The ‘Waste not want’ not v-neck crochet sweater is an easy, super chunky winter pullover, made using multiple strands of leftover yarn scraps crocheted together. This stash busting method creates a beautiful marled effect and a unique sweater that will keep you warm all winter.

In this post I will talk about the crochet ‘recipe style’ pattern with which I used to make the jumper you see pictured and share how to customise the pattern for any size.

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About the sweater pattern

I have always been a fan of using up left over yarn in crochet projects. I hate waste and love yarn, so stashbusting designs where I use scraps of yarn in creative ways have always appealed.

Patterns like the Stash to treasure batwing sweater and the Scandi stashbusting beanie are a couple of my other scrap yarn crochet patterns.

‘Waste not want’ not is my newest scrap busting crochet pattern. It’s a super chunky v-neck sweater made from a mix of yarn fibres and yarn weights.

I’ve been trying to work through my stash this year and as a consequence have more and more left over part balls or scraps of yarn sitting in storage boxes (I always store yarn in plastic boxes to keep the moths away).

This pattern has been on my mind for at least 6 months and I was so excited to finally find time to make it. Especially as I love the finished result more than I anticipated I would.

Normally when I design a crochet garment pattern, I sketch out my idea, make a swatch, do the maths, grade it all for multiple sizes and THEN I start to crochet up the sample, making tweaks to the design as I work.

However, for this pattern I just picked up the hook, my bags of leftover yarn and completely winged it. It was utterly joyful!

How to use this crochet pattern

Rather than writing this pattern in the traditional size graded format, I have taken a slightly different approach.

I have written out the specific instructions I followed to crochet the sweater you see pictured (i.e in one size only)

On top of that I have adapted it into a kind of ‘recipe’ format so you can crochet your own version in any size, based on the yarn you have at your disposal.

Along the way I will explain where you may want to make adjustments and changes to the pattern to suit you.

I guess it’s an intro to designing your very own crochet sweater!

I’ve taken this approach because, by the nature of stash busting, we will all be working with different materials, which means it’s going to be hard to get a consistent gauge. I’m also a fan of encouraging people to experiment with their crochet hooks – and when working from stash, there is really nothing to loose!

If you’re worried about making it up as you go (for want of a better expression!) then you might want to check out this post which explains how to design your own garment in 7 steps. It explains all the concepts you’ll be using in a bit more detail and will give you a more structured framework to work from.

As with all patterns, I encourage you to take a few minutes to read through all the notes – the information is there for a reason! And in this case, I would suggest reading the whole pattern, before you start. This is the best way to set yourself up for success, especially if you are customising the sizing rather than just following the pattern verbatim.

You may prefer to watch the video tutorial which includes most of the same information and can be used as a stand alone pattern for those with some crochet experience:

I am working on a more formal graded PDF version of the pattern which will have specific, sized instructions for those of you who prefer to work crochet projects that way. But if you’re happy to play and wing it a little, detach from perfection and play then this is for you!

Remember that when working with scraps you are going to get inconsistency in gauge and drape, so please embrace that. This project, for me at least, is about having fun and creating something beautiful out of bits and bobs that would otherwise be sat in cupboards or project bags.

This is meant to be an unpolished scrap project. As if to prove that point to myself, when I set up to take the pictures, I omitted to remove the neon green blocking mat from the background so apologies if you spot that in some of the pics, glowing like a beacon! On top of that, the video tutorial I made to accompany it is also incredibley ‘informal’.

So please leave the idea of creating an error free garment at the door and enjoy the freedom of just crocheting!!

Are you ready?

Let’s do this!

Sweater Construction

The waste not want not crochet sweater is a simple, classic v-neck pullover, crocheted using the drop shoulder construction (learn more about sweater construction here).

It’s crocheted from the bottom up in rows, working a front and back panel which are seamed at the shoulders and sides.

The sleeves are worked directly from the armholes and a ribbed v-neck band, hem and cuffs are added to finish.

The sweater is made by holding multiple strands of yarn together, switching out one colour for another as each runs out. I go into more detail about the technique used in the stranding and colour choice sections below.

Skills

This is a simple sweater pattern which assumes knowledge of basic crochet stitches.

