From Knit to Woven: The Perfect Project for Leftover Yarns

Those leftover bits of hand-dyed yarn or small skeins of art yarn can sometimes feel like a challenge. They’re too beautiful to discard but often too small for larger projects. That’s where hand-weaving comes in, offering a fantastic solution, especially for scarves, where you can combine these special yarns into a stunning, one-of-a-kind piece.

Recently, I attempted to knit a cowl with some of my handspun art yarn, pairing it with a ball of Rowan Cocoon from my stash. While the yarns looked great together, they just didn’t sing in the knitting. The texture and colors I loved in the skeins seemed lost in the project. So, out came my rigid heddle loom.

Getting Creative with the Warp and Weft

I decided to warp the loom with multiple strands of fine yarns in several colours from my stash. I knew I wanted more colour variation, so I added a small amount of hand-dyed chenille that had pops of gold to bring warmth the mix. For the weft, I randomly striped the handspun art yarn, the chenille, and the Rowan Cocoon.

To keep the fabric soft and squishy, I didn’t beat the weft too firmly. The result was exactly what I had envisioned—the scarf had a wonderfully soft handle, and the texture of the handspun showed up beautifully in the weave, unlike in the knitted project.

The Finished Piece

The final scarf turned out to be 22cm wide and 2.4 meters long, including the fringe. It weighs just 340g, using up:

60g of handspun art yarn,

65g of hand-dyed chenille,

160g of Rowan Cocoon,

55g of yarn for the warp.

The balance of textures and colours came together to create a wearable piece of fibre art, with the art yarn adding just the right amount of personality and interest.

Why Hand-Weaving Works for Small Yarns

This project reminded me why hand-weaving is the perfect solution when you’re working with small amounts of yarn. By combining different fibres and textures, you can make every little bit count and transform your yarn stash into a piece that’s more than the sum of its parts.