5 Clever Ideas to Use Up Leftover Yarn

Whether you're cleaning out your yarn stash, or just looking for ways to use up leftover bits of yarn while spending more time indoors, today's blog post shares 7 ways use up leftover yarn and make sure that no yarn goes to waste! 

Idea #1: Make Wool Dryer Balls

Many traditional dryer sheets contain chemicals and fragrance, which can irritate sensitive skin. Try making your own dyer balls with leftover bits of wool yarn to reduce drying time (wool fibers are able to absorb a surprising amount of moisture!) and also reduce static electricity. Knitwear designer Louise Tilbrook has a fabulous tutorial on making your own dryer balls with leftover yarn. 

Tip: Use our nostepinne to start winding your dryer ball to create a perfect round shape!

Image source: louisetilbrookdesigns.net

Idea #2: Use As Stuffing

The next time you're run low on poly-fil stuffing, mix in your leftover yarn snippets to fill your toy or pillow projects!

Idea #3: Decorate Gifts

Make pom poms, tassels, or simply wrap yarn around your package several times to add a bit of color to any gift!

Idea #4: Make a Magic Ball

Pick several coordinating colors of the same yarn weight to join together into a "magic ball" that changes colors and textures as you work! Find the free tutorial here from Shiny Happy World.

Image source: shinyhappyworld.com

Idea #5: Make Do and Mend

Repairing small holes in your knitted or crocheted garments doesn't require a full skein of yarn— typically just a yard or two will suffice. Choose a coordinating (but contrasting) color of yarn to visibly mend your next project; click here for tips from Spin-Off Magazine or watch a helpful video shared by @bookhou on Instagram.

Image source: Spin-Off Blog

Perfect Patterns for Leftover Yarn

There are so many patterns that are written for leftover bits of yarn, many of which are available for free. Here are a few of our favorites.

Free Knitting Patterns

Leftover KAL by Tina v/d Berg is an any-weight, any yardage pattern for a brioche scarf. For those who prefer cowls, check out I Love Trash by C.B. Williams for an in-the-round cowl that you can easily customize. If you have lots of leftover sock yarn, try Dr. Frankenscraps by Fran Singer to make a unique mismatched pair of socks. Keep hands warm with the Drops of Spring Mitts by Quinn Reverendo, which uses small amounts of Aran-weight yarn to create a pixelated design. Mash it Up by Babs Ausherman uses two strands of fingering weight yarn held together to create endless color combinations. 

Free Crochet Patterns

Magic Monday by Brenda Grobler uses fingering weight yarn and several crochet stitches to make a delightfully wearable cowl. Elizabeth Pardue's Scrapadelic Scarf coordinates with her Stripey Mitts pattern to put your leftover worsted weight yarns to good use. The Scrap Buster Beanie by Esther Thompson is a great way to practice a few new-to-you crochet stitches while also using up leftover yarn. Casapinka's Blanket of Calm can be easily adjustable depending on what yarn you have on hand and how big you'd like your blanket to be.

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Keep it Green by Upcycling for Earth Day + Giveaway

Do you want to help keep as much as you can out of the landfill? Do you hate to see things going to waste? Here are a few tips to help upcycle materials this spring!

Unravel a sweater to reclaim yarn

We all have those sweaters in our closet that are destined to go to the thrift store after the Spring cleaning purge, but what if that sweater could become your next new project?

Start by examining the sweater, if it is still in good condition, you can reclaim the yarn. Start by unseaming the sweater. Once the sweater is in parts, find an end and start unraveling! This can be a fun project to do with kids. Using a swift makes the process go a little faster, and prepares you for the next step. Wash the yarn in a yarn soak to relax the fiber, then hang it up to dry with a weight to get out any of the pesky kinks.

If you don’t like the original color of the yarn, this is the ideal time to dye it.

If you don’t have any old sweaters, head to your local thrift store and there are sure to be plenty of them there to turn into a pretty sizeable stash. For a more detailed explanation of this process, check out this great blog post.

Turn fabric into yarn

Whether it’s a worn out t-shirt, or old sheets, any fabric can become your new rug yarn! Cut up t-shirts and sheets to create long strips of fabric that you can either crochet, knit, or weave long-lasting durable rugs. This gives those old garments a second life, and gives you an excuse to use your Jumbo Birch needles and hooks!

Crochet Rug Tutorial from 1 Dog Woof

Upcycle your worn-out clothes
If you have a t-shirt that is a little worn out or just don't love it anymore, adorn it with yarn!

The Jelly Bean Tee Edging pattern teaches you how to add a knit yoke around a shirt, which can add new life to your favorite sweatshirt! Or, try adding some lace around the worn out cuff of your jeans.

Spruce up your boring outfits by adding appliques, as seen here in the Sweater Makeover pattern from Meredith Crawford.

Giveaway
What is your favorite upcycling tip? How do you celebrate Earth day? Let us know in the comments below for your chance to win 1 of two prizes: a set of our Naturalz DPNs or a pair of our Fixed Circular Needles. 

We'll announce our winners in our next blog post on Friday, April 28. Good luck!

If you liked this blog, please share it with your friends and knit group! If you try any of these projects, let us know over on Instagram and use the hashtag #knitterspride.