25 UPCYCLE YARN SCRAP CROCHET PATTERNS (free & beginner friendly)

Barbie Bow by Lion Brand, see the pattern here. 

This barbie bow by Lion Brand is also a cute one. This adorable bow is perfect for using up your tiniest yarn scraps. Inspired by the Barbiecore trend, it’s quick to make and super versatile you can use it for hair clips, bag charms, or gift toppers. They made it in classic pink, but you can make it whatever palette your scraps are of course. 

 

Fable Tote by Pink Sheep Crochet, see the pattern here. 

You could also make this Fable Tote by Pink Sheep Design. This pattern is 14.5 inches by 15.5 inches when worked with bulky yarn so it is a nice big tote bag size, and to create it you start with the body then work the handles and pocket, and I love that it had a pocket! And to create that pocket you sew it onto the bag with a whipstitch, and it’s pretty quick and beginner friendly to whip up for sure. 

Granny Phone Pouch by Premier Yarns, see the pattern here. 

Another great piece is the granny square phone pouch by Premier Yarns. This one is free on their website, and it measures 8.5 inches by 4.5 inches so it can fit most phones, but can also be altered as you like by using a heavier or lighter weight yarn. To create it you worked it in the round and create eight motifs then join them together using a slip stitch, which is nice if you are not a fan of much sewing. I really love the tassels that they added on the side as well to give it a bit of interest. 

 

Spring Fling Scarf by Lion Brand, see the pattern here. 

The spring fling scarf by Lion brand is also a great project. The finished piece is 16 inches by 39 inches, and is worked back and forth in rows from the lower tip upwards. Increases are worked at the beginning and end of every row to shape the scarf. Edging is worked along outer edges of the scarf as well. I also really loved the little scalloped edging worked on this one. 

 

Fingerless Gloves by Crochet Crosia Home, see the pattern here. 

Another great project are the fingerless gloves by Crochet Crosia Home. This pattern is more confident or advanced beginner because it does require some confidence with working front and back post double crochet stitches. It’s free on their blog and to create it you work the hand warmer, then thumb space, and make the lace for the gloves. The project has sizes small, medium, and large. Also, this one would be a good one to use up any dk weight yarn you might have lying around. 

Flower Cable Organizer by Free Crochet Patterns, check out the pattern here. 

Or make the flower cable organizer by free crochet patterns. This pattern includes two different flower patterns and then creating the strap to hold the cable. These are quick and easy to whip up and don’t require much yarn to make so it’s a perfect way to use up those yarn scraps. There is a bit of light sewing to sew the flowers onto the strap, and this one includes video tutorials which is great if you are a more visual learner. 

Home Decor

Scrappy Basket by Yarnspirations, see the pattern here. 

First is this scrappy basket by Yarnspirations. It’s free on their website and measures 17 inches by 19 inches without the fringe so it’s a pretty nice size. It’s worked in the round and easy to create. This one is made with super bulky yarn so it would work up quickly, so you could use multiple strands of yarn held together in order to create it, so it’s a great way to use up a lot of yarn scraps and create a functional project. 

 

Upcycled Heart Garland by Highland Hickory Designs, see the pattern here. 

Another great piece is the Upcycled Heart garland by Highland Hickory Designs.  This pattern is free on their website and works up really quickly, you can create a whole garland in 10 minutes or less. Each heart measures 2.5 inches by 2.25 inches. For the hearts they did crochet around a plastic ring so that the heart could keep a hole in the middle, and for the garland they made 14 hearts in total, but this is a really easy one to customize as you like as well and use for wall decor or for decor at a party. 

 

Scrappy Rug by Erin Reiko, see the pattern here. 

Or make this scrappy rug by Erin Reiko. It’s worked in the round and is really beginner friendly to make. They are holding 3 strands of dk weight yarn together to create this piece, but you can use any yarn weight you might have lying around for this one, like if you have a thicker yarn like a bulky yarn maybe you can just hold the one strand. And this one is a paid pattern in their ribblr. 

 

Rag Rug Coasters by Cosmaudi, see the pattern here. 

I also like this rag rug coaster by Cosmaudi, and I love that this one is actually designed to use scrap yarn for. It’s rated as a more intermediate pattern, and would also make a great gift for someone around the holidays or who as a house warming gift. This one is a paid pattern in their Ribblr as well. 

 

Rag Rug Coasters by Lion Brand Yarn, see the pattern here. 

This rag rug coasters by Lion Brand is also a nice one. It measure 15 inches in diameter and is worked in two pieces, front and back. Each piece is also worked in continuous rounds, and it’s rated easy to create. And it’s made with bulky yarn but you could also use multiple strands of scrap yarn held together to create it, and it’s a free pattern on their website. 

 

Throw Blanket by Lion Brand Yarn, see the pattern here. 

