A funny thing happens after you've been knitting for awhile - you start to accumulate leftover yarns. Small bits of varying yardage, remainders of projects you've finished. In all the years I've been a knitter, I've yet to finish more than five projects without having leftover yarn - and those five projects were scarves or cowls, knit until I had no yarn left!
So what do you do with all those leftover bits of yarn skeins once your original project is done? I tend to save them in a giant glass jar until that's full, and then I work those skeins up into striped hats.
I usually follow my Tyson Hat pattern, adding stripes as the remnant balls run out. Sometimes, if I've got enough balls that have enough yarn each, I'll decide to stripe each color for 3, 4, or 5 rows each before switching to the next color. I don't think about color, and just grab from the pile, trusting that the colors will all work out together in the end.
If you're not that adventurous, or this will be your first scrap hat, here's a few patterns you can use to get you started using up those leftover bits of yarn!
A Most Bespeckled Hat - perfect for the smallest bits of leftover yarn.
Bella's Eclipse hat, modeled after one from The Twilight Saga.
From Norway With Love is perfect for using up bunches of similar yarn colors.
Hello, New York uses bits of one leftover color and lots more of a neutral color.
Traveler's Hat - the perfect striped slouch!
As I get closer to filling up my scrap yarn jar, you'll surely see more of these hats making their way to this blog! Do you do something different with your yarn scraps? Know of any other good scrap-worthy hat patterns?
you have any tips for changing color when doing stripes. I have made the tyson hat but don't really like the way my stripes came out.
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