Crocheting a pet bed from yarn scraps

When unraveling knitted items, you're often left with leftover yarn: knotted, uneven, or lacking elasticity. Don't throw it away! A doormat or a pet bed is a great way to use up any scrap yarn. If you like, you can choose a single color palette. In this case, the finished piece will look even better and can serve as decor for a bedroom or bathroom.

## How to crochet a dog bed from yarn scraps

This type of home textile is reversible: the front side features "bobbles," while the back looks like standard single crochet fabric. Before starting, make sure all your yarn scraps have a similar thickness. If a strand is thinner, you can create a marled yarn by holding it together with another thin strand of a similar color and winding them into a single ball.

Start crocheting; the pattern repeat consists of 2 rows.

Row 1: Chain the desired length and work in single crochet.

Row 2: 1 single crochet, 1 puff stitch (yarn over, insert hook into the stitch of the row below, pull up a loop, repeat once more, then pull through all loops on the hook).

Repeat from to until the end of the row.

To change colors, carry the new yarn along the back of the work and crochet over it for 2-3 stitches while working the pattern. Then, switch to the new yarn.

## Edging the mat

The best way to do this is using the "crab stitch" (reverse single crochet), working from left to right: 1 single crochet, 1 chain, skip one base stitch.

Save a large enough ball of yarn for the edging so that the final row is a single color. The finished bed is very dense, does not stretch, and is hand-washable, which helps it last longer.