Easy Crocheted Oddball Afghan

After working on many different knit and crocheted items over the past few years, I accumulated quite a few partial skeins of yarn. Any whole skeins, I return to the store. Any very small scraps, I throw away. But somewhere in between, I hang on to the remains and figure that someday I'll use it for something.

The other day my daughter was cleaning out her closet and found a crochet project she had started quite a long time ago out of some leftover variegated yarn. She started working on it again and quickly ran out of yarn. She wondered how she should continue the project without having to make a trip to the store to try and match the yarn and I suggested to her that she make an 'oddball' blanket using the remains of other yarns I had stashed in my sewing room, much like the blankets I have signed up for on the knitting forum I have mentioned here before. She thought that was a great idea, being as frugal as her mother, and this is what she has created so far...


She had started with Red Heart's Aspen Print variegated yarn which was leftover from the Ripple Stitch afghan I made for our bedroom. I showed some pictures of it at the end of the article on how to do the Ripple Stitch in crochet.

Then she picked up the variegated blues yarn also leftover from a Ripple Stitch afghan I had made for a friend.

After that is Red Heart's Painted Dessert variegated yarn, leftover from another Ripple Stitch afghan I had made for a wedding gift.

Then she decided she wanted bright colors alternating with the more neutral colors, and she bought the red, white and blue variegated yarn. She found a few more neutral yarns from my stash that she will use, and she bought a few more bright colors for in between.

Isn't this a great way to use up leftover yarn? Take a look at the way this afghan is made...


This is the center, started with a simple chain of 8, and worked in single crochet around in a continuous spiral, adding 2 chains at each corner. I'll write out the pattern at the end in case you want to try it.


This shows one of the corners made by the chain 2, and also clearly shows the nice ridge line that is made by working the single crochets in the back loop only. How to crochet in the back loop only is demonstrated towards the end of my video tutorial on single crochet if you would like to see how it is done.


Here's another close-up of a corner. Elizabeth does nice even work and her afghans always turn out cozy and warm.

The beauty of working an afghan in a spiral like this is that you can actually use up all of each yarn crocheting over the tails each time you join a new one, then when all your yarn is gone, simply pull the tail through the last loop and weave in the end and the afghan is finished. You don't have to worry about having enough yarn to work some kind of color pattern. You also don't have to figure out how wide to start the blanket and hope that you can get enough length on it before running out of yarn. This spiral pattern allows you to simply crochet until you run out, and then you have a square blanket and no leftover yarn.

This is also a very easy pattern which, once you get established, doesn't require much attention at all. You don't have to count stitches or worry about missing that last stitch at the end of the row, or how many chains you need to turn. So if you're looking for a very easy crochet afghan pattern to use up the yarn you have on hand, here's the pattern for you...

NOTE: Single crochet in back loop only if you want the ridge line on the front of the piece. If you don't want that ridge, then work each single crochet through both loops.

Chain 8. Single crochet (sc) in the 8th chain from the hook forming a loop and in the next chain. Chain 2. Sc in the next two chains. Chain 2. Sc in the next two chains. Chain 2. Sc in the next two chains. Chain 2.

Single crochet in each single crochet across, then in one chain. Chain 2.

*Single crochet in chain, then in each single crochet across, then in one chain. Chain 2. *

Repeat from * to * until your afghan is as big as you want it, or until you run out of yarn. Weave in ends and enjoy.

You may also add any type of border you like around the outside edge of this afghan. The Reverse Single Crochet border is one of my favorites for a blanket like this. Or you could use a simple scallop border you make up yourself or use this one I put onto a knitted blanket.

So there you have a simple pattern to use up leftover yarn, or even to make with freshly purchased yarn for a special gift.

Happy Stitching!

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