Yesterday I shared a post on 10 things to make with leftover sock yarn (that isn’t a sock yarn blanket). Because, let’s face it, sometimes you just need something gratifyingly quick to make. And with all the will in the world, and for all it’s many virtues, a sock yarn blanket is anything but quick to make.

I would however, add the addendum that sock yarn blankets can be speeded up quite considerably by the simple act of doubling up. Holding your sock yarn leftovers double or even treble can result in a very pleasing, squishy fabric that knits up quickly. It also eats through your stash with amazing rapidity - perfect for when you want to make a substantial dent in the leftover pile.

In this blog post here I talk about my Mahoosive Mitered Square project - which still isn’t finished, but that’s by the by. Holding the yarn doubled results in some really pleasing marled effects and makes the large squares knit up surprisingly quickly.

For a project with the yarn held trebled, please check out this post on my Garter Ripple Squish baby blanket. I originally knit this as a traditional DK baby blanket, but then being slightly overwhelmed by the size of my leftover pile I decided to knit with 3 strands at once. Yarn management was a bit more of an issue here but I solved it with the nifty use of a colander to hold the strands separate.

If I did this again, and I have to admit that I’m tempted I might consider winding the yarn into a magic ball - or 3 before I started - if only for ease of portability. I did find, as I moved around the house that my 3 yarn strands tended to get a bit tangled, no matter what I did to try to contain them.

For my next doubling up project I’m considering trying crochet granny squares. But with my notoriously awful crochet tension that could prove to be a bit tricksy. Still, I’ll give it a go and see what happens - watch this space.

Have you ever tried a project with the yarn held double/treble? And if so, did you find it helpful to pre-wind your strands to save on tangling. I’m curious about the different approaches we all take on this.