You’ll need to know where to find the front loop, work in rows and rounds and use simple decreases.

The trickiest part of the pattern is probably working with multiple strands together but you get used to that. I just chucked the balls I was working from in a big bag for life bag and let them roll around in there (rather than all over the floor) You’ll see this if you watch the video tutorial.

If you want to follow along with the video instead of the written pattern below, you may find it helpful to watch the video all the way through before you start. This will give you an overview of where the pattern goes.

Because I made the sweater up as I went along, I show you in the video where I made changes in the pattern as I worked. This may also help you in customising the sweater to your preference.

Materials

I used my 12mm clover amour crochet hook with the multiple strands which worked out to approximately a super chunky weight.

It’s hard to estimate the meterage of yarn used for this sweater, but the finished version weighted 1050 (that’s after all the ends were sewn in).

When working with scrap yarn it can be hard to know how far it will go, so I worked the front and back panels kind of in parallel. This way I could balance using scraps of colours and textures across the two.

Depending on how much yarn you have to use up, there’s a balance between planning ahead, kind of ‘budgeting’ the different weights and colours and just going for it!

If you have less yarn to use then you could try working with fewer strands which will give you a less chunky fabric. If you do this, keep an eye on your tension to make sure you’re achieving the size you’re looking for.

For the neck band, cuffs and hem, I switched to a 6mm crochet hook and used Cascade ecological wool.

This was the leftover yarn I had from the Wilderness Cape which is a beautiful natural wool. This yarn is sold as a chunky weight yarn but I feel that it is more like a heavy worsted aran weight with a plump halo.

I chose not use this yarn throughout the body of the sweater, partly because It is quite bulky and also I wanted to save it so I could get some consistency between the collar cuffs and hem. I used roughly 150-175g (250-300m) of this for the ribbing in total.

Crocheting with multiple strands of yarn

In total I worked with 6 strands of yarn held together at once. It’s important to know that one of these strands was laceweight mohair. I used this throughout and did not switch it out for any other yarn.

If you’re not including a laceweight yarn, then I recommend you work with 5 strands of yarn of mixed weights from sock / 4ply to worsted / aran weight and everything in between.

This post explains yarn weights in full detail, if you want clarification of the different terms used here.

The aim of the game is to keep roughly the same balance of yarn weight overall to try and maintain a relatively consistent gauge.

Though do expect to see variation. My stitch gauge varied between 8 and 9 stitches in 10cm. (Full gauge details given below)

I used the magic / Russian knot to join a new yarn either when the last one ran out, when I wanted to change colour or yarn weight, or simply when I was a bit bored of a particular yarn!

You can find a tutorial for the Russian knot here.

Some people don’t like this joining method as they fear it will come undone. For me that’s dependent on the fibres it’s used with. I rarely use it with silky yarns for that reason.

However, for the purposes of this project it works just fine. If it does come undone, it doesn’t really matter that much. You can just weave the end in on the wrong side without working about the structural integrity. The multiple strands will ensure the sweater doesn’t unravel.

Just make sure you stagger where you join yarns so you aren’t switching all strands out at the same time.

I want to give a nod to the wonderful Laerke Bagger – a fabulous knitter I follow on instagram who is the queen of scrappy sweaters. Although I have used quite a different technique to her scrappy knitted sweaters (crochet for one) and there are a lot of designs using yarn scraps to create a marled effect with multi strands (it is not a new technique), Laerke Bagger does it better than anyone I have seen!

Choosing and changing colours

If you have a look at my portfolio of crochet patterns, you’ll see that I tend to work with creams, blues and pinks. This isn’t a conscious thing particularly, I just like those colours.

As a result I had a LOT of left over cream and white yarns. This was the colour I chose as my ‘base’ colour – the neutral if you like. I had over 1.2kg of cream and off-white yarn leftovers to play with.

Once I’d collated all my creams for the base colour, I pulled out all of my bits of leftover colours as well as a few swatches and small wips that were never going to progress (which got frogged as I used them up). I separated them into a bag of colours.

The shortest length of scrap yarn I worked with was probably around a metre.

