What do you do when you have LOTS of leftover pieces of yarn not big enough to make another project?
Several years ago, I made lots of hats and scarves that I donated to the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation. When I’d finished making the scarf and a coordinating hat, I often found that I had leftover yarn that wasn’t big enough to make another hat or another scarf. I didn’t know what to do with these scraps of yarn, but not wanting to waste it, I wound it into balls using my handy dandy yarn winder tool.
I tossed the balls of yarn into a bag and waited for inspiration to strike. Eventually the number of balls of leftover yarn grew and the size of the bag grew too. The bag began to take up more space. I became eager to do something with the yarn.
I decided to use it all in an afghan. I picked a nice neutral ivory (called magnolia, from Hobby Lobby). Unable to read a crochet pattern and without one anyway, I created my own “recipe” for the afghan.
I decided to crochet two rows of the ivory yarn (the only yarn I purchased for the project) and then switch colors to one of the balls of leftover yarn, and crochet until I had used the whole ball of leftover yarn. I alternated back and forth between ivory and leftover yarn.
If the leftover yarn ran out in the middle of a row, I just picked up with the ivory and finished that row and then crocheted the full two rows of ivory before choosing a new ball of leftover yarn.
The result is this pretty afghan. I like it a lot because it demonstrates that one can make something pretty with all those leftover scraps of yarn that most crocheters have at some point. This afghan couldn’t be simpler. It’s entirely single crochet. There’s no pattern, no counting stitches, there’s just the simple “recipe” which I’ve just shared.
Though I’ve had other requests for this afghan it’s earmarked for Pine Ridge Indian Reservation where winter starts early, is very cold and snowy and where large numbers of the population do without heat or with very reduced heat during the winter months. There a blanket often makes the difference between being warm and being cold.
To find out more about Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, the surrounding area, and the needs there, check out Sew For Kids a Facebook group where members make, shop, and donate items to those in need on the reservation.
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