Learn to Make the Great Stash Busting Free Patter: AKA Ugly Yarn Bowl

Confession time, I have so much yarn. Ok, that’s not a very good confession, given my blog’s theme, but I really do have so much yarn and lately I’ve noticed, much of it is in small miscellaneous balls. It’s not a bad thing, I make patterns that feature color changes that you could use partial skeins for and I have one coming up for Happily Hooked Magazine that is all about stash busting… alas, I still have quite the stash. So, while trying my very best to straighten and make some sense of this mess of a yarn collection I have, I decided to get creative. Enter, the Stash Busting Bowl aka The Ugly Yarn Bowl.
First I wanted to make a basket but then I changed my mind, I wanted something wider on top and didn’t really care about handles. Second, I wanted to use a lot of yarn and make these very sturdy. For this pattern I have here I used three strands, which ate up a lot of miscellaneous yarn (8 oz total! Score on the stash busting). You could totally use one skein of yarn, one strand, and a smaller hook to make the bowl but I wanted to make a thick, large bowl so I went with 3. The notes has some info on how to adjust the pattern as you’d like.

You can purchase an ad-free downloadable pdf of this pattern for in my Ravelry shop.

Materials:

• US L (8.oo mm) crochet hook
• Worsted/ medium/ #4 yarn
  • 8 oz/ 422 yards
  • I use Red Heart Super Saver 
• Tapestry/ yarn needle

Gauge:

• 9 rows x 9 sc = 4″ x 4″

Terms/ stitches used:

• Ch: chain
• St: stitch
• Slip st: slip stitch
• Sc: single crochet
• Rsc: reverse single crochet

Notes:

• This pattern is worked in the round, with a slip st into the first st following the last st.
• The ch 1 at the beginning of the rows does not count as a stitch.
• You can add to these as you’d like, this pattern follows a basic formula of: row 1 is 10 and then increase for your desired amount of rows. Once the bottom is as large as you’d like, do two rows of single crochet into each st. Then do two more increase rows, first row 2 sc into every 5th st and the second row 2 sc into every 6th. Then do as many rows as you’d like to get the height you’d like. Finish off with a reverse single crochet all the way around. Simple!
• This bowl ended up being 8 oz/ 422 yards for me, so talk about a stash buster!
• If you do the whole bowl here in one color, or complementary colors, I’m sure it’d be super pretty… I wasn’t going for pretty, I was useful and stash busting!
• You can easily add handles to this pattern and make it a basket instead of a bowl.

Finished measurements:

• Height: 5.5″ – 6″
• Diameter: 18″

Pattern Instructions

Row 1: Ch 5, slip st into the first ch to form a ring. Ch 1, sc 10 times into the ring, slip st into the first sc to secure  – 10 scs
Row 2: Ch 1, sc once into the same st as join, sc twice into the next st, *sc once into the next st, sc twice into the next st,* repeat from * to * 3 more times, slip st into the first sc to secure – 15 scs
Row 3: Ch 1, sc once into the same st as join, sc once into the next st, sc twice into the next st, *sc once into the 2 next sts, sc twice into the next st,* repeat from * to * 3 more times, slip st into the first sc to secure – 20 scs
Row 4: Ch 1, sc once into the same st as join, sc once into the next 2 sts, sc twice into the next st, *sc once into the 3 next sts, sc twice into the next st,* repeat from * to * 3 more times, slip st into the first sc to secure – 25 scs
Row 5: Ch 1, sc once into the same st as join, sc once into the next 3 sts, sc twice into the next st, *sc once into the 4 next sts, sc twice into the next st,* repeat from * to * 3 more times, slip st into the first sc to secure – 30 scs
Row 6: Ch 1, sc once into the same st as join, sc once into the next 4 sts, sc twice into the next st, *sc once into the 5 next sts, sc twice into the next st,* repeat from * to * 3 more times, slip st into the first sc to secure – 35 scs
Row 7: Ch 1, sc once into the same st as join, sc once into the next 5 sts, sc twice into the next st, *sc once into the 6 next sts, sc twice into the next st,* repeat from * to * 3 more times, slip st into the first sc to secure – 40 scs
Row 8: Ch 1, sc once into the same st as join, sc once into the next 6 sts, sc twice into the next st, *sc once into the 7 next sts, sc twice into the next st,* repeat from * to * 3 more times, slip st into the first sc to secure – 45 scs
Row 9: Ch 1, sc once into the same st as join, sc once into the next 7 sts, sc twice into the next st, *sc once into the 8 next sts, sc twice into the next st,* repeat from * to * 3 more times, slip st into the first sc to secure – 50 scs
Row 10: Ch 1, sc once into the same st as join, sc once into the next 8 sts, sc twice into the next st, *sc once into the 9 next sts, sc twice into the next st,* repeat from * to * 3 more times, slip st into the first sc to secure – 55 scs
Row 11: Ch 1, sc once into the same st as join, sc once into the next 9 sts, sc twice into the next st, *sc once into the 10 next sts, sc twice into the next st,* repeat from * to * 3 more times, slip st into the first sc to secure – 60 scs
Rows 12 – 13: Ch 1, sc into the same st as join, sc into the next 59 sts, slip st into the first st to secure – 60 scs
Row 14: Ch 1, sc into the same st as join and into the next 3 sts, sc twice into the next st, *sc once into the next 4 sts, sc twice into the next st,* repeat from * to * 10 more times, slip st into the first st to secure – 72 scs
Row 15: Ch 1, sc into the same st as join and into the next 4 sts, sc twice into the next st, *sc once into the next 5 sts, sc twice into the next st,* repeat from * to * 10 more times, slip st into the first st to secure – 84
Rows 16 – 22: Ch 1, sc into the same st as join and into the next 83 sts, slip st into the first st to secure – 84 scs
Row 23: Ch 1, rsc into the next 84 sts, slip st into the first st to secure – 84 rscs
Fasten off. Weave in all your ends!

I made a second bowl (pictured above), with a smaller base (I stopped increasing the base at row 9) and higher sides but it still follows the same formula as I noted in the notes above. This one I really went crazy with the stash busting. I just used scraps of yarn that I had, by picking up new yarn when another would run out and scing over the ends. I wouldn’t recommend this technique when you’re working on a hat or scarf, something that might get tugged on and have the ends fall out, I’m not too worried about it with this bowl. I do love how fast this works up, though, when you’re using the 3 strands of yarn, it goes quick, quick, quick! Took me no time to make these two bowls in one night. Although, I would suggest breaks and stretching because it does give my wrists a work out!

In other news, I was finally able to release my Ariel Hat myself. I had been an exclusive design for The Pattern Pack since October, under the name Bewitching Hat. I really love this hat and I’m so glad I’m able to share it with everyone, in TPP and myself. 😀 The Hat, and all the other items in the Ariel line, are on sale for 50% off now through December 14th.

This post is linked to Oombawka Design’s Link and Share Wednesday #122, Fiber Tuesday #39, and the Linkly Ladies Community Link Party #29.