The Best Scrap Yarn Knitting Patterns
It is my belief that knitting and buying yarn are two separate hobbies, which means that it’s not uncommon for your yarn stash to outgrow your ability to knit all the things. Having a giant yarn stash can feel really cozy but it can also open you up to other issues like moths or carpet beetle infestations (yuck!) or engaging in (likely well intentioned) over consumption. Stash buster projects are a perfect solution — they reduce waste, reduce over consumption, and reduce your overall yarn stash size which helps reduce the risk of pests. Here are some of my favorite stash buster projects!
The Ziggy Beanie by Woozy by Céline
I was fortunate enough to be selected as a test knitter for this pattern and what a joy it was! I could not have hoped for a better first test knitting experience. The Ziggy beanie was designed for scraps in mind — with it’s super bulky weight you can hold multiple yarns and really clean up your stash! The slip stitch pattern is beautiful and adds such a cool texture to the chunky fabric. Céline’s pattern is clear, precise and very easy to follow. I think this would be easily doable if you are an adventurous beginner!
The Frazzled Scarf by The Novel Stitch (me!)
A FREE super easy, super beginner friendly striped tube scarf that will have you living your frazzled English woman dreams in no time. The name reflects the timeless British emotional stoicism and the constant American experience of functioning-through-collapse. The scarf is knit in the round and the length and width gets to be adjustable to your liking. This would be the perfect project for someone who is looking for practice working in the round or practice knitting stripes before moving on to bigger projects. You can download on Ravelry here or you can download through my website here.
The Marble Sweater by Petite Knit
A bulky sweater that can be knitted using one super bulky strand or many strands to meet gauge, this sweater is extremely cozy and knits up SO fast! I found that this was a perfect pattern to use up some random sock yarn I had laying about. You can read my project notes and observations here.
Suvi Bag Set by Marita Harvey
This is by far one of my favorites on this list because it works up SO quickly, you can easily modify the width/length/circumference, it uses up all those little bits of yarn you have AND it has a sewn lining so you can also use up scrap fabric you have lying around. The pattern includes instructions for the bag and a sunglasses case, which I think is perfect for gifting with a gift car or other small item. I used the larger bag as Christmas bags for gifts for family members and they LOVED it. I used up a ton of old yarn, my family got something useful and handmade — win win.
Lonely Leftovers Vest by Wool & Beyond
I’m really smitten with the Lonely Leftovers Vest — the garter stitch worked flat (meaning no purling!), the contrasting i-cord edging, and the cutie tie at the chest all do it for me. The size range is fairly inclusive, going from XS (87cm bust) to 4XL (146cm). I also think if you needed a larger or smaller size this would be fairly easy to adjust to your body. The pattern calls for an aran weight yarn on US 10 / 6.0 mm needles which means it’s going to be a quick knit! I also think if you have a lot of fingering weight yarn this would be a great pattern to hold a few strands together to get the pattern gauge 14 stitches x 28 rows and use up more scrap yarn. (please note I do not own these photos, they are from Wool & Beyond!)
