T-shirt Yarn Tutorial

Okay, so I've been having fun with my kids the past few days. I always enjoy finding ways for them to help me out. They love it and we spend time together while accomplishing something productive.

The latest way I found to have them help me out is to make t-shirt yarn with the TONS of t-shirt scraps I've accumulated. It was tons of fun... and useful! The kids also helped me make a tutorial (fun in itself).

So here it is - my second tutorial!



Materials:

• Tshirt(s) - I use scraps from the tshirt dresses I make, but I can see myself doing this with tshirts that have stains. Heavily painted tshirts will work, but you need to cut the paint out as it will not stretch.
• Scissors (or Rotary Cutter, Mat & Ruler)

Step 1:
Cut the tshirt into strips (between 1/2 to 5/8 of an inch is the width that I use. I use scissors because my scraps are all different sizes... and I like the non-uniform look. You can cut right through the seams. Be sure that you are cutting the tshirt horizontally, not vertically as it will not stretch correctly.

Step 2:
Pull each piece tightly (I have both kids demonstrating this in the photos - click on photos to enlarge). You need to pull it tight enough that the pieces curl. If any of the tshirt seams come apart while you are pulling, just tie the ends together and keep pulling.

Step 3:
Tie all the pieces end to end. Pull each knot tightly leaving about 1/2 an inch on the ends.

** I have done this in the reverse where I've tied all pieces together, then pulled it before I wound it into a ball. Either way works. The kids did get them pulled tighter (perhaps because they weren't concerned with pulling the knots out) and this made for a thinner yarn. **

Step 4:
Roll your yarn into a ball and it's ready for your project! We made a scarf with two other textured yarns. I plan on doing this again and having the kids help me make them wash cloths for the bath.

They are ready to make more... I just need to find the time to make more strips. This ball of yarn was made from the left over pieces of binding that I had made for dresses and capes. It made the scarf above (with a little left over). The scarf is about 70 inches long and 3 inches wide (5 rows). I used the largest crochet hook I could find.

I've started listing these scarves in the On A Whimm store. For now, I'm keeping them out of the NueToMe store because they aren't made completely of recycled items.