How to shop your yarn stash: scrap-busting crochet projects

I am a huge fan of stashbusting crochet projects. I love being able to use up all my scrap yarn and leftovers in new, creative and unexpected ways.

If the thought of tackling your stash intimidates you, fear not… I have put together my quick guide to shopping your stash to help you make the most of what yarn you already have.

Why create from yarn leftovers?

There are lots of reasons why crocheters might want to take up stash-busting crochet and here are my top three:

1. For environmental reasons – the avoidance of waste is becoming more and more important everyday. Now is the prefect time for stash busting as it offers the opportunity to work with your own stash and reduce your consumption.
2. For economic reasons; why buy new yarn when you have a ton sitting in cupboards and project bags? With the increasing cost of living, we are all tightening our belts. Using what you have is a great way to stop spending your hard earned pennies. Many of us do not have the means to buy all the yarn we might like to, but that doesn’t mean we have to stop crocheting. Using yarn from your stash, frogging unfinished WiPs, reclaiming yarn from unloved previous projects and buying thrifted or second hand yarn is a great way to crochet affordably.
3. Simply because thrifting, reusing and recycling is a super fun and creative challenge. One which I find incredibly rewarding (when it goes right anyway).

Personally all three of these apply to me.

I’ve listed a few tips below on getting the most out of your stash, followed by some project ideas, categorised by project size. So whether you have a small, medium or large yarn stash, or you have so much yarn it’s bulging out of every cupboard in your home… there is something for you.

Find a range of dora does scrap busting crochet pattern ideas here or read on for tips for working with what you have.

How to get the most from your yarn stash

If you’ve been crocheting for a while, I expect that you have a bunch of part-balls, scraps and leftovers from previous crochet projects. Those bits you were never sure what to do with.

That’s the first place to start with stash-busting… making the most of what you probably didn’t know you already have in your yarn collection

Get organised!

The first thing to do is make a bit of an inventory and work out exactly what you have. This in itself can be pretty satisfying and remind you of that yarn you had forgotten about.

I store my yarn In plastic boxes by yarn weight (and then fibre) and any partial skeins and yarn left over from other projects go in a little bag. Below is my acrylic double knit yarn box in all its messy glory as an example.

Now I write that down it seems I’m more organised than I thought I was…

When you organise your yarn this way, it’s easy to see what you have most and least of.

Let’s say I was thinking of crocheting a granny square blanket. I could take a look at my box and bag of bits to easily see all the small amounts that could each make a square, or part square, and could also see if I have enough of one other single colour for joining.

If I don’t have enough to join with a single colour, then I could stay colourful and join with a mix of colours, or, for example, pick all my blues and use those for joining to create an ombre effect.

If I didn’t have enough of different tones of one colour, then I could get super colourful and just join with random different colours as they come out of the bag.

Sometimes just letting the colours do the work is the greatest decision you can make with scrap busting.

Simply being able to look and see exactly what yarn you have may be enough to inspire your next stash busting crochet project.

I documented the creation of my Random Rectangles blanket (a huge stash busting crochet throw) through a bunch of youtube shorts so you can see me practice what I preach and make all the decisions that went into the pattern.

If you love to just browse patterns, then check out my range of stashbusting crochet patterns here

Use your small yarn scraps

What about those little scraps which you could barely make 10 stitches with?

Well, how about creating your own yarn from them?

You can use the magic knot to tie them end to end and over time build up a ball of yarn to make your very own colourway which will also be a mini record of all your other crochet projects.

The magic knot, when done right, this is a great way of joining yarn without wasting much.

The waste not want not sweater used up all my little bits and bobs with this method – though I joined the yarns as I went rather than making a ball in advance.

Have a WiP project purge

Another great source of yarn is all those abandoned wips you have. Doing a WiP inventory might bring up some projects you had totally forgotten about…

Once you’ve dug up all those hidden WiPs, it’s time to get honest…frog it or finish it…

Life is too short to crochet projects for the sake of it. Like forcing ourselves to finish a book that is boring us, there are too many other options out there to waste time on something that doesn’t serve you.

So if you’re not gonna finish that project, give yourself a permission slip to just unravel it it and use the yarn for something else.

The summertime hangout top was created by frogging a poncho that was too big.

It’s akin to having a big brutal wardrobe clear out. As Marie Kondo would say, if it no longer sparks joy then you have your answer… frog the yarn and use it to crochet something you love instead.

