This week I am sharing with you some photos of my experiments / works in progress using yarn made with old t-shirts.
My first attempt was that small yellowish coaster. I actually struggled coping with the number 9mm hook while crocheting the centre. The oblong mat was my second attempt; I haven't collected enough material to finish it yet 😆 This is recycling.
I was much happier with the look of the small potholder above. It is just white at the moment but I need to add a few more rows. I think it looks neater and the difference with the oblong mat is that I started using a size 6mm hook.
I recently started making this striped bag. The grey colour was nice to crochet with but it didn't go far so I added some red hoping to continue in that colour but the red had to have a number of joints and they didn't look that great so I continue with that mottled white (mottling because there was a design in the t-shirt).
My first attempt at making t-shirt yarn wasn't that successful. I have added this photo so you can see. It was too variable in width, but it will not be wasted.
I have also been given 'proper' fabric yarn from the Tiger Shop. It is extremely slippery so I reckon it's viscose material... I haven't really used this for anything yet because it was bought for 'research' purposes to check the width 😉.
If you ever cut your own t-shirt yarn I recommend using one of those 'tubular' t-shirts so you can avoid joining. Nothing wrong with joining as that is also part of recycling of course. I would also recommend cutting strips about 1.8cm in width - this will depend on your project, but this is what I have found.
I have also briefly prepared some photos to show you how I do it. Here's an old video (not by me) showing you the proper way measuring and using rulers - I'm more of a free spirit when it comes to that...
In the photo above, I have already got rid of the sleeve / chest area.
The next thing I do is to cut off the hemline because I can't use that section.
I then fold the piece but not in half; I leave about 6cm. I aim to cut the strips up to that point only and the photo below shows you more clearly.
I then open the 'mess'. Everything is still joined at that uncut section. As I start cutting, I remember not to just join the cuts because then I would be making hoops. The first cut must be at a slant or diagonal line and does not join to anything.
The other consecutive cuts join across the uncut section.
The photo above shows the nearly finished t-shirt yarn which has not been stretched yet. When you stretch it slightly it will naturally curl and then it's done.
Not perfect but it will do and it's recycled. I only recycle when I am sure that nobody else will want to wear the item. Locally there are three charity shops and a couple of textile banks for when I feel there's still 'life' in a garment.
Have you used t-shirt yarn before ? What do you make with it ?
I'm really pleased you posted this, I have been accumulating cast off cotton jersey items (t-shirts, camis, leggings) in the garage and I've been starting to feel anxious about them - there's only so many cleaning clothes that any house needs!
I had been thinking about creating yarn, but had no idea where to start and, especially, how wide to cut the strips, so your post is perfect. I had also only been thinking sbout making new clothing items from them, but small bags and baskets would be perfect, and could be used instead of plastic containers.
@phoenixwren posted a while ago about making a padded/quilted curtain using cast-off items as the wadding, so sensible!
Thank you for the comment @shanibeer... I find the fabric made becomes quite sturdy so I feel it's ideal for little baskets / boxes... I'm planning to make a few to transport produce from the garden to the kitchen (I am always hopeful) in containers other than plastic bags so if they get dirty I can just put them in the wash.
That's a good idea. I was thinking of them for all those things in the garage/shed/workshop. What are you growing this year?
The soil's not so good around these parts @shanibeer, so we plant what works better (and we are organic so the quality's variable).
This year it will be potatoes, chard, spinach, cabbage (some of these are already in place; as we grow older we want to just have plants that will come back by themselves).
Last year we also managed to get tomatoes, carrots, broccoli and runner beans. The addition of a polytunnel should make things better too. I would really like to get more apples as we used to when we lived in Coventry :) Are you a gardener too? I am more of a 'supporter' as I get eczema in my hands so I avoid wearing gloves / soil :(
Nice post on t-shirt yarn @cryptocariad! I loved working with it! I love the thickness of it and how neat it works up. Your sample pieces look really neat. I made my own out of my daughter’s old t-shirts. I’ve posted these before but I made her and her cousin a necklace ace using the strips I made. I haven’t got around to making any more but I do plan on working with it again :) Thanks for sharing~
Thanks for the comment @crosheille ! I really love those bright colours !
