After you’ve knit a few projects you’ll come to realize there is one bonus from all those projects – all the partial skeins and bits of leftover yarn. Finding a few projects that use up your leftover stash is helpful – so these stash-busting blanket knitting patterns will help you control that pile of unused or half-used skeins of yarn. Blankets make great gifts and are a useful and beautiful item to have in your home. Combining that with using up leftover yarn makes these projects a perfect choice.
Here are 20 stash-busting blanket knitting patterns:
- Color Code Blanket
- Let it Grow
- Beekeepers Quilt
- Magic Ribbon Blanket
- Polygon
- Library Blanket
- Sweet Faux Hawk
- Ultimate Knit Palette Blanket
- Kashti Baby Blanket
- Squared Blanket
- Illusion Cube Blanket
- Pop Blanket
- Safe at Home Blanket
- Around the Twist Log Cabin
- Persian Dreams
- Super Easy Baby Blanket
- Log Cabin Scrap Blanket
- Nordic Throw
- Oddball Sampler Afghan
- Simon Says Stashbuster
That’s a quick peek at the many ideas for using up those leftover yarns – now let’s take a closer look at these twenty blanket patterns. I’ve also included some yarn recommendations (just in case you don’t have a leftover yarn stash).
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Color Code Blanket
The Color Code Blanket from Knit Picks was designed specifically to use their mini-packs so it’s a great choice for your own leftover skeins of yarn. The alternating stripes are made with a simple slip-stitch pattern and a cable twist with simple, colourful Garter stitch stripes in between. The fringe is incorporated by unravelling stitches at the beginnings and ends of rows.
Get the pattern: Color Code Blanket
Get the yarn: Knit Picks Brava Mini
Let It Grow
The Let It Grow blanket is intended as a stash-busting project with instructions for choosing a needle size based on the yarn that’s used for your project (with a mention of DK and aran/worsted weight options). This blanket can be as small as a baby blanket or just keep adding to it to make a throw or larger blanket. Pieces are joined as you work with no seaming, just tails to weave in as you go or after you complete the blanket.
Get the pattern: Let It Grow
Get the pattern: Paintbox Yarns Simply Aran
Beekeepers Quilt
This adorable quilt is little honeycomb-shaped pockets of scrap yarn (if you’re using full skeins, a 100 gram skein of fingering weight yarn will make about 24 hexipuffs). The little pockets can be stuffed or not (your choice!) and are joined with quilt-ties. These little pockets would be very portable for quick little knits on the go.
Get the pattern: Beekeepers Quilt
Get the yarn: Koigu Painter’s Palette Premium Merino
Magic Ribbon Blanket
The Magic Ribbon Blanket from Knit Picks reminds me of a modern art quilt design. It’s a pieced design, with 15 Garter Stitch blocks (five sets of three identical blocks). Each block is worked in pieces and then seamed together. Once the finished blocks have been sewn together, stitches are picked up around the outside to add a multi-colored Garter Stitch border. The pattern also includes a blank coloring sheet so you can experiment with your own color combinations.
Get the pattern: Magic Ribbon Blanket
Get the yarn: Knit Picks Brava Mini
Polygon
Polygon, by Tin Can Knits, is a pieced blanket that is made up of individual Garter stitch hexagons. Each hexagon uses 20 yards of yarn (10 yards for each half hexagon) and would be easy to work on a piece or two while you’re on the go. The pattern also includes instructions for making four different blanket sizes.
Get the pattern: Polygon
Get the yarn: King Cole Merino Blend DK
Library Blanket
The Library Blanket from Purl Soho features a marled effect from holding two yarns together. It’s worked in Garter stitch, first creating the horizontal stripes then picking up along the edge to work the vertical stripes (so there’s no seaming involved).