After some experimentation (you’ll see the frogging horror in the video), I chose to crochet with 6 strands held together (as discussed above). 4 of these were cream in a mix of weights (including 1 strand of laceweight mohair throughout), and 2 were selected from the bag of colours.

Sometimes I worked with 5 cream strands and only one contrast colour.

My advice for choosing colour is do not to overthink it.

Just pick a colour that you think roughly goes with the last one. Assuming you’re working with a consistent base shade too (which can be variations on any neutral shade) then it should kind of absorb any colour clashes or changes you’re not sure of.

When it came to the sleeves, I had started to run out of colours of lighter weight yarn, so used a beautiful 4 ply mini skein called ‘tutti fruity’ from Made by Penguins. This was a variegated pink and orange yarn and I used about half on each sleeve, fastening it off and rejoining it in sections.

It was a variegated yarn so the orange and pinks you see in the sleeve are likely from this.

Sizing

The item you see pictured here, and described in the pattern below has a finished bust of 110 cm and is 55cm long including the hem.

I’m 5ft 1 and a bit and a UK size 8-10 (US 4-6)and the sweater is oversized on my body and drops to my hips.

Below is a schematic giving details of more sizes.

At each stage of the pattern I go into details about how you can customise your sweater to fit you and what areas you need to take into consideration when customising your sweater.

I reiterate that it will be helpful to read through the pattern and all the guidance on adjustments before you start so you can get an idea of when and where you might want to make changes.

You may also find my post ‘how to crochet clothes that fit‘ useful when it comes to making adjustments.

One other thing to bear in mind about the sizing of this sweater, is that the fabric itself is pretty thick. Although the chest here is 110cm on the outside, the depth of the fabric will mean it’s narrower on the inside.

I’ve made my sweater very oversized so it’s not an issue but if you’re going for a closer fit (on this or any sweater) then it’s worth keeping a mental note of this.

Choosing the width and length of your sweater

If you are customising your size, you can either eyeball it as you work or make a note of the target size you’re aiming for before you start.

It may help you to sketch a copy of the front and back panels (based on the schematics below) and add your own measurements. If you do this before you start, you can easily compare your work to it as you go.

If you’re not sure where to start with measurements, take a look in your own wardrobe and, if you already have a garment that’s similar in size to what you’re looking for then measure the width and length of it as a starting point.

You may want to use my gauge to calculate approximately how many stitches and rows you will need to work to achieve this size before you start. This post explains how to make those calculations.

You can then tweak this as you work (tweak the rows at least, it’s harder to adjust the width once you’ve started)

It’s a good plan to get an idea of length before you start because you’ll want to think about when you start the shaping for the v-neck. I share some guidance on making adjustments for this when I get to it in the pattern.

The last thing to remember is that the fabric will drop with wear, i.e. the sleeves and body will most likely get longer. Exactly how much depends on a number of factors (tension, fibre, seaming and gravity to name the main ones), but you may want to adjust to accommodate this by removing a row or two from the length.

Gauge

Given that you’re using such a mix of yarns, the gauge will most likely vary throughout your project. Mine varied by a stitch and row either way, when measured in multiple areas over the finished sweater, but the average gauge was as follows:

8.5 stitches and 8 rows of single crochet worked in the front loop only using a 12mm crochet hook.

I measured my gauge on the unblocked finished sweater in about 10 different places to get the average gauge. Traditionally I would work a gauge swatch before starting and work from that. But, in case you haven’t twigged, this isn’t a traditional project!

My suggestion with gauge is to measure it as you work and to eyeball the size of the pattern as you go. It is also worth measuring your project at different stages to check it’s in line with your (or the recipient’s) desired size.

Throughout the pattern I’ll call out the key stages where I recommend checking your measurements.

Gauge for ribbing

For the ribbing, I moved down to a 6mm hook and worked with a single strand of heavy aran / chunky yarn (see materials).

