Use All Your Yarn Scraps on This Great Cardigan Knitting Pattern

I am perpetually trying to use up all my little leftover yarn bits. I also have a goal to knit a sweater every month this year (well, or crochet, as I’m working on my first-ever crocheted sweater this month). But I don’t feel like I have a sweater quantity of anything, so I have to figure out ways to use odd balls and leftovers to make it look like they are meant to go together.

Bohemian Scrapsody is a great example of how to use leftovers to make a cohesive looking project. Designed by Winter’s Weather Knits, this oversized cardigan fully embraces the mixed-up look by having you hold multiple strands of yarn together as you knit.

It comes out to a worsted weight kind of gauge, which you can get with a DK and a sport weight yarn held together, or mix and match as you need to use the stash you have. Of course you’re also changing colors whenever you need to, and the reverse stockinette side becomes the front, which mixes it up even more.

You can make the ribbed edges and cuffs all in one color if you want for a more cohesive look, or leave it all scrappy.

The project is designed to have 4-6 inches of positive ease and comes in nine sizes, up to a 63.5 inch chest circumference. It doesn’t include buttonholes but you could add some of you wanted to.

The pattern is suitable for advanced beginners with knowledge of working flat and in the round, short rows, Kitchener stitch, mattress stitch and picking up stitches. The pattern also uses an Italian bind off and includes a tutorial for that technique if you’ve never done it before.

This cardigan has a sweet boho look and will definitely help you to use up all those little odd balls! You can get the pattern on Ravelry.

[Photo: Winter’s Weather Knits.]

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One of the hardest things about winter for me is the lack of color. It’s like the whole world ran out of toner, and often our clothes reflect the muted landscape outside, which just makes everything more drab.

This year I’m trying to use and wear all the fun colors of yarn I have in my stash, and I think the Minas Sweater from Cecilia Lalanne & Gabriella Calderini for Manos del Uruguay would be a great way to use a lot of colorful yarn on a sweet sweater.

This cropped sweater uses 1×1 stranded colorwork where the colors change as you work the pattern, which makes it look more complex than it is. The project calls for five colors of worsted weight yarn, but you could probably even use more (or use a multicolored yarn as one or some of your options) to bring even more color to the party.

It’s a simple drop shoulder crewneck with straight sleeves, so pretty much all you have to focus on is changing your colors when you need to.

There are seven size options in the pattern, ranging from a bust circumference (on the sweater, not the wearer) from 42.75 to 69.25 inches, or 108.5 to 176 cm. It’s intended to be worn with around 8 inches or 20 cm of positive ease for a casual, oversized look.

You can go bold with the color choices like the sample shown here, or pick a couple of more neutral colors to combine with some brighter shades if that’s more your style. Either way this project should be as easy to knit as it is fun to wear. And of course those bright colors make me think a teenager in your life might love it, but of course there’s no rule that says you have to stop wearing fun colors at a certain age. Thank goodness.

The pattern is free to download from Ravelry and is available in both English and Spanish.

[Photo: Cecilia Lalanne & Gabriella Calderini]

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