The roses are made with yarn, aren't they? They're so sweet 😊
You’re very welcome! Thank you!! I love bright colors! Yes the flowers are made with yarn. I purchased a bulk of them online when I first start crocheting. I use them as embellishments.
Congrats on the curie upvote!! Whooo Hooo!! 😉😃
Thank you for the support @crosheille ! Yes, it was quite a surprise this morning 😆
Absolutely!!!
Omg, thats what you meant by t-shirt yarn, im definitely trying this, will post how it turns out here <3
oh, yes, please do @ivan-g 😊
It will look great !
Done, took a about an hour to cut the shirt with my shaking hands (had to tie a bunch of parts I ripped) and another hour for the ball filled with expired rice :D
These lines are terrible :s
All tightened and turned into a ball.
Small hacky sack :) and a lot of leftover material.
Thank's for the awesome idea and can't wait to see new ones :D
😍 that looks awesome @ivan-g, great job !!! And no worries because the (not-so-straight) lines don't show once crocheted... 😍
I was just wondering how you joined the bits that got cut off... I have used this method but I still lneed to work on making it neater...
thanks ^^ this is how I tie knots, I used to use this for connecting fishing lines as a kid, very sturdy.
oh yes... I guess it depends on the thickness of the yarn... I'm not a very strong person so my knots tend to come undone easily 😆
That's the magic of this knot, if done right the more you pull on the ends the stronger it gets :D
What a great way to use up old shirts! I've got a few that could definitely be used this way... Except I think they might have too many holes already! I'll have to check out those videos and read the instructions a little bit more once I'm home again. But thank you for posting them, the white coaster definitely turned out nice moving to a different hook seems to have worked well.
Thank you @jamethiel... I was much happier once I changed the crochet hook size... I think there's also something about the stitch I used because the yarn I made first which was quite uneven looks much better using this chevron like stitch.
It might also be because you got more familiar with working with the yarn, and may be twisting it slightly better or smoothing it in some different way that you don't realize.
The Chevron style Stitch does seem to make for a smoother look.
it does have a basket feel to it @jamethiel
@cryptocariad,
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Cool way to reuse those t-shirts!
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Thank you for the comment @ma1neevent ! I appreciate the interest and support 😊
This is ingenious, what a great use for an old shirt. I really like the look of the bag.
Thank you @redbone... I am currently thinking whether to put straps on it or just 'handles' made like a bigger buttonhole... choices, choices :)
Ooo, I have been wanting to do this. I too have many old t-shirts lying around, waiting to be repurposed and upcycled! Thank you @crytocariad for sharing this. I was just writing about how useful sewing, crocheting and knitting is, we can really do wonders with almost anything and everything and create new things!
Hello @marblely.... Oh yes, and I'll be looking forward to see what you can create 😊
I love this, thank you for sharing your process. I have tried plastic bag yarn before but not t-shirt yarn. Now I have a better idea about it! :)
You're very welcome @phoenixwren... I also tried plastic bag yarn some years ago - it was fun collecting the colours and then just recycling the mistakes :). This was before they introduced a price tag on all plastic bags so now it's just the t-shirt yarn for me.
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Thank you very much @sotall ! I will collect my badge too 😊
You know, it sounds like we should start a new tag and call it handycrafty. I hate using the term handicapped, I can still do for myself, I just do it slower and with curvy lines, lol.
I wonder what this would look like with slightly smaller strands. I have almost no central vision and trying to cut something with scissors is sort of hard to accomplish. But I have a tool that allows me to use a roller blade and cut at 1/2 inch increments. I might have to try this and see what turns up!
Good idea about the tag @sotall... The idea is to get found so we can network.
Do you mean like a rotary cutter / like the tool used when cutting patchwork pieces ? I've never used one myself but I guess it should be fine cutting little by little. Hope you can post photos if you can 😊
Yes, rotary cutter. I have anomic aphasia and get my nouns mixed up all the time. lol
No worries @sotall ! As I say I haven't used one before so I'm not sure how many layers they can cut :)... I will experiment to check.
