Have you ever lost your game of yarn chicken, or run out of yarn halfway through a project and had to head to the store for more? It’s not fun, that’s for sure! But if you choose one of the many crochet patterns that use just one skein of yarn, you’ll avoid all those problems!
Whether you’re looking for a project to use up some scrap yarn, or you only have one skein lying around, you’ll find the perfect project in this round-up. Let’s dive in and check out some of the best one skein crochet patterns!
Table of Contents
1. One Skein Granny Rows Scarf
Scarves are one of the simplest one-skein crochet projects, and this multicolor scarf is a gorgeous place to start. You’ll need one skein of a DK weight yarn like Lion Brand Mandala and knowledge of easy stitches plus the cluster stitch, which is explained in the pattern. Blocking is important for this scarf to look its best, so make sure you know how to do that before you begin.
2. One Skein Balaclava
This balaclava is the perfect accessory for fall and winter since it acts like a scarf and a hat all in one! You’ll need about 300 yards of worsted-weight yarn for this project, which is the size of many single skeins. The balaclava uses both foundation single crochet and the mini bean stitch, and the designer has included links to tutorials for both, so this is a great project if you’re a beginner crocheter who feels ready to learn new skills.
3. The One Skein Wonder Cowl LITE
This beautiful cowl is made with fingering-weight yarn, so it’s a great choice for both spring and fall. It’s a good idea to have some crochet experience before you start this project, since you’ll need to know basic stitches plus front-post and back-post half-double crochet, the half-double crochet decrease, and the mini bean stitch. There’s a video tutorial for the mini bean stitch and links to tutorials for the others, so this is a wonderful opportunity to learn new crochet skills.
4. Red Heart One Skein Diamond Lace Crochet Scarf
This lacey scarf is good for all seasons—even summer! I think it would look amazing in cooler winter tones or the burnt oranges of fall. You’ll need one skein of super fine yarn like Lion Brand Croquette, plus knowledge of simple stitches. Before you start crocheting, just be sure you’re comfortable with skipping stitches and reading a stitch chart.
5. One Skein Mobius Cowl
This cowl is made with weight 5 bulky yarn and easy stitches, so it’s perfectly beginner friendly. It’s also a good project for learners of all styles, since the pattern includes both written instructions and a video tutorial. To get the fun mobius strip effect, you just put a twist in your starting chain when closing the circle—it’s as simple as that!
6. One Skein Lacy Scarf
To make one of these stunning lacey scarves, you’ll want to pick up some multicolor yarn. The designer says you can use any yarn weight and corresponding hook size, but if you want your scarf to look like hers, choose fingering-weight yarn and a 4mm hook. The pattern is written using UK terms, but it includes US terms in the stitch list, and you can also check our US-UK stitch conversion article. Best of all, this is a good beginner pattern because it calls for simple stitches and includes both written instructions and a stitch chart.
7. One Skein Simple Summertime Shawl
Here’s another summery garment, this time made with weight 4 yarn. It looks amazing in gradient colorways, and best of all it uses easy stitches so it’s an effortless beginner pattern!
8. Chunky One Skein Cowl
This chunky cowl is made with weight 5 yarn and will keep you warm all winter long. It uses easy stitches and works up super quickly, too!
9. 30 Minute Crochet Cowl – Arctic Ice Snood
This cowl is made with 1 skein of Wool-Ease Thick & Quick yarn and works up in just half an hour! It’s made with easy stitches, so as long as you’re comfortable working in the back loop only (BLO), it’ll be a breeze. Best of all, it’s no-sew!
Now let’s move on to one-skein crochet hats!
10. One Hour Chunky Crochet Beanie
This beanie matches the Artic Ice Snood from above! To make the child size, you’ll need just one skein of Wool-Ease Thick & Quick, and for the teen and adult sizes, you’ll need two skeins. Just like the cowl, the hat is made with simple stitches and the BLO technique. My favorite part is the pom-pom!
11. One Skein Crochet Beanie
This beanie features a fun mix of textures, plus a fluffy pom-pom. The pattern calls for basic stitches plus the double crochet decrease and working in the 3rd loop, which is explained. This free pattern covers the adult medium size, and if you want to make other sizes, ranging from newborn through adult large, you can buy the expanded pattern.
12. Easy Peasy One Skein Hat
This super-simple hat works up quickly and is the perfect project for beginner crocheters. The pattern includes nine sizes from newborn through adult large, and to make the size of your choice, you’ll just need one skein of worsted or aran yarn, plus knowledge of easy stitches.