On the flip side, now is also a great time to actually finish all those abandoned crochet projects that are currently in time-out too.

Use the posh yarn!

I am developing a habit of treating myself to a beautiful hand dyed skein of yarn in some delicious blend of fibre. The trouble is, it sits there in my stash because I’m scared to use it and not like what I create.

Sound familiar?

Here’s the thing, just like using the good china, and wearing your Sunday best, use the good yarn.

Yes, be thoughtful about what pattern you use it with (check out this post about choosing your yarn if you need some help!), but work it up – let it fulfil its purpose.

If your posh yarn includes lots of mini skeins (the gateway to fancy yarn!) then you might want to check out the Mitred Minis Pattern which is designed just for those beautiful mini skeins.

Mix and match yarn weights and fibres

Stash busting is a great opportunity to mix and match yarn weights and textures, clashing colours and prints, and generally get experimental.

The Bisou Pillow I designed was made with random yarns from my stash.

Tapestry crochet is a great way to mix it up! In this pattern, I experimented mixing cotton with mohair (worked double) and really liked the result!

Stash-busting crochet project ideas

Okay, so you’ve been through your stash and know what you’ve got, or maybe have some ideas about a particular yarn you want to use up.

But what should you crochet with it?

Below I’ve listed a ton of scrap busting crochet project ideas to get you started.

I’ve ordered the project suggestions in the amount of yarn requred. You can use part balls or smaller leftovers for all of them.

If you want even more pattern ideas, you could also check out my Stashbusting patterns board on Pinterest or browse my range of stash busting patterns.

Small stash busting crochet projects (<100g of yarn)

Scrap busting is perfect smaller projects. There is so much you can do with a small amount of yarn.

Scrappy granny squares are a great project to start with. They are quick patterns which look great in a mish-mash of colours and textures, and are really simple to join (even if they aren’t all quite the same size!).

Facecloths, scrubies or dishcloths are great quick projects which are ideal for crochet stas busting.

When I was a kid and my mum tried to teach me to knit, it would always involve knitting a dishcloth for my grandma for Christmas or birthday. Alas my knitting skills have not improved much since then but I think it definitely sewed a seed – these are great projects to get the kids involved with!

You have to be a bit thoughtful about your fibre here. Acrylic yarn is out – it’s water resistant so will just move water about rather than soak it up. Cotton and bamboo work really well for cloths. Try the free happy face cloth pattern for a bit of whimsy, or simply make a large swatch. These mindful crochet stitches are all great for cloths.

Likewise, crochet coasters are perfect small projects as you can pretty much choose a suitable stitch pattern and simply crochet a flat circle.

Scrunchies are another fab way to use up left overs and are incredibly popular right now. My Thank Scrunchie it’s Friday pattern is one of my most visited pattern tutorials and is a great place to get started!

You can get really creative with your yarn choice with crochet scrunchies. From worsted weight yarn to speciality yarns, such as faux fur, or lightweight yarns, the yarn you choose can create all kinds of fun effects in this quick and easy project

Small favour bags or coin purses are great for stash busting too. Check out this free drawstring bag pattern And tutorial which I used to make lavendar sachets for my wardrobe – so useful!

Amigurumi often only require small amounts of yarn and are another way to get creative! I’m thinking a toy with multicoloured hair to use all those ends!

Appliqués and small motifs (think mini stars or hearts for example) are great for using up small amounts of your, You can add them to a hand made greetings card, use them as a gift tag (they look fab hung around necks of bottles!) or string them together to make a garland or bunting, perfect for home made party decor or cheering up a kids bedroom!

One of my favourite little patterns is my pin me sunshine pin cushion. This is a happy quick and easy pattern

It’s a bit less crochet specific, but pom poms and tassels (see my 5 minute tassel tutorial here) are also a really good way to use up bits.

Use a pom pom maker to make it easier to get the most out of your short bits and have fun seeing what patterns you can make!

If all else fails, smaller ends make great stuffing for amigurumi or small pillows! Let nothing be wasted!

Medium stash busting crochet projects (100-200g of yarn)

I’m thinking scarves, cowls and hats here. They are fairly quick to make, flexible and make great a gifts

Anything with stripes in lends itself well to stash busting because you only need enough of each colour to complete one stripe. Though of course you can always rework solid pattern with your own stripes!

The free Scandi stashbuster hat pattern is a slightly slouchy beanie with asymmetric stripes. It’s a great way to use up small amounts of yarn and make yourself a new winter accessory at no extra cost.