I love fabric yarn. It is great for jewellery. Your potholders look amazing! 💚
Thank you @zen-art. Oh yes, necklaces and bracelets with knots made with t-shirt yarn look really cool.
it's a great idea to use old t-shirts in this way !!! Good job!!! now I also will not throw away old things
Thanks @tali72... I see it as extending the use of the garment until you can't use it any more and then it will hopefully get recycled into stuffing for cushions or finally cleaning rags :)
Here I've recycled woven fabric shirts for forever but never thought to do this with t-shirts!! Thanks for posting this idea! :)
You're very welcome @mtnmeadowmomma... What do you make with woven shirt fabric material? I have not done much recycling of old fabric shirts or sheets (eg into floor mats or anything like that) because of fraying... So how do you deal with the fraying ? I have been told that when you cut strips of old sheeting fabric you do so diagonally to avoid this... I can't visualise how to cut strips from old shirts.... So if you have any tips, please can you share ? 😊
I've made a few small patchwork quilts, like this one...
... and several crocheted rugs. I really haven't had bad issues with fraying, but I've only ever cut up 100% cotton shirts. Yeah some threads get loose but nothing crazy. I imagine some synthetic fabrics could be much worse for frays.
For rugs, I cut the shirts up along the seams, remove any pockets, collar, etc., and trim off all the seams from the pieces. Then I cut each piece into a continuous strip like this:
There might be a more efficient way, but that's just how I was taught as a kid. Sometimes the tips of the triangles created by "turning the corner" while cutting can poke out a bit during crocheting but those don't really bother me. You can trim the points a little though to help with that.
Really lovely patchwork quilt @mtnmeadowmomma. I like the colour scheme 😊
Thank you so much for the extra details too !
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I absolutely love this idea! I always hate throwing away old t-shirts, and I actually think the way the yarn looks is really cool once crocheted. This obviously resonates with a lot of people, happy to look at the comments and see you have already inspired projects today! Much love - Carl
Thank you @carlgnash ! I am really surprised to see so much interest and support there's been for this post. And yes, it's a simple process but you can actually make useful things in the end 😊
I LOVED the idea of making stuff with t-shirt yarn, until I recognized that making the yarn was wrecking my scissors.
I could not keep them sharp. After making a small ball of yarn, my scissors felt like if I had used them to cut paper.
But I did make some coasters out of them. I liked working with the t-shrit yarn, I just didn't like making it.
Your work is very nice. How are your scissors doing?
No problems with the scissors yet @metzli ... but I guess at some point they will need sharpening ... :)
I got caught in your comment section. Lots of cool stuff there.
❤️
Oh I'll bet that T-shirt yarn feel soft and amazing when it is all worked up into a wonderful project! What a great idea. Honestly, I'd never heard of it until you shared this. Thank you! Happy #NeedleworkMonday to you, my dear!
Thank you for the comment @crystalize. Yes, it is quite soft but surprisingly sturdy too 😊
I only once tried to work with t-shirt yarn and I loved the bowl and bag I made, but I did not loved the work. I found it very strenious to work with this big hook and the very stiff yarn... my fingers hurt more or less instantly.
But I have never made the yarn myself. I think this will result in a much softer yarn, than the bought one :-D
I have to try your method
WOW, that's brilliant @neumannsalva... It looks really neat and the colours match really well too!
Well, I also found working with the big 9mm crochet hook hard but the size 6mm works fine for me 😊
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Perfect timing! What else is new. I just cleaned out my t-shirts .There's a few I wasn't sure if I would alter them by creating one shirt from two or three. Now I know what I'm going to do with them. Not what what I'll make but thanks for the tip on what stitch works with this medium. You're always in inspiration. Thanks for sharing.
And....I did it again. I really do need to be more careful which side of my personality I'm responding with. GRIN
That's all fine @fiberartists 😉 I look forward to seeing what you make. I tend to lean towards mats (pot stands) or baskets because of the sturdiness of the fabric.
Like any fabric yarn it could also be used for weaving with (many possibilities...)
I love the idea of making a basket with it. And then I could wash it instead of the tedious time spent cleaning the bits of "kid stuff" out of them. LOL Thanks for the idea..... oh oh .....see the word them? Yes...I'm thinking about few baskets now.
Oh, and yes please share photos if you make baskets @fiberartists 😊