Get the pattern: Library Blanket
Get the yarn: Purl Soho Line Weight
Sweet Faux Hawk
The Sweet Faux Hawk baby blanket is a play on the popular mitered squares. The pattern gets its name from the chain ridge that runs up the center of each mitered square and the squares run diagonally to enhance that line. The edges feature some triangles to fill in the gaps and a border is worked to complete the design. No seaming is required (just ends to weave in). The squares are easily adaptable to any yarn weight and can become a small baby blanket to a large throw by adding more squares.
Get the pattern: Sweet Faux Hawk
Get the pattern: Knit Picks Swish DK
Ultimate Knit Palette Blanket
This full-sized afghan from Knit Picks uses colors from their Palette (fingering weight yarn) line. There are 150 5″ squares, featuring every color in the line which makes a finished blanket of 50″ x 75″. The individual squares, which each take about 10 grams of yarn, are worked from the center out and then bordered in white. Since the squares use such a small amount of yarn, it’s a great pattern for using up those small scraps.
Get the pattern: Ultimate Knit Palette Blanket
Get the yarn: Knit Picks Palette
Kashti
Kashti is a rainbow blanket that’s perfect for tv knitting. The colors are easily changed and makes a great stash buster by using any yarn scraps you have in your stash for the stripes. The pattern is easily customized by adding or removing stripes or making them wider or narrow.
Get the pattern: Kashti Baby Blanket
Get the yarn: Cascade 220 Superwash
Squared Blanket
This geometric blanket features colorful squares in a neutral background. It’s a simple Garter stitch design but interesting to knit. Each square is worked individually center out and in the round (and it would be easy to swap out scrap colors). Once complete, they are joined to each other using a 3-needle bind-off. The pattern includes a few different sized projects: a pillow, a baby blanket, and a throw.
Get the pattern: Squared Blanket
Get the yarn: Knit Picks Chroma Worsted
Illusion Cube Blanket
The Illusion Cube Blanket is exactly what it says – each of the cubes has a 3-d effect. Each one uses two colors of contrasting yarn. After the first part of the cube is done, stitches are picked up to create the next angle, and then repeated a third time. The edges are seamed together to create one cube. When each one is complete, they are joined together to create an interesting blanket.
Get the pattern: Illusion Cube Blanket
Get the yarn: Valley Yarns Valley Superwash
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Pop Blanket
The adorable Pop Blanket from Tin Can Knits features colorful polka dots on a neutral background. The size is easily customizable as it’s simply made up of squares worked in worsted/aran weight yarn that are seamed together. Each of the polka dots uses about 15 yards of yarn and 20 yards of the background color. For a baby blanket size, 20 squares are needed.
Get the pattern: Pop Blanket
Get the yarn: Cascade Ecological Wool
Safe at Home Blanket
This adorable blanket is worked in Garter stitch with some Intarsia. The rows of houses are worked in strips that are then seamed together. Each house in the row just continues where the last left off and the roof and sky triangles are picked up from the top of the house and worked directly on the long strip. There will be plenty of ends to weave in (when I made my blanket, I wove in the ends after completing each house to make the task a little more bearable) but this is an adorable way to use up all those worsted weight leftovers.
Get the pattern: Safe at Home Blanket
Get the yarn: Malabrigo Worsted
Around the Twist Log Cabin
This pattern is a variation on the traditional log cabin blankets. Small log-cabin squares are set in a background of triangles that make larger squares. These are worked individually and then seamed together, making it an easy, portable project, perfect for stash-busting.
Get the pattern: Around the Twist Log Cabin
Get the yarn: Paintbox Yarns Simply Aran
Persian Dreams
The stunning Persian Dreams is a generously sized throw inspired by Persian rugs and featuring innovative knitting techniques. Note that the pattern is charted-only, with separate charts for each colorway. There’s even an expansion pack with more charts. While the pattern uses specific colors, it would be easy to replace them with stash yarns.
