Almost every knitter has them: half a ball of DK from a baby cardigan, a few metres of beautiful sock yarn, several odd colors from a blanket, or tiny balls of wool that seem too good to throw away.
So, what can you actually knit with leftover yarn?
Small toys, striped projects, patchwork knitting, dishcloths, ornaments, embellishments and other small accessories are some of the best ways to use leftover yarn. Better still, you can combine scraps from several projects to make something completely new.
The trick is to stop thinking of leftover yarn as a smaller version of a full ball. Scrap yarn is often most useful when the project is designed around having lots of small quantities in the first place.
- Best for tiny scraps: flowers, embellishments and ornaments
- Best for lots of colors: stripes, patchwork and colorwork
- Best for leftover cotton: dishcloths and washcloths
- Best for leftover sock yarn: small toys, patchwork and fine colorwork
- Best zero-waste idea: save even very short yarn ends for stuffing where appropriate
First: Sort Your Leftover Yarn
Before deciding what to knit, gather your leftovers and roughly sort them.
You don’t need a complicated system. Start with:
Yarn weight: Keep similar weights together, such as 4 ply/fingering, DK and worsted.
Fibre: Separate cotton from wool and other fibres when the finished project’s properties matter.
Amount: A half-ball gives you very different possibilities from a two-metre scrap.
Color: Look for colors that work together rather than trying to use everything in one project.
Once your scraps are sorted, it becomes much easier to see what you actually have.
9 Knitting Projects That Are Perfect for Leftover Yarn
1. Make a Scrap-Yarn Patchwork Blanket
You don’t need enough yarn to knit an entire blanket at once.
Knit individual squares from leftover yarn as your stash grows, then join them together later.
This is particularly useful if you regularly knit with the same yarn weight. Leftovers from months or even years of projects can eventually become one large piece.
For a more cohesive result, choose one common element—similar yarn weights, a repeated neutral color or a consistent square size—to tie everything together.
2. Knit Stripes
Stripes are one of the easiest ways to turn several awkward quantities of yarn into something intentional.
Instead of asking whether you have enough blue yarn for an entire project, use the blue for a few stripes, then change to green, cream, pink or whatever else is in your stash.
Scarves, blankets, children’s knits and simple accessories can all work well for this.
Tip: If some colors are much more limited than others, use those for narrow accent stripes and save your larger quantities for the main sections.
3. Make Tiny Knitted Toys
Small toys are exceptionally good scrap-yarn projects because individual pieces may require very little yarn.
Tiny rabbits, miniature animals, fruit, food and other little knitted objects can turn otherwise difficult-to-use scraps into something finished.
Knitting Bee has a large collection of free knitted toy patterns, including tiny projects specifically suited to yarn scraps.
4. Knit Dishcloths With Leftover Cotton
If your leftovers are cotton or a suitable cotton blend, make them useful.
Dishcloths and washcloths don’t need to be one color. Combine coordinating leftovers into stripes, blocks or simple patterns.
They are also excellent projects for experimenting with knit-and-purl textures because gauge is generally less critical than it would be for a fitted garment.
Explore the free dishcloth knitting patterns on Knitting Bee for more ideas.
5. Make Colorwork From Your Scraps
Fair Isle and other stranded colorwork can be surprisingly good for using small amounts of yarn.
A contrast color might appear for only a few rounds, meaning you don’t necessarily need an entire ball.
Before starting, however, make sure your yarns are reasonably compatible in weight and care requirements.
This is an especially interesting way to use several small quantities of leftover wool that look beautiful together.
6. Knit Small Seasonal Decorations
Christmas stars, Easter eggs, hearts, miniature stockings and other decorations need very little yarn.
This is where even those tiny balls at the bottom of your knitting basket become useful.
Seasonal knitting also gives you freedom with color. Scraps that don’t work with your wardrobe may be perfect for a bright Christmas ornament or Easter decoration.
7. Add Contrasting Details to Another Project
Leftover yarn doesn’t necessarily need to become a project of its own.
Use it to add:
- contrasting cuffs
- pocket edges
- stripes
- collars
- duplicate stitch
- embroidery
- pom-poms
- tassels
- knitted flowers
- decorative edging
A relatively small amount of yarn can completely change the appearance of a simple project.
This is also a useful solution when you have an expensive hand-dyed yarn left over and want to make every last bit visible.
8. Knit a Scrap-Yarn Scarf
If you have many leftovers of approximately the same yarn weight, turn them into a deliberately mismatched scarf.
The important word is deliberately.
Rather than changing colors randomly every time one runs out, establish a visual rule. You might alternate light and dark colors, use one neutral shade between every scrap color, or repeat a consistent stripe width.
