Spinning conferences, workshops, guild meetings and even visits with spinning friends can lead to quite an accumulation of bits and pieces of fleece. While there is usually more than enough for spinning a sample, there is never enough for a project. Add to that the bits and pieces that pile up when we use our handspun yarns. We have the leftover bits from knitting and/or crochet projects and, if we also weave, then we have a good sized collection of thrums. For non-weavers, thrums are the short bits of yarn that come from the loom waste. Anyone who’s been spinning for a few years has such a collection of odds and ends of little bits of yarn and fiber carefully saved and stuck in a cabinet somewhere. We could throw them out but we’re sure that there will be a use for them someday and besides it just doesn’t seem right to consign that bit of our best friend’s ewe’s fleece or that bit of silk from a much enjoyed workshop to the trash bin. Besides it just seems so wasteful to just toss these small bits out. The solution, of course, is to find a use for small amounts of fiber and yarn.

Dealing with small amounts of fiber is easy. The first thing that comes to mind is to set aside a few locks and a bit of spun yarn for our spinning record book. Then we have a choice of whether to spin the balance of the sample and deal with it after it becomes yarn or to use the fiber for something. Small bits of fiber can be combined with other fibers to stretch the fiber in short supply into enough for a project. Or it can be felted.

Needle felting is a great way to use up small bits of fleece as fibers will needle felt even if they will not wet felt. One easy way to needle felt small decorative ornaments is to use cookie cutters as a “mold” for the basic shape. Place the cookie cutter on a thick, foam block, stuff it with fiber and needle felt it until it holds the basic shape. Note that felting needles are extremely sharp and are also barbed. Take care to keep your fingers out of the way of the needle and be sure that your tetanus shots are current. Because the tools are so sharp, this is not an activity that young children can engage in even with supervision. After the basic shape has been formed, the ornaments can be embellished with more needle felting. For example, small pieces of yarn can be used for outlines, facial detailing, etc and locks of fleece can be felted to the ornament to create fur or hair.

Yarn, especially when it’s in the form of many small bits can be harder to find a use for. If you crochet, then granny squares come readily to mind. Weavers can use short lengths of yarn to create stripes, do inlay, or weave tapestries. Knitters can use short bits of yarn for intarsia, in small Fair Isle knitting projects, for stripes in socks, Rug hookers can use them for small color areas in their designs.

Still not enough yarn for a project? Add another color to use as a base color for the piece. For example, use a base color of black for a granny square tote bag or an afghan. Knot small bits of a similar grist together at regular intervals and use it as a novelty yarn. Cut your small bits of yarn into small pieces, run it through the drum carder and then card it with some new fleece to make a knickerbocker yarn.

With a little bit of creativity, we can find viable uses for all of our little bits and pieces of fleece and yarn.