Yesterday I promised an easy-peasy way to turn t-shirts into yarn, and here you go. You can use any fabric really, you just want it to be a tube so you end up with one long piece of yarn rather than a zillion short ones. So if you’re starting with flat fabric simply sew the two selvage edges together so you have a tube (there’s a zigzaggy way to cut flat fabric into a piece of yarn, let me know in the comments if you want a tutorial on that!).
If you have them, use a cutting mat, ruler and rotary cutter. If not, just scissors will work fine. I actually cut several tshirts that way while sitting on the floor watching a movie.
Starting at one side of the tshirt, cut upwards but don’t complete the cut, stop about an inch from other edge. Your cuts should be about an inch apart, but don’t stress on it. And don’t worry about making your lines too straight (no need to draw lines even if you aren’t using a ruler) because the resulting yarn is going to roll and stretch as you wind it and knit/crochet with it. The tshirts I cut with scissors looked a lot messier than this but knit up fine.
Keep cutting in this manner until you get to the armholes, then just cut all the way through, lopping off the whole top part of the shirt. I’m saving my shirt tops to use as dust rags, or I’ll cut some up later for stuffing (I stuffed this bat with cut up tshirts). If you are working with a longsleeve shirt you can use this method for turning the sleeves into yarn, but I don’t think there is any easy-peasy way to use the armhole/neckhole area for yarn).
Now go back to the bottom edge of the tshirt and snip through one layer at the very top where all the pieces are still connected.
You’ll have a piece that looks something like this (I draped it over my little ironing board* so the cuts can be seen clearly, which also helps with the next cutting step, a regular ironing board would work too).
Now for the fun part (and I got a little crazy with the picture, you can click on it to open a bigger version). You’re going to cut diagonally from one cut to the next, the arrows illustrate this. When you’ve made all of the cuts, you’ll have one loop remaining, and just snip through one layer again.
You’ll end up with one long piece of yarn ready to be wound.
Just for fun I measured my yarn; from a medium sized Old Navy tshirt I got 21 yards of yarn unstretched. But it easily stretches to 1.5 times its size, so it works out to over 30 yards from just one tshirt.
“Hi, we used to be stained tshirts, now we’re yarn.Aren’t we great?” (What, doesn’t your yarn talk to you too?)
This tutorial makes perfect sense to me, but then it came from my brain. If anything is at all confusing, please ask for clarification in the comments or send me and e-mail at luckypennymake@gmail.com
* I saw these little ironing boards at fabric stores for years before I finally bought one. If you sew kids clothes, hem pants or make shirts, get one. Just watch out, your four year old might think it makes the perfect stepping stool.
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Thanks for the tutorial – I've been contemplating trying this with some old t-shirts. Quick question – do the seams make for lumps/weak spots in the knitting? I keep reading tutorials that say to do this with seamless tees, but all mine have side seams!
Hi Jo,
All of the t-shirts I have cut up have side seams also, but they don't seem to be a problem. Once knitted the tshirt yarn contracts enough that I don't think there is risk of the seams coming apart. A few times I've noticed the seam once I knit past one, and I just kind of poked it so it was hidden. In my experience, the flat piece of yarn rolls lengthwise as I'm knitting it so that pretty much hides the seams.
Also, all of my tshirts have a tag in one seam that I just trimmed as much as possible. When I knit past one I was able to roll/poke that in as well to hide it.
Hope that helps!
- Barb
Oh I love this idea! Time to go clean out some drawers and see what I come up with for cutting. I have been enjoying your blog ever since you stopped by to say hi on mine. So lovely and inspiring!
Thanks Amanda! I feel the same about your blog…I dream of living with more space around me and the pictures you share are just lovely!
- Barb
Thank you so much, that actually looks achievable! And fun!I'm really looking forward to trying this out.
Oh my goodness! I am so thankful to have come across your blog through yarn along! I've been planning on doing something like this and I JUST received my mom's old rotary cutter and mat and have been talking about making a rag rug for our bathrooms outside the shower and under the sink in the kitchen… all those places that get annoyingly wet that I don't want to buy an actual rug for. I loved the idea of being able to use old cotton t-shirts that I should have parted with years ago. I was afraid to just start guessing and cutting. I literally read this, grabbed a bag and filled it with t-shirts. As soon as I get through my Knit for Japan projects and get all my housework done I'm going to sit down and start making myself some t-shirt yarn with your tutorial!! My previously over-flowing dresser drawers and I thank you!!
You're welcome! I'm so glad to help
Are you on Ravelry? I'm on as luckypennymake and as soon as I've gotten a bit more finished I'm going to post the details of my oval rug, if you're interested! Have fun cutting up your shirts! – Barb
Barb– thanks so much for this! I am going to start my rug very soon! Thanks so much!!!
I so have to give this ago, I have plenty of old teeshirts!
You're welcome! I'll be excited to see your progress on ravelry
- Barb
Have fun with it & thanks for visiting! I did have a question by e-mail about the bottom hem of the shirts, so I thought I would add it in the comments. I left it on (as you can see) but then had to cut it off later on most of the shirts as it was too thick to knit up properly. - Barb
Would be fun with a printed/multicolor shirt too! Thanks for the how to!
I'm thrilled with this tut!! I want to ask something before I begin. I'm a little slow sometimes
When you said "cut diagonally (between photo 5 and 6, do I cut from right slit 1 