1. Hobbies & Games

Discuss in my forum

Free Scrap Yarn Patterns for Crochet

Don't Throw Away Your Leftover Yarn -- Crochet With It!

By , About.com Guide

If scrap yarn is accumulating in your yarn stash, you’ll appreciate these free scrap yarn patterns for crochet. Find a variety of different projects and patterns that can be crocheted using yarns left over from other projects.

Granny Square

Scrap Yarn Granny SquareScrap Yarn Granny Square -- Photo © Amy Solovay, Licensed to About.com, Inc.

The granny square is one of the most popular scrap yarn projects; you can crochet each round using a different yarn.

Rainbow Outlines Granny Square

Crocheted Granny Square Afghan Block With Rainbow OutlinesCrocheted Granny Square Afghan Block With Rainbow Outlines -- Photo © Amy Solovay

I crocheted my sample square using a rainbow of scrap yarn colors, but you could use any random colors for the outlines -- they don't have to form a perfect rainbow. It would be lovely to try this pattern using only fall colors, for example.

Double Rainbow Crocheted Square

Double Rainbow Crocheted Square -- Easy Crochet Project Made Using Scrap YarnDouble Rainbow Crocheted Square -- Photo © Amy Solovay, Licensed to About.com, Inc.

Again, don't feel compelled to make this project exactly as shown; feel free to use random colors of scrap yarn to crochet the stripes on this square.

Scrap Yarn Flowers

Scrap Yarn FlowerScrap Yarn Flower -- Photo © 2009 Amy Solovay, Licensed to About.com, Inc.

Multicolored Crochet Flower: (Pictured at left) You can use short pieces of scrap yarn to crochet the innermost rounds of this flower.

Small Flat Flower Applique: This is a small, easy flower pattern. The flower has six petals that are slightly rounded, and the flower is crocheted in one color. It's only two rounds -- quick and simple!

If you have a substantial collection of scrap yarn, crocheted flowers are generally a great way to use it up. You might want to check out the following links to find even more great flower patterns:

Floral Granny Hexagon Pattern

You Can Crochet This Hexagon Pattern Using Scrap Yarn.You Can Crochet This Hexagon Pattern Using Scrap Yarn. Photo © Michael Solovay.

If you have massive amounts of scrap yarn in your stash, you could use it to make a scrapghan out of hexagons. If you don't have all that much scrap yarn, try combining the scraps with purchased yarns to get a bit more mileage out of your yarn budget. Or you could aim for making a smaller project -- perhaps a pillow.

Use up Scrap Yarn With Freeform Crochet

This Freeform Hat Was Knitted and Crocheted Using Scrap Yarns.This Freeform Hat Was Knitted and Crocheted Using Scrap Yarns. Photo © Michael Solovay.

Keep in mind that you don't need to work from a crochet pattern; freeform crochet is one of the best ways I can think of to use up scrap yarn.

The hat pictured at left is a great example of a freeform scrap yarn project. I used up little bits of blue scrap yarn along with a brand new skein of the green yarn to crochet and knit the hat using freeform techniques.

Scrap Yarn Shawl Pattern

Shawl Crocheted Using Scrap YarnShawl Crocheted Using Scrap Yarn -- Photo © Erica Jackofsky

Erica Jackofsky gives you complete instructions for how to crochet a shawl using scrap yarn. Each shawl you crochet using this pattern is sure to be a colorful, one-of-a-kind original!

Crochet Stitches for Using up Scrap Yarn

Crochet Stitches Worked in Scrap YarnCrochet Stitches Worked in Scrap Yarn -- Photo © Amy Solovay

If you're into designing your own crochet projects, it's good to know a variety of different crochet stitches. There are certain stitches that work really well for using up scrap yarn. Here are links to a couple of them:

Alternate Uses for Embroidery Floss

Embroidery FlossEmbroidery Floss -- Photo © Amy Solovay

Got scrap embroidery floss in your craft supplies stash? Check out Connie Barwick's suggestions for ways to use it up.

Scrap Yarn Makes Great Nesting Material for Birds

Melissa Mayntz, About.com's Guide to birding and wild birds, suggests allowing birds to use scrap yarn as nesting material. Melissa says, "A lot of crafters will save ends of string and yarn to put out for the birds, and it's a great way to "recycle" those small bits you can't use in projects."

See Also: Make a suet cage nester for birds

©2012 About.com. All rights reserved.

A part of The New York Times Company.