Although I advise adjusting your tension to suit your sweater when adding the ribbing, you may find the ribbing gauge useful for comparison:

16 stitches and 11 rows of hdc worked in the front 3rd loop (see special stitches) using a 6mm crochet hook

Pattern Notes

• Please read all the pattern notes before starting your project
• This pattern uses standard US crochet terms (UK equivalents are given in brackets in the abbreviations list)
• Numbers at the end of a row / round indicate the number of stitches in that row / round and are only given at the start of a section or where there is a change
• Turning chains do not count as stitches throughout
• Unless otherwise indicated, stitches should be worked in consecutive stitches
• The first stitch of each row / round should be worked into the top of the last stitch from the previous row / round, unless otherwise indicated
• Instructions written after *asterisks should be repeated as indicated 
• Wrong and Right sides are nominal – until you seam the body panels, the project is reversible
• I use the term first and second side for shaping rather than left and right to avoid confusion between different dexterity (note that I am left handed so any in progress shots you see may be a mirror image of your work if you’re right handed)

Stitches and Abbreviations (US terms)

UK crochet terms are given in brackets

• BLO = back loop only
• ch = chain
• dec = decrease (denotes decrease row / round)
• FLO = front loop only
• fsc = foundation single crochet (UK foundation double) – tutorial here
• hdc = half double crochet (UK half treble crochet)
• RS = right side
• sk = skip (UK miss)
• sc = single crochet (UK double crochet)
• sc2tog = single crochet 2 together (UK double crochet 2 together) see decreasing stitch tutorials
• ss = slip stitch
• st(s) = stitch(es)
• WS = wrong side

Special Stitches

3rd front loop ribbing

In this sweater I tried a new type of ribbing which I’ve not worked before. Earlier this year, I did a deep dive looking at different kinds of crochet ribbing (part 1 (which looks at front loop. back loop and slip stitch rib) and part 2 (which focuses on ribbing with post sts)) and have been obsessed with trying new kinds of rib ever since.

For this project I worked my ribbing using half double crochets (UK half treble) working into the ‘front 3rd loop.’ I’m not sure whether that’s the formal term, but it’s the best way I came up with to describe it.

The front 3rd loop can be found by looking at the RS of the row you’re about to work into and you will notice that just below the top two loops you usually work into, there is a horizontal bar (see image below). This is the front 3rd loop.

You can of course choose your preferred ribbing style for this sweater, so use what works for you.

I worked the ribbing directly into the neckline, hem and cuffs. I like this approach to ribbing as I could alter the number of stitches I slip stitched into on the sweater to change the tension. This is explained in the pattern.

If you’re new to it, you can see a simple tutorial of how to work ribbing directly into a project here. The tutorial uses the example of a hat band with single crochet back loop ribbing, but the principle of working ribbing onto a project is the same.

Crochet sweater pattern instructions

You will start by making the body panels from the bottom up. I have written the instructions with the stitch counts I used, however, you can eyeball the width of the panel to give you a size that suits your preference.

Front body panel

Row 1: Make 42fsc

If you are customising your sweater, make an even number of foundation stitches suitable for the width of the sweater you’re trying to achieve. Note that after the foundation row you may find the width decreases as you work (mine ALWAYS does!) so take this into account.

Row 2: Ch1 (does not count as a st throughout), 1sc in FLO of each st to end, turn. 42 sts

Rows 3 – 21: As Row 2

Do not fasten off, continue to v-neck shaping

V-neck shaping – First side

Continue from previous body row;

Row 22: Ch1, 1sc in FLO of next 21 sts (or half way across the panel if you changed the number of foundation stitches), turn leaving the second half of the panel unworked. 21 sts

Row 23: Ch1, sk first sc, 1sc in FLO of each st to end, turn. 20 sts

Row 24: Ch1, 1 sc in FLO of each st to 2 from end, sc2tog over FLO of last 2 sts, turn. 19 sts

Rows 25 – 38: Repeat rows 23 and 24. 5 sts

Fasten off

Neck shaping – Second side

Rejoin your yarn in the first unworked st in Row 21 (i.e in the centre of the panel in the next unworked st after Row 22 of the first side finished);

Row 22: Ch1, 1sc in FLO of each st to end, turn. 21 sts

Row 23 (dec): Ch1, 1 sc in FLO of each st to 2 from end, sc2tog over FLO of last 2 sts, turn. 20 sts

Row 24 (dec): Ch1, sk first sc, 1sc in FLO of each st to end, turn. 19 sts

Rows 25 – 38 (dec): Repeat rows 23 and 24. 5 sts

Fasten off

Ensure you end with the same number of sts as you had on the first side.

