, fingering, worsted; whatever.  The pattern is designed to accommodate 5 different gauges!  Pattern available here on Ravelry.

2.  Sundial Tee by Wool & Pine

Wool & Pine produced a series of projects specifically for using up scraps and they are all amazing!  This tee is designed to use up sock or fingering weight yarns and the projects showing in Ravelry are beautiful.  You can check out the pattern here.

3.  Scrappy Stripes Cowl by Sue Sitko

This cowl is designed for as many colours as you want and includes notes on how to customize the cowl to the size you want.  Plus, it's a free pattern!  Why not check out the Scrappy Stripes Cowl here.

4.  Mini Granny Squares by Emma Carter

I haven't forgot about my crochet people.  This is a wonderful project that you can make a long term project.  You can make squares and add as you find scraps!  It's designed for any gauge and there is a tutorial on Youtube to help you.  The link to the pattern can be found here.

5.  Scrapkins by Amy Gunderson

How cute are these little pumpkins!  What a wonderful way to use up little bits of scraps.  Amy Gunderson also has several other patterns that are designed for scrap yarns that you should check out.  Scrapkins pattern can be found here.

You can also check out some other projects I found in my Ravelry search in my Scrap Projects bundle here.