TheCreativeGnome

If you are here on this blog post, you are probably a yarn stasher. I know I am. I always keep those scraps of yarn that seem to short to do anything with, thinking that they will be good for something later. But maybe you're pile is starting to get out of control, and its time to find a project for all those leftover scraps. So what do you do with them?

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SMALL PROJECTS
• Headbands: 11 free headband patterns 
• Flowers: Here are 40 crochet flower patterns
• Mug cozys: 10 free mug cozy patterns
• Pom poms: 20 pom pom projects to try 
• Yarn ball wreaths: Here is an example from HGTV
• Coasters: Lots and lots of free coaster patterns
• Bracelets: 10 free patterns from Moogly
• Garlands: 8 garland patterns 

GRANNY SQUARES
Of course, you could always do granny squares. There are so many options out there! I personally love the mini-granny squares for especially small yarn scraps. They can be repurposed into scarves, bags, table runners...whatever you want!

Mini Squares by Potter & Bloom
Little Squares by Attic 24


These are just a few ideas to get you started. Be creative, and crochet on!

There are so many different types of yarn to choose from: fat yarns, skinny yarns, soft yarns, rough yarns, yarns made of acrylic or yarns made of wool. So where do you start? Generally, I like to categorize yarn in two ways - the fiber they are made of, and their weight or thickness.

Not a crocheter? Visit my shop: The Creative Gnome

YARN FIBER TYPES

There are many yarn fiber types out there, but I'm only going to go over the ones you will probably come across most often. These are: cotton, wool, acrylic, polyester or blends.

Cotton is an organic, plant based fiber. It's great to make washcloths, dishcloths, potholders and market bags with. It's super durable, and washes great but generally isn't that soft. I generally steer away from it for clothing items, although that doesn't mean you don't have to!

Wool is an organic, animal based fiber. You can make sweaters, scarves, hats, gloves, purses etc. from it. The possibilities are endless. It dries really quickly when wet and lasts a long time if well cared for. The only downside to wool (especially 100% wool) is the washing requirements. It does best if hand washed, and should not be put through the dryer.

Acrylic is made up of synthetic, manufactured fibers made from a type of plastic. It's the cheapest material on the market and somewhat equivalent to wool, as that it is lightweight, soft and warm. Unlike wool it is machine washable. However, it is much more flammable than natural fibers, and should not be used for kitchen items such as potholders.

Yarn blends such as acrylic-wool are becoming more and more popular. Lion brand has a yarn called Wool-Ease that is quite nice. It's 80% acrylic and 20% wool, with the luxury feel of wool and the washability of acrylic. There are other blends out there such as bamboo, cashmere and cotton, but acrylic-wool is probably the most common.

YARN WEIGHTS

Yarn weights from heaviest to thinnest: super bulky, bulky, medium (worsted generally falls under this category), light, fine, super fine, and lace. Lace uses 1.5mm-2.25 mm; super bully uses 9mm or larger. Bulky yarns are better for blankets, hats and scarves, while thinner yarns are good for projects such as curtains or lacy table runners.

A good rule of thumb to know is - the thinner the yarn, the longer the project is going to make. Thicker yarns generally work up much quicker, but also need more material to do a project.

Crochet Level: Easy Peasy

Not a crocheter? Visit my shop: The Creative Gnome or contact me on my Facebook page. I do commissions! 

What you need:
• 1 ball worsted weight yarn (I used Red Heart With Love)
• Scissors
• Darning or tapestry needle
• 5mm hook

Sl = slip stitch
Sc = single chain
Dc = double chain
*Note: the pattern is built in 2 sections, the body and the brim.

THE BODY
1: Chain 34, or about 10 inches long depending on the yarn that you use.
2: Start with a dc in the third chain from the hook. Dc in all chains across.
3: Chain 2 and turn.
4: Dc across until the end. Chain 2 and turn.
5: Repeat until piece measures 12 inches.
6: Fold in half and sew both of the short sides using your darning or tapestry needle.
Fold hat inside out so the seams don't show.

THE BRIM
1: Attaching the yarn to about where one of the seams start, chain 8.
2: Sc in the second chain from the hook. Sc across.
3: Sl in the next two spaces on the body. Turn and sc across in the back loops only.
4: Sc in second chain from hook. Sc across.
5: Repeat steps 3 and 4 until you reach the end and both ends of the brim meet.
6: Either you can tie off and sew the ends together, or you can sl them.

That's it! You're done!

If you have any questions about the pattern, or need help with it, please feel free to contact me.

Don't feel comfortable making the hat, or don't have time. You can purchase them here on my Facebook page!

So you want to learn how to crochet, but aren't exactly sure where to start? Then you've come to the right place! Although there are plenty of other articles and resources out there that probably already cover this, I figured I'd share what materials that I first started with when I first started crocheting back in 2014. 

CROCHET HOOKS
I found my first crochet kit, with some basic sizes and some large blunt needles, on Amazon. (Click here to see the crochet kit) 

• 4.0mm 
• 4.5 mm 
• 5 mm 
• 5.5 mm 
•  6 mm 
•  6.5 mm 

These 6 sizes should be more than enough to get you started. 

YARN TYPES
When I was first starting, I found the easiest yarn to work with was the Red Heart Super Saver acrylic yarn. You can get 364 yards for $2.88 a skein at Walmart, which is not going to break the bank. If I made a mistake using this yarn, or ended up having to throw a project away because it wasn't right, I wasn't heartbroken, because I didn't spend that much on it to begin with. 

I would suggest buying 2-3 of the Red Heart Super Saver yarns to start with. They are good for basic projects, and will be enough yarn to make at least a hat and a scarf. 

OTHER MATERIALS
Some other materials that you need include:

• Scissors 
• Yarn bowl (optional)
• Stitch markers (optional - I use hair ties)
• Row counter (optional)