13. One Skein Bulky Beanie
I love this colorful pom-pom beanie—especially how warm it is for winter! This is an adult-size hat made with a weight 5 yarn like the designer’s choice of I Love This Chunky. The pattern calls for easy stitches plus the foundation double crochet, front-post double crochet, and puff stitch.
Next up, let’s check out some bags you can crochet with just one skein of yarn!
14. Carry-All Bag One Skein Wonder
This spacious bag is made with one skein of Caron Big Cakes yarn, a self-striping yarn that will make your project pop! The bag is quite easy to make since it’s just a rectangle that’s folded into a bag shape and then attached to handles. It’s made with the lemon peel stitch, which is very easy to learn, and the pattern even includes links to a tutorial. Plus, the rectangle is just the same row of lemon peel stitch repeated over and over, so you’ll get the hang of it super quickly even if it’s a new stitch in your repertoire!
15. Easy One Skein Crochet Market Bag
This mesh market bag is great for holding yarn, produce, and more. It’s made with cotton DK yarn and simple stitches, though if you live in the US, you’ll want to convert the UK terms to US terms. This project is a great choice for crocheters of all learning styles since the pattern includes both written instructions and a video tutorial.
16. One Skein Basket
This structured bag is great for holding your WIPS (works in progress). It’s made with standard weight 4 yarn and easy stitches, so if you’re a beginner crocheter, I highly recommend this pattern!
17. Everyday Bowl and Crochet Basket
Here’s a similar structured basket, and this pattern also includes a matching bowl. It looks fantastic in rainbow yarn, though I know it will also look great in any solid or multicolor yarn you choose! If you want your basket to look like the designer’s, choose a self-striping worsted-weight yarn like Red Heart Super Saver Stripes.
18. Easy Crochet Pyramid Bag
This pyramid pouch is absolutely amazing! You could use it as a coin purse, to hold little trinkets, or as a tabletop RPG dice bag. To make one, you’ll need Bernat Home Maker Dec yarn, Lion Brand Rewind Tape, or two strands of worsted-weight yarn held together. You’ll also need a zipper and thread, plus a wooden ring, wooden beads, and leather strips if you want to add decorations. The pattern calls for simple stitches like chain and single crochet, but you will need to know how to skip stitches, work into chain spaces, and work into the single crochet underneath a chain space, so I recommend making this bag once you have a bit of crochet experience under your belt.
This free pattern is a YouTube video, making it a good option for visual learners. If you prefer a written pattern, you can buy one on the designer’s Ravelry store.
And now let’s move on to single-skein blankets!
19. Caron One Skein Crochet Baby Blanket
This baby blanket is made with one skein of Caron One Pound Yarn, a huge ball of yarn that lets you do multiple small projects or one large project. It has a super fun texture thanks to the X-stitch, a pretty easy stitch that’s explained in the pattern.
20. Caron Textured Crochet Baby Blanket
This baby blanket is also made with Caron One Pound Yarn, and it has just as fun a texture as the previous throw. This texture is made with simple cluster stitches, and the border uses an interesting technique that’s explained via a diagram in the pattern. This is a good project if you have a bit of crochet experience and want to try something new.
And last but certainly not least, let’s check out some amigurumi creations that you can crochet with just one ball of yarn. For amigurumi, you’ll also need things like fiber-fill stuffing and safety eyes, so grab those and let’s jump in!
21. Caron Crochet One Skein Bunny
Caron One Pound Yard comes through for us again, this time to make an adorable bunny. This is a pretty simple project that’s made with basic stitches plus the half-double crochet decrease and the loop stitch, both of which are described in the pattern.
22. Mini Chameleon
Isn’t this tiny chameleon just so cute? For this project, you’ll need one skein of 8-ply yarn plus knowledge of the popcorn stitch and how to work in the front loop only and back loop only. This is a good pattern for visual learners because it takes the form of a YouTube video.
23. Mini Love Elephant Amigurumi
These elephants are super-duper adorable, and you can change the size of your elephants by changing the weight of your yarn. No matter what weight you choose, you’ll only need one skein. This is an effortless beginner project because it’s made with basic stitches and only requires a tiny bit of sewing, and because the pattern includes written instructions, helpful photos, and a video tutorial. Plus, there are even instructions for a fun heart that you can sew onto your elephant!
Which of these one-skein crochet projects will you be making? Let us know in the comments!
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