That small amount of planning can make a collection of unrelated leftovers look like a designed color palette.
9. Make Knitted Flowers, Leaves and Appliqués
For the smallest usable scraps, go smaller still.
Knitted flowers, leaves, bows, hearts and other embellishments may require only a few metres of yarn.
Keep a small collection and use them later to decorate children’s clothes, hats, bags, gifts or other handmade projects.
What Can I Knit With Very Small Amounts of Yarn?
If you have only a few metres left, concentrate on details rather than complete projects.
Try:
- tiny flowers
- leaves
- miniature hearts
- embroidery on knitting
- duplicate stitch
- toy details
- tassels
- small pompoms
- contrasting edges
Even a very small amount of a beautiful color can be useful.
What Can I Knit With Lots of Different Leftover Colors?
This is where scrap knitting gets interesting.
If you have ten different colors but very little of each, choose a project where changing color is part of the design.
Patchwork, stripes, stranded colorwork and modular knitting are much better choices than trying to find ten separate tiny projects.
Lay all your yarn together before starting.
Remove any colors that obviously fight with the rest. You don’t have to use every scrap simply because it’s there.
Sometimes five coordinating leftovers will produce a much better project than fifteen unrelated ones.
Can You Mix Different Yarns in One Knitting Project?
Yes, but do it thoughtfully.
The easiest yarns to combine have similar:
- yarn weights
- gauge
- fibre characteristics
- washing instructions
Mixing a DK wool with another DK wool is relatively straightforward.
Combining a fine cotton, fluffy mohair and bulky acrylic in the same piece is a very different proposition.
It can certainly be done for artistic effect, but the resulting fabric may have different stretch, drape and washing requirements.
For projects where size matters, make a swatch first.
How Do I Know How Much Leftover Yarn I Have?
Weigh it.
If you still have the original yarn label, you can make a useful estimate.
For example, imagine the original ball contained:
100g = 200 metres
If your leftover yarn weighs 25g, you have approximately one quarter of the original ball:
about 50 metres.
This isn’t an exact measurement, but it’s much more useful than looking at a little ball of yarn and guessing.
For very small projects, those remaining metres can make the difference between having enough and running out.
Don’t Forget Your Leftover Yarn Ends
What about pieces that are simply too short to knit?
Keep clean yarn ends in a separate container.
Depending on the project and fibre, yarn scraps can sometimes be used as stuffing for small knitted decorations or toys rather than being thrown away.
Don’t mix them back into your usable yarn stash. Keep knittable leftovers and stuffing scraps separate so you immediately know what you have.
How to Build a Useful Scrap-Yarn Stash
The goal isn’t to save every five-centimetre piece of yarn forever.
Save scraps you’re realistically likely to use.
A simple system works well:
Tiny usable scraps: embellishments and colorwork
Small balls: stripes, toys and ornaments
Larger leftovers: patchwork pieces and accessories
Cotton leftovers: dishcloths and homewares
Very short ends: separate for stuffing or discard
Over time, your leftovers stop being clutter and become a usable collection of materials.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best thing to knit with leftover yarn?
Patchwork squares, striped knitting, small toys, decorations and colorwork are particularly good choices because they are designed to work with small quantities or multiple colors.
What can I knit with leftover sock yarn?
Leftover sock yarn is excellent for tiny toys, patchwork, colorwork, small ornaments and decorative details. Because sock yarn is fine, even a small ball may contain a useful amount of yardage.
What can I do with leftover cotton yarn?
Use leftover cotton for dishcloths, washcloths and small homewares. Cotton scraps can also be combined into striped projects when the yarn weights are compatible.
Can I knit with different brands of leftover yarn together?
Yes. The brand doesn’t need to match. Yarn weight, gauge, fibre behaviour and washing requirements are usually more important considerations.
Should I throw away tiny yarn scraps?
Very short pieces may not be practical to knit with, but clean scraps can sometimes be saved separately for stuffing small knitted items. Keep them separate from yarn that is still long enough to knit.
Turn Your Leftovers Into the Next Project
Leftover yarn doesn’t have to mean making another tiny hat because that’s all you think you have enough yarn for.
Combine it.
Stripe it.
Turn it into colorwork. Build a blanket one square at a time. Use tiny quantities for details and embellishments.
Once you start choosing projects because they work with scraps, rather than trying to squeeze ordinary patterns out of insufficient yarn, that basket of leftovers starts looking much more useful.
Explore thousands of free knitting patterns at knitting-bee.com to find more ways to use the yarn you already have.
See More Scrap Yarn & Small Knitting Projects
Put those leftover balls and yarn scraps to good use with more free knitting patterns from Knitting Bee: