Q&A: Recycling and Reusing Yarn Scraps

So this is a first: I got a reader question via my Twitter account (@leangreenmom). It was from Philadelphia PR maven Paige Wolf. Her website tells me that she offers “eco-friendly and lifestyle-conscious lifestyle public relations services.” Here’s her question:

Q: Hey Leah I have one for you – how do I recycle yarn scraps??

A: First of all, I’m impressed that Paige or anyone else would consider keeping yarn scraps and then worry about how to recycle them. While I’m no knitter, if I was working with yarn, I’d probably just sweep these scraps up and dump them, along with any dust/dirt I might have picked up, into the compost.

Guess what? You can compost yarn scraps, along with wool or other kinds of fabric scraps. Just make sure that the piece are small so that they can break down easily. You can also put those scraps out in an open-topped container in the backyard–the birds will take the scraps to build their nests.

But I don’t think that Paige is as interested in composting yarn or giving it to the birds as she is in figuring out other projects she can make or things she can do with yarn scraps. Well, here are some other ideas for Paige (and others to consider).

* Make a yarn pom-pon.
This is something my mother used to do, and she would attach the pom-pon to her key chain. This allowed her to easily feel for her keys in the bottom on her pocketbook. She also made pom-pons like these for easy identification of luggage at the airport, and I still remember how she put one of these pom-pons on the zipper-pull of my winter coat to help me get my jacket zipped fast. (Check out this blog on how to make felt balls from yarn scraps. Seems so easy.)

* Craft a pillow.
I’m convinced that you can stuff a pillow with just about anything. I’ve written about using shredded paper as pillow stuffing, and now I’ve learned that you can use yarn to fill a pillow. I’m sure that would be very soft but I would think you would need a ton of yarn to get the job done. If you’re interested in using the scraps to actually make the pillow, check out this DIY Network instructions on how you can crochet yarn scraps into a pillow.

* Do some free-form crocheting.
According to a crocheting blog, you can use yarn scraps to crochet small embellishments, like flowers. I imagine that once created, you could attached these crocheted flowers to a pin-back and, voila, a one-of-a-kind accessory. Or you can crochet what this “Crochet Me” blogger called a coffee cozy–basically, a sleeve for your coffee to keep it warm.

* Decorate presents or a Christmas tree.
As long as your yarn scraps aren’t too short, these could be perfect for tying-on gift tags on presents. In addition, you could use the yarn for attaching ornaments to a Christmas tree. Here are instructions for turning yarn scraps into a Christmas ornament.

Hope that helps you think of new and different ways to use yarn scraps. Did I miss some projects or ideas that you’ve tried? Let us know by posting a comment.