Get the pattern: Persian Dreams
Get the yarn: Knit Picks Palette
Super Easy Baby Blanket
This Super Easy Baby Blanket really is super easy. The pattern features full skeins of yarn worked in large Garter stitch sections. But there’s no need to use full skeins – simply begin and end whenever your stash yarn runs out for a real scrappy blanket. While the blanket size in the pattern is for a baby, once you know your gauge you can easily customize the size to your own needs.
Get the pattern: Super Easy Baby Blanket
Get the yarn: MillaMia Naturally Soft Merino
Log Cabin Scrap Blanket
If you want a full tutorial, this Log Cabin Scrap Blanket from Very Pink is for you. Knitting instructor, Staci Perry will walk you through each step in the process. The Log Cabin technique is a classic in the quilting world and it’s now been adapted for knitters and this classic design is a perfect way to use up leftover stash yarn.
Get the pattern: Log Cabin Scrap Blanket
Get the yarn: Knit Picks Wool of the Andes Worsted
Nordic Throw
This adorable Nordic Throw uses a Fair Isle patchwork design (from Martin Storey’s Easy Fairisle Knits). is a great ‘stash buster’ project to knit on the go. The Fair Isle is a very simple background design on the squares with appliqued little trees worked in Garter stitch and Fair Isle patterns. Each of the squares uses just 12 grams of the main color.
Get the pattern: Nordic Throw
Get the yarn: Rowan Felted Tweed DK
Oddball Sampler Afghan
If you want to practice lots of different skills and use up plenty of stash yarn, this sampler Afghan is a great choice. You’ll tackle cables, mosaic, Intarsia, plenty of quilt-style Garter stitch blocks, textured squares, entrelac, and more. This is a great way to practice different skills as each one is just a 9-inch square. When all the squares are complete, they are seamed together. This pattern would be easily customized – just make more or less squares to suit the finished size you want.
Get the pattern: Oddball Sampler Afghan
Get the yarn: Knit Picks Wool of the Andes Worsted
Simon Says Stashbuster
“Simon says grab your scrap yarn. Simon says grab your knitting needles. Simon Says Stashbuster!” This fun throw is a great way to use up your worsted weight yarn stash. Each block uses two strands of contrasting colors held double to create a marled effect. Once completed, the blocks are seamed together. If you’re getting a little bit bored of the Garter stitch stash busting blanket patterns, this one includes written instructions for some knit-and-purl textured patterns.
Get the pattern: Simon Says Stashbuster
Get the yarn: Knit Picks Wool of the Andes Worsted
Tips for Keeping Your Stash Organized
Keeping the leftover yarn stash organized can be quite a chore. But it can be quite simple with a little bit of forethought. Think about the yarn weights and fibers you use most often and keep a bag just for holding half skeins and small bits of yarn for each of those. For example, I use worsted weight wool quite often so I keep a bag for that. I also knit a lot of fingering weight wool or wool blend projects so I keep a bag for that. Worsted weight cotton or other plant fibers get a different bag.
The basic rules of thumb are to divide your yarns by their weight and by their fiber content (just dividing into animal fibers and plant fibers should suffice). This just makes the finished blanket easy to care for if all the yarns used have similar care needs.
When you have enough leftover yarn to start a project, just grab the bag that fits the pattern guidelines and start busting that stash!
Make a Magic Ball
For those really short scraps that you don’t want to throw away but aren’t quite long enough for even small projects, you can use them to create a magic ball – which is just all those short yarn pieces spliced together to make one scrappy ball of yarn.
Like keeping the leftover yarn organized by weight and fiber you will probably want to do that here as well (though it isn’t as necessary to worry about the weight if you don’t want to – you could create your own ‘thick-and-thin’ yarn by splicing different weights together).
To make a magic ball, all you do is splice to yarns together. If it’s wool you could use the spit-splicing technique. If it’s a plant fiber a Russian join would be the best option. After joining two pieces, just continue joining another length of yarn until you’ve attached them all and wind them up into a ball.
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