Last month I shared a big collection of knitting patterns to use leftover super bulky yarn (or a single skein that’s been lurking in your stash), and now I’m back with ideas for using little bits of bulky yarn. Whether you’ve got some yarn left over from another project or just have a skein or two in your stash you aren’t sure what to do with, here are some great ideas.
Hat Knitting Patterns Using Bulky Yarn
Probably the most popular small-yardage genre of knitting project using bulky yarn is hats. They’re quick to knit, warm and make great gifts. If you need a super simple bulky hat knitting pattern, check out Snow Day from Jerry Birch (free download on Ravelry). It’s just ribbing and stockinette stitch and uses from 90 to 106 yards (82-97 meters) of yarn.
The Man Hat from Knit Alone Together is another easy chunky hat with a broken rib pattern. You can alter the size if you want to make a smaller hat to fit a woman by removing 8 stitches from the pattern. This one as written uses 100 to 120 yards, or 91 to 110 meters of yarn.
All over rib hats are great to knit as gifts because they stretch to fit a lot of different sizes of heads. This one from PURE by Linda Whaley on Etsy uses 71 to 213 yards/65-195 meters of yarn and is sized for newborns up to adult large.
Brome Fields has a pretty free hat knitting pattern called Gift of Gratitude that combines regular and broken rib and reverse stockinette stitch for an easy to knit hat with lots of texture. It calls for 125-130 yards (95 to 100 meters) of yarn and would also be cute if you changed colors each time you change the pattern stitch if you want to use scraps.
The Winterland Beanie (shown above, from Honey Stitch Co on Etsy) can be worked in bulky or super bulky yarn and has a fun and easy textured stitch pattern. This one is sized for adults and is extra cute with a faux-fur pompom.
Increase the skill level a tiny bit by throwing in some simple cables. The Lavender Haze Beanie (on Ravelry from designer Kalurah Hudson) is covered with cables and uses about 85 yards/78 meters of yarn. The pattern includes a chart, written instructions and a video tutorial.
Slippers
Slippers are another great knitting project to make with bulky yarn because they’ll be squishy to walk on and warm for your feet. Ysolda Teague’s Drey Slippers (on Ravelry) are a great example of this. Worked in bulky yarn with garter stitch soles, stockinette bodies and a foldover cuff, they’re easy to knit and great to wear. And sized for kids to adults! The largest size uses about 255 yards/185 meters of yarn.
Clare Slade has a lot of great slipper patterns, and her (both on Ravelry) Woodland Loafers and Woodland Warmers are both great options for keeping your feet war. The warmers have a cuff for extra warmth. Both patterns come in five sizes, with the loafers taking 95-155 yards (87-142 meters) of yarn and the warmers 115-220 yards/105-201 meters.
Little Luxury Knits on Etsy has a pattern for chunky slippers that are ribbed with a garter stitch heel. These are easy to knit come in five sizes (the pattern says you can use bulky yarn or two strands of worsted held together).
Or try the Grownup Booties from Froginette Patterns on Etsy. These garter stitch boots are simple to knit and so cozy to wear! They come in five sizes for toddlers up to large adults.
The Lumi Socks from Fiber Tales on Ravelry are shaped like socks but meant to be worn like house slippers. They feature a contrasting braid at the top which is a great way to use a little extra yarn. They come in three sizes for women and use 164-273 yards (150-250 meters) of yarn.
Cowl Knitting Patterns
A scarf might not be a leftovers project (unless you’re working stripes) but cowls can be made from a single skein or some leftovers from other projects. They’re a great option for using what you have because you can just work the cowl until you’re about to run out of yarn.
It’s That Fast, a free Ravelry download from Marji LaFreniere, uses 110-120 yards (101-110 meters) of yarn to make a pretty textured rib cowl that’s worked in the round.
If you’ve got leftovers from a couple of different balls you want to use in the same project, the Wild Lupine Cowl by Kate Hudon on Ravelry is a fun choice. It’s an easy stranded knitting project that uses a total of 110-130 yards/101-119 meters of yarn.
The Eclectic Waves cowl from Dedicated Dezign on Etsy is a cute and simple to knit cowl that’s great for gift giving. It’s worked mostly in stockinette with ridges of purls on the right side to add texture.
These patterns take a little more yarn as originally written, but they’re so pretty I wanted to share them anyway. Ice Moon by Laura Aylor on Ravelry uses a pretty textured stitch pattern and is a long cowl that you might be able to make shorter if you want to use less yarn (it calls for 280 yards but the designer explains how to modify and how much yarn she actually used). And the Everyday Cowlette by Karinda Collins uses 200-250 yards but could be worked shorter if you run low on yarn. It’s part of the Beginnings Field Guide from Modern Daily Knitting.
Headbands
Must like with super bulky yarn, bulky yarn is a great choice for headbands, because you don’t need a lot of yardage to make a big impact. I’m itching to cast on a Twisted Turban Headband, a free Ravelry download from North River Knits, which uses a ribbed pattern and a giant cable turn to make the twist. It calls for 60-80 yards/55-73 meters of yarn.
Or try the similar Acadia Knits Cadillac Knot Ear Warmer, also available on Ravelry. You can use worsted, bulky or super bulky yarn for this one, and need about 45 yards.
Practice simple textured knitting with the Twist Headband from Bromefields, available on Etsy. This one uses seed stitch and takes 45-50 yards, or 41 to 46 meters of yarn.
The cabled twist headband from Muki Crafts on Etsy is another cute choice. This one is worked flat and seamed after the knitting is done, and it uses about 77 yards of worsted or bulky weight yarn. Or try the Cozy Cables Ear Warmer from Rosie Posie Knit Co on Ravelry. It uses 65-70 yards/59-64 meters of yarn and is one size fits most.
More Fun Things to Knit with Bulky Yarn
What about some other projects? There’s so many different things you can make with a little bit of bulky yarn.
How about a crop top? This one from Chelsey Clammer on Ravelry includes a bit of lace to make it cooler than a bulky knit crop top sounds. It comes in four sizes and uses at most 160 yards/146 meters of yarn.
Or you can make a little bulky baby cardigan with the Quick Oats pattern from Taiga Hilliard (a free pattern on Ravelry). Or stitch a sweater for your dog with this cute coat pattern from Yarnspirations.
How about mittens? Stephanie Lotven has the stash-busting striped Palmistry pattern (available on Ravelry), while Triona Murphy’s Auroral Mittens (Ravelry) are covered in cables. Or if you like to keep your fingers free, there’s this fingerless mitts pattern from Barley and Flax on Etsy.
Make a bag with fuzzy yarn, or any other bulky yarn you have, using the Teddy Clutch pattern from Petite Knit on Ravelry. It uses 139 to 188 yards (127-172 meters) of yarn and uses a clutch frame to keep everything secure.
Stitch up a sweet bunny with this Happy Bunny pattern from Susan B. Anderson, available on Ravelry. Or make a pumpkin with bulky yarn or two strands of worsted held together with this free Ravelry pattern from Blue Sky Fibers.
Leave a Reply