Adjustment guidance for neck shaping:

Note that I worked my v-neck shaping decreases until I only had 5 sts left. These 5 stitches are are used to create the shoulder seam. However you may wish to work fewer decreases / leave more stitches for the shoulder seam, especially if you have more stitches across the body.

The key measurement to look at when making this decision is the width across the neck (as the shoulder seams will likely extend along the top of the arms if you’re also going for a very wide sweater. See schematic below)

In my sweater, decreasing to 5 sts left a gap of 39cm between the shoulder seams before the neck trim was added. This is a very wide neckline which fell off my shoulders (as you’ll see in the video) but adding the neck band narrowed it by around 10cm which was enough to keep the sweater from falling. Just. If I had gone wider I would have ended with a permanently off the shoulder sweater.

I recommend measuring the width from shoulder to shoulder in order to help you make a decision about shoulder width. If you want wider shoulder seams (and therefore a narrower neck line) then make fewer decreases.

If you’re making fewer decreases, you can increase the number of rows you work before you start the neck shaping. This will create a shallower V.

If you want to retain the same depth of v you can change how frequently you decrease along the neck shaping to counter the change in shoulder width.

To decide on the depth of the V, you can work the body panel until you’re happy with the length from the base of the v to the waist / hips. Hold the partially worked panel to your body aligning it to roughly where you want the bottom of the v to sit and assessing whether the length is right for you. Remember to account for the hem and neck band.

Back body panel

Row 1: Make 42fsc (or the same number of fsc worked for the front panel)

Row 2: Ch1, 1sc in FLO of each st to end, turn. 42 sts

Rows 3 – 36: As Row 2

Do not fasten off, continue to back neck drop

Back neck drop – First side

Continue from previous body row;

Row 37: Ch1, 1sc in FLO of next 5 sts (or the same number of sts as the last row of your front neck shaping), turn leaving the rest of the panel unworked. 5 sts

Row 38: Ch1, 1sc in FLO of each st to end, turn

Fasten off

Back neck drop – Second side

Rejoin your yarn 5 sts from the end of Row 36 (or the same number of sts from end as worked in the first side);

Row 37: Ch1, 1sc in FLO of same st as join and FLO of each st to end, turn. 5 sts

Row 38: Ch1, 1sc in FLO of each st to end

Fasten off

Adjustment guidance for back panel and back neck drop

I generally suggest making sure the back panel has the same number of sts as the front, however, you may wish to make it narrower for a closer fit on the shoulders or to allow more space over the front, for example as a fuller bust adjustment.

If you do work the back panel with a different number of sts then ensure that your back neck drop has the same number of sts as the front neck shaping.

If you choose to, you can skip the back neck drop and work the same number of rows as the front panel at full width. I like to add the back neck drop to accommodate the neck band but this is a preference thing!

Shoulder Seams

Take your two panels and place them RS together inwards.

With WS facing, sew together the top of the front neck shaping to the corresponding back neck drop, matching stitch to stitch.

Repeat on both sides to create the shoulder seams.

Note that for all the seaming, I used mattress stitch, but you can use your preferred seaming method.

Now is a good time to try the sweater on to assess armhole depth. and length of the side seam.

Side Seams

Pop the sweater over your head and pinch it at the underarm, roughly where you want the underarm to start. I left a depth of about 20cm for my arm hole, which translated as 17 rows.

Add a place marker to the row where you want the underarm to start and do the same on the other side, ensuring the place markers at either side are on the same row.

Starting at the base of the sweater (the row end of the foundation row) sew together the front and back panel up to the place marker to form the side seam, leaving the suitable number of rows / depth unworked for the arm hole.

Repeat on both sides.

Sleeves

Repeat on both sides

With WS facing, attach your yarn to the top of the side seam at the underarm;

Round 1: Ch1 (does not count as st), work a round of sc into the row-ends around the underarm hole, ss to top of first sc, turn. 34 sts

Note that I worked 2 sc for each row end but you can adjust this as desired.

