handmade
Stash-Busting Crochet Afghan
This simple and stunning crochet afghan uses only double crochet stitches throughout the main part of the blanket. The color gradation comes from blending three colors of yarn together and adding new colors as your skein runs out. It’s the perfect project to use up leftover worsted weight yarn.
I’m not sure about you, but I often receive gifts of partially-used skeins of yarn from other people. Maybe they thought they’d enjoy knitting and started a project and never finished it. Or someone was cleaning out Grandma’s closet and found a huge stash of half-used skeins of yarn and thought of me.
I looked up one day after several years of receiving these thoughtful gifts and found that I had a box full of yarn that would be unusable for the projects I typically do. Much of it was cheap acrylic yarn or in colors I’d never use and much of it was in amounts too small to be very useful.
I looked up one day after several years of receiving these thoughtful gifts and found that I had a box full of yarn that would be unusable for the projects I typically do. Much of it was cheap acrylic yarn or in colors I’d never use and much of it was in amounts too small to be very useful.
A while ago I posted this simple bulky crochet afghan pattern. It’s still one of my most popular posts. This is a variation on the same pattern but it uses smaller weight yarn, tripled, to achieve the bulky look.
As a fun challenge, I decided to make this pattern without planning out the colors beforehand. I threw all the balls of yarn I had into a giant tote bag, picked three colors at random and started crocheting (using this pattern). When one color ran out, I’d pick a new one at random to take its place.
The result is this colorful afghan with subtle stripes. I use this blanket on my bed and love the bulky warmth it offers on chilly nights. It’s the perfect size to snuggle up in with a good book or to place over one side of your bed if you and your partner like different sleeping temperatures (my husband likes to be cold when he sleeps; I do not.)
The result is this colorful afghan with subtle stripes. I use this blanket on my bed and love the bulky warmth it offers on chilly nights. It’s the perfect size to snuggle up in with a good book or to place over one side of your bed if you and your partner like different sleeping temperatures (my husband likes to be cold when he sleeps; I do not.)
Supplies:
All of your worsted-weight scrap yarn
How to Crochet A Blanket from Yarn Scraps:
Using three colors of worsted weight yarn held together, chain 67 stitches.
Turn and double crochet into the 3rd stitch from end. Double crochet in every stitch to end.
Keep on double crocheting until the blanket is as long as you want it to be, adding new colors of yarn when they run out.
Edging: Single crochet around outside of blanket, place a total of 3 stitches in each corner to make a nice finished corner. Single crochet around edge once more. Bind off and weave in all ends.
Mine ended up being about 76″x 50″.
Mine ended up being about 76″x 50″.
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6 thoughts on “Stash-Busting Crochet Afghan”
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I just started one similar to this but with two strands. I am very new to crochet so I have been purchasing small balls of yarn from my local op shop for very little money. I am already loving the results .
I'd love to see it when it's finished!
The largest crochet book I have right now is an N. Do you know how many I should chain to get a 50 inch wide afghan? I do want it a little tighter weave than it seems an S would make.
Nicole, did you ever finish the Afghan? I would also love to see it. I’m just starting one for my younger son who lives up in Michigan.
I don’t know off hand. My best advice is to just keep chaining until it’s as wide as you want it to be!
Thank you Heidi. I ended up chaining 120. I’m nearly finished with it, and my son is anxious to have his forever blanket from his old mom. Next up – a shawl for me!