How to Make Yarn From T-Shirts

Are you looking for yarn that is fun to knit or crochet with, doesn't cost a thing and is good for the environment? How about using the old t-shirts in your closet? It sounds crazy, but it is actually possible to make yarn out of t-shirts, and once you get the hang of it you are going to love it.

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• old t-shirts
• Sewing machine or needle & thread

1. Find the t-shirts that you want to use. The older and softer the shirt, the better. But not so old that it has a lot of holes. You want the yarn to be soft but strong. You are going to want at least 10 shirts to make a decent amount of yarn.

2. Consider your color palette. Chances are you aren't going to have a bunch of shirts in the exact same color (unless that color is white) so choose colors that will look good together.

3. Also consider the fiber content of the shirts you use. I prefer 100% cotton shirts, but you can use whatever you like.

4. Look at the shirts and see if they have seams going down one or both sides. Don't use them if they do. You will not be able to get a continuous string of fabric out of those shirts.

5. Cut the top part of each shirt off from the bottom of the sleeves. You now have a tube of fabric.

6. Cut a notch in the fabric at the top (where you just cut off the sleeves) about the width of what you want the yarn to be.

7. Start pulling. Go slowly and use even pressure to try and keep the yarn the same width.

8. If your strips of fabric are thicker than you'd like them to be (there's a good chance they will be) then you can cut another notch in one of the ends and pull again.

9. Once you have a big pile of ripped-up t-shirts to work with, it's time to sew them together so you have one long string. You can do this with a sewing machine or by hand. The key is to make it strong but not too bulky where the pieces overlap. What I do is overlap it by about an inch and sew two straight lines. But feel free to sew it however you feel comfortable.

10. Roll your new yarn into a ball and make something wonderful with it!

Tips & Warnings

• Besides knitting and crochet, t-shirt yarn is great for making braided rugs and weaving. You could also use it as ribbon to wrap up presents or string chunky beads on it for necklaces. The possibilities are endless!

[makaksa]

on 4/6/2009 What a fantastic idea!