Round 2 (dec): Ch1, 1sc in FLO of each st to 2 from end, sc2tog over FLO, ss to top of first st, turn. 33 sts

Round 3 (dec): As Round 2. 32 sts

Round 4: Ch1, 1sc in FLO of each st to end, ss to top of first st, turn

Round 5 (dec): Ch1, sc2tog over FLO, 1sc in FLO of each st to end, ss to top of first st, turn. 31 sts

Round 6 (dec): As Round 5. 30 sts

Rounds 7 – 29: As Round 4

Fasten off, continue to cuff

Adjustment guidance for sleeves

You can work more or fewer Round 4 repeats until your sleeves reach the desired length, remembering to allow for the cuffs.

I just made a few decreases right at the start of the sleeve to achieve the width I was looking for, but you can alter the decreases to suit you, or not make any decreases at all. The latter was my original plan but I felt the sleeve was a little too bulky for my preference so made a change.

If making adjustments to the sleeves, make sure you write down what you do on the first one so you can do the same on the second.

You may think you’ll remember (I always think I will) but your probably won’t (I never do!)

Cuffs

Note that I actually worked the cuffs after the neck band (below). I was concerned about the width of the neckline because it has a structural function, so I wanted to ensure I had that right first before I carried on with cuffs. This way I could ensure I had the same depth on the neck band as the cuffs and hem.

You can find a guide to adding ribbing for cuffs and hems here – this is the principle I use for the cuffs, neckline and hem in this project.

Change to a 6mm crochet hook

With WS facing, join the yarn you’re using for your cuffs (I used a single strand of cascade eco for the cuffs, neck band and hem – see materials) to the first st of the round (which will be the underarm of the sleeve);

Round 1 (WS): Ch1, starting in the first st, *1sc in next st, 2sc in next st; rep from * to end, ss to top of first st, turn. 45 sts

Round 2: Ch1, 1sc in each st to end, ss to top of first st, do not turn

Round 3: Ch1, starting in the first st, *sc2tog, 1sc in next st; rep from * to end, ss to top of first st, turn. 30sts

You will now switch to working in rows at right angles to the sleeve.

Row 1 (RS): Ch8, 1hdc in second ch from hook and each of next 6 ch, ss into next 3 sts on Round 3, turn. 7 hdc, 3 ss

Row 2: Without chaining, sk 3 ss, 1hdc in 3rd front loop (see special stitches) of next 6 hdc, 1hdc through both loops of the last st, turn. 7 hdc

Row 3: Ch1, 1hdc in the 3rd front loop of each of the next 7 hdc, ss into the next 3 sts on Round 3. 7 hdc, 3 ss

Repeat Rows 2 and 3 around the cuff finishing on a Row 3 repeat

Joining Row: Ch1, ss into the front 3rd loop and corresponding ch on the starting ch to chain across all 7 sts

Fasten off

Note that I threw in a few Row 3 repeats where I only slip stitched into 2 stitches on Round 3. This is a way of adjusting your tension as you work which I discuss more in the neck band section.

In total I had 24 rows around the finished cuff

Neckband

Because of the wide neckline, the neckband has structural importance, so it’s worth taking the time to get the tension right. I reworked mine at least 3 times until I created something I was happy with.

Using a 6mm hook

With WS facing, join your yarn to the bottom of the front v where the shaping started;

Round 1 (WS): Ch1, work a round of sc up the front of the neck shaping, over the row ends of the back neck drop, along the back of the back panel, over the other back neck drop and down the front neck shaping, ss to top of first sc, do not turn.

Note that I worked 2 sc into each row end up the neck shaping and back neck drop. Across the back I alternated between 1 sc and 2 sc into each stitch across the back neck (i.e. Row 36 of the back panel) like with Round 1 of the cuffs.

Because you have halved the hook size, you may wish to experiment a little with your tension until you get something which will hold the weight of the sweater.

Round 2: Ch1, 1sc in each sc around, ss to top of first sc, do not turn

You will now start to work the ribbed section in rows at right angles to the neckline (the video tutorial may help you navigate this section);

Row 1: Ch1, work 1hdc in BLO of the first 7 sc from the previous round, turn. 7 hdc

Row 2: Ch1, 1hdc in the 3rd front loop (see special sts) of each of the next 7 hdc, ss into the next 3 sts on Round 2 of the neckline. 7 hdc, 3 ss

Row 3: Without chaining, sk 3 ss, 1hdc in 3rd front loop of next 6 hdc, 1hdc through both loops of the last st, turn. 7 hdc

Row 4: Ch1, 1hdc in the 3rd front loop of each of the next 7 hdc, ss into the next 2 sts on Round 2 of the neckline. 7 hdc, 3 ss

Row 5: Without chaining, sk 2 ss, 1hdc in 3rd front loop of next 6 hdc, 1hdc through both loops of the last st, turn. 7hdc

Repeat rows 2-4 up the front shaping.

When you get to the back neck, switch to repeating Rows 2 and 3 only – slip stitching into 3 stitches every other row creates a tighter tension and will stop the sweater falling off your shoulders.

Switch back to repeating Rows 2-4 when working down the second side of the front shaping until you reach the last 7 sts of Round 2 where you worked into the back loops.

When you get to this section, you will slip stitch into the front loops only so that the last few rows of your ribbing will overlap the first few rows (again, the video demonstrates this in more detail).

Just as you experimented with tension as you worked your first round of single crochet, you can alter the tension by changing the number of stitches you slip stitch into on Round 2. This is the same for the hem and the cuffs. You may wish to experiment as you work.

Final row: I worked my final row of ribbing as a rep 3/5 repeat, altering it as follows – 1sc in 3rd front loop of first 4 sts, 1hdc in 3rd front loop of the next 3 sts, 1 had through both loops of the last st

Fasten off leaving a long tail

You will then sew in the last row of the ribbing into the last 7 sts of the first round of sc. This will secure the ribbing.

Hem

Using a 6mm hook

With WS facing, join the yarn you’re using for your hem to the base of one of the side seams;

Round 1 (WS): Ch1, starting in the first st, *1sc in next st, 2sc in next st; rep from * to end, ss to top of first st, turn. 126 sts

Round 2: Ch1, 1sc in each st to end, ss to top of first st, turn

As with the other ribbing you will now switch to working in rows at right angles to the base of the jumper.

Row 1 (RS): Ch8, 1hdc in second ch from hook and each of next 6 ch, ss into next 2 sts on Round 2, turn. 7 hdc, 2 ss

Row 2: Without chaining, sk 2 ss, 1hdc in 3rd front loop (see special sts) of next 6 hdc, 1hdc through both loops of the last st, turn. 7 hdc

Row 3: Ch1, 1hdc in the 3rd front loop of each of the next 7 hdc, ss into the next 2 sts on Round 2. 7 hdc, 2 ss

Repeat Rows 2 and 3 around the bottom of your sweater, finishing on a Row 3 repeat

Joining Row: Ch1, ss into the front 3rd loop and corresponding st on the starting ch to chain across all 7 sts

Note that for the hem, I slip stitched into 2 sts on the Row 3 repeats because I wanted a relatively relaxed tension on the bottom of the sweater (to fit my hips). Every now and again I would work 3 ss to ensure I didn’t get any ruffling and the tension of the hem stayed relatively flush with the body of the sweater.

Once again, I encourage you to make adjustments to match your desired tension.

Fasten off, weave in ends and enjoy your stash!

I chose not to block this project though you may wish to do so if desired!

I hope you enjoyed this scrap busting project and you have cleared some space in your yarn stash in the process! I love it so much I made a hat to match… (pattern for that one coming soon!)

I would love to see all your scrappy sweaters, so please do share on insta using #WasteNotWantNotCrochet on insta or tag me @doraexplored on there

You can come and share in my facebook group ‘My Crochet Wardrobe’ too which is all about crocheting garments and a great place to meet other like minded crocheters.

If you’ve actually read the post through before starting, then extra Dora points for you and I hope you enjoy it! Feel free to raise any questions by dropping a comment below (if you aren’t sure about something, the chances are that other people will have the same question, so don’t be shy!)

Happy Hooking

Dx

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