Stripes are a like the stash buster’s superpower. Check out the Granny Dot Hat and Scarf Pattern or the leap year infinity scarf to give you some more ideas on striped accessories to crochet from stash.

Scarves and cowls are also great scrap busting crochet projects because they can also be made in any yarn weight. Everyone loves a scrappy scarf right?

My waste not want not crochet scarf and hat patterns are also available for free for those of you who love to work with a a combination of yarns and yarn weights. The free crochet patterns use a range of weights from fingering weight yarn to worsted weight all worked multiple stranded. These are both really quick crochet projects too.

Open work Market bags are great patterns for using up small amounts of yarn too. There are loads of free patterns for these on Pinterest and ravelry – as a bonus, reusable shopping bags also help reduce plastic waste.

Small homeware projects like baskets and wall hangings work really well with a mixture of yarns too. For baskets, try holding different yarns double for a unique effect.

Cushions are also a really nice medium sized project too. Scrappy mixed fibres crocheted tightly look great on a plain couch.

Large stash busting crochet projects (>200g of yarn)

For larger projects you’re going to mainly be looking at blankets, rugs, larger shawls or garments.

The Mitred Minis pattern, designed for yarn advents, offers different size projects from 120g, 240g, or 480g. The large wrap below uses the pattern and is perfect for big scarf season!

We mentioned making a granny square in the small project section, but you could also make the ultimate granny square blanket… just keep going and going on the same square until it’s as big as you want it or you run out of yarn.

Likewise the granny stripe blanket works really well with this too (though for that you’ll need to have an idea of your width first – you can work that out using my guide to blanket sizes.

If you want a bit of a different kind of granny square project , have a look at the free bobble pop blanket pattern. You can crochet the circles with all your small amounts and you’ll then need a bit more of a single colour to join it (or join it in scraps too for a colour collision).

For years I’ve been wanting to create an afghan just of all my left overs. Start at one end, crochet a meter or so in width, then keep adding to it. Perhaps now is the time for me to put my yarn stash where my mouth is and get started?

Edit… I made the blanket … I ended up working in rounds rather than rows, using a mix of yarn weights and have created the Random Rounds free crochet blanket pattern should you wish to create your own unique crochet throw. It delights me from the back of my sofa every day.

Stash busting crochet garments

With garments, it’s more important to consider your yarn weight as ideally you’ll be sticking to a gauge if you’re following a pattern.

If you have a lot of the same weight yarn, you can pretty much turn any crochet pattern using that yarn weight and fibre into a scrap buster.

I actually designed the Stash to Treasure batwing sweater specifically to use up small amounts of cotton double knit yarn.

I created a ‘behind the scenes’ set of videos for my IGTV whilst designing this which shows you the design process and also how hard I found it to mix the colours… but also how rewarding! You can see part 1 here and follow on for parts 2 and 3!

Having just said it’s good to have a lot of the same yarn weight for stashbusting garments, you can also totally freestyle a simple drop shoulder design sweater.

You could either use a range of yarn weights, creating a fun fabric with inconsistent texture, or you can hold multiple strands of yarn in different weights together to create a more consistent bulky yarn weight. I think both of these would look amazing.

I followed the latter suggestion with the waste not want not sweater and I adore the result. I think it’s the cosiest sweater I own.

One of my other designs which started life as a CAL (crochet along) is my Maslow’s Rainbow top. This is a super simple top which can be made in any yarn weight.

It’s a bit of a stitch sampler too, so great if you want to try some new stitches with your left overs! Click here the intro and materials section and to learn more about the design.

I hope that gives you some good ideas to get moving. You can find more stash busting pattern ideas here.

There really are no hard and fast rules with stash busting. You can use any pattern and mix up the yarn and colours and see what happens. Have some fun with it and don’t be afraid to experiment!

Happy stash shopping!

Dx

More stashbusting crochet patterns

Learn about yarn weights

Copyright Dora Does Limited, Registered in England, Company Number 13992263. This pattern is for personal use only and may not be shared or reproduced in written, photo, video or any other form without prior written consent. All rights reserved. Terms of service.

More Free Crochet Patterns

Copyright Dora Does Limited, Registered in England, Company Number 13992263. This pattern is for personal use only and may not be shared or reproduced in written, photo, video or any other form without prior written consent. All rights reserved. Terms of service.