Don’t Waste Your Extra Yarn – Use It

Disclaimer: This blog post contains affiliate links. I may earn a small commission to fund my Diet Dr. Pepper habit if you use these links to make a purchase. You will not be charged extra, and you’ll keep me supplied in caffeine. It’s a win for everyone, really.

Traditionally, handicrafts were born out of necessity. People needed warm blankets for their bed, so they learned to weave threads and eventually how to make quilts; they needed clothing, so they learned to make fabrics and sew them together. Today’s handicrafts are similar. Many people believe that the sustainability of our planet is a big issue for those living in our current times. The idea of recycling is often practiced in craft work through the reuse of yarns, fibers, and fabrics.

While it is fun to browse around your local craft or yarn store looking at all the variations of yarn skeins you can buy, it is also important to take the time to look around your own house, and your ever-growing yarn stash, and use up those left-over yarns from previous projects. Each of those skeins of yarn at your local store has had to be grown, processed, created, shipped, etc… and each task has taken its own small toll on the earth we all live on.  I don’t consider myself a tree-hugger, but I do care about this planet and believe that mankind has a duty to protect it and use its resources carefully.

While buying yarn is a necessity for those of us who choose to knit or crochet, it is important also to use the yarns we already have, and those others have cast off at the local thrift and charity shops as well when we can. It is just as important to also use knitting needles and other supplies to their fullest usefulness as well.

Wasting yarn is like throwing money away

Wasting your scraps of yarn is simply throwing money out the proverbial window. A much better option is to find a project where you can best utilize your scraps and make them into something beautiful and useful. What this project may be  depends on what scraps you happen to have lying around the house.

Start by sorting your yarns by color, especially if you have a considerable amount of scrap yarns. This can help you to make a new project such as scarves and blankets where you can mix and match colors in new and unique ways. Look at each color combination and think about the projects you could make with them.  Sometimes just tying on another color of similar-weighted yarns can create beautiful, unexpected results.

Dealing with yarns of different weights can be an issue if you attempt to knit them using techniques like stripes. However, you can knit them in other patterns where they will flow nicely together and the variation in weight is an added bonus. Take your scrap yarns and make some quick swatches. Combine colors and techniques to get ideas about what you could make with all the scraps you have of one color or another.

Another fun way to deal with yarns of different weights, colors, and textures is to knit granny squares and then combine them all into a blanket or shawl. With this application, your variations will enhance your project and not take away from it.  Use a neutral color to join the squares, such as black or white.  Granny squares are a great way to add a pop of color to any project and room.

Free-form knitting projects foster creativity

As you become more and more skilled at knitting and crochet you learn that free-form projects allow you to craft and create new and exciting items which are 100% unique and one-of-a-kind. Use a free-form technique and see what you come up with.  My favorite scrap project happens to be a throw I knitted from leftover cotton yarns knitted in just this style.  My husband says it looks like a serape, and it adds color to every room it graces.

Whether your ultimate goal is frugal living or saving the planet, you can make great strides by shopping in your own yarn stash before you hit the craft store or yarn shop. Challenge yourself to use up your odds and ends and see what you can come up with!

Happy Knitting
Anita

Affiliate Disclaimer: We can make Knitting with Anita available free of charge because we receive affiliate commissions and advertising fees. Links may go to these third parties.