This throw blanket by  Lion brand is also an easy one to make, and it measures 37 inches by 41 inches so it’s a nice throw for a couch or edge of a bed. It’s made with jumbo yarn, but of course you could also hold multiple yarns together to get a bulkier weight, and it’s free on their website. I liked the scallop edging on this one, and it would also be really quick to whip up. 

 

Appliqué

Butterfly Fly Away by Hopeful Honey, see the pattern here. 

First is this butterfly appliqué by Hopeful Honey. This one is really simple and easy to work up and you can use up a lot of scraps for this one and make a lot of these, and this one is free on their website. 

 

The Moogly Alphabet by Moogly Blog, see the pattern here. 

I also thought this alphabet by The Moogly Blog was a cool one. You can use any size yarn or hook size for them, depending on the size that you want the to be and there are written instructions for each letter for free on their blog, as well as charts for some of them. Some of the more tricky letters also have video tutorials to help guide you with making them, and these would be really fun to whip up and use for a whole variety of projects, you can spell out any words that you like with them. 

 

Seashell Applique by The Crafty Life, see the pattern here. 

The seashell appliqué by The Crafty Life is another beginner friendly one. It’s free on their blog and they also have a pattern for the starfish appliqué as well. You can use any worsted weight yarn scraps that you have lying around if you want it to be about 2.5 inches wide by 2 inches tall, and you can even stitch a bunch of them together or sew them to any projects that you’d like. 

 

Appliqué Flowers by Hookok, see the pattern here. 

The appliqué flowers by Hookok are nice to make an easy flower appliqué. These are quick to create and use up a whole bunch of yarn scraps as well. These flowers are great for using for hairpins, brooches and bookmakers even. This pattern makes a flower with five petals, and they also have a bunch of other free appliqué flower patterns on their blog as well. 

Spiral Flower by BHooked Crochet, see the pattern here. 

I loved this spiral flower by BHooked Crochet. There are three different sizes for this one: small, medium and large. This one would be really fun to work with a variegated yarn that you might have, and I really loved the texture in these flowers. 

Upcycled Flower Bag by Premier Yarns, see the pattern here. 

Or you can make the upcycled flower bag by Premier Yarns. This pattern is for creating flowers that will be worked in the round and are great for using up any yarn scraps that are especially worked weight. It’s worked in only two rounds as well, so it would be easy to whip these up quickly and then sew them to any project that you want to use as appliqué. 

 

Clothing

Spring Cardigan by Premier Yarns, see the pattern here. 

First is the Spring Cardigan by Premier Yarns. This one is free on their website and only uses basic stitches to create, and to create it you make the back, then front and sleeve rectangles, then block it and use a mattress stitch to connect them together. And this one has sizes XS to 5XL. 

Scrappy Pants by Stitch it by Kay, see the pattern here. 

I also liked these scrappy pants by Stitch it by Kay. They are a paid pattern in their Etsy. It’s created to be made to measure and is adjustable for all sizes. This is a great way to use up all of your scraps and make some cozy pants, an I made some very similar to these in a video recently if you want to check that out. 

 

Patchwork Vest by Lion Brand, see the pattern here. 

Or make this patchwork vest by Lion Brand. It’s beginner friendly to make and are on their website and the special stitches used are the double crochet two together and single crochet two together. The vest is crocheted in 2 pieces and worked using intarsia colorwork, so you do need to be familiar with that method and reading a chart to be comfortable with making it so I’d say it’s a bit more intermediate or confident beginner. This one is also requires a bit of knitting to create the straps on the sides, but you can easily also just crochet a chain instead if you don’t want to knit. 

Cozy Crochet Pullover by Premier Yarns, see the pattern here. 

Another fun pattern is this cozy pullover by Premier Yarns. There are sizes XS to 5XL for this design and to create it you work the ribbing and then the front and back panels, then do neck shaping, then the right shoulder and sleeve and finish it off with the neck ribbing. So it’s worked in pieces and then seamed together and this one would be a fun more ambition pattern to make with your scraps. 

 

Patchwork Sweater by Beautiful Crochet Stuff, see the pattern here. 

Or try the patchwork sweater by Beautiful Crochet Stuff.  This one is free on their blog and has sizes S to 3XL. To create it they worked the front then back then sewed them together and worked the sleeves. This one would be fun to use up your scraps and play with all kinds of fun colors, and the blog also has some really helpful pictures to guide you through connecting all of the pieces together and with the shaping, and there is a helpful video tutorial as well. 

I also wanted to include the "It Girl" Crochet Shrug, which is one of my favorite pieces I've made with yarn scraps. It's made to measure, and you can check it the written paid pattern, read the blog, or watch the video tutorials below. 

Well, I hope you enjoyed this round-up of upcycle crochet patterns, and received some inspiration for your next project. Please let me know which was your favorite in the comments below, and make sure to join back with me each week for more crochet inspiration. 🪄

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Sterling | Fiber Artist (@cactusladycreation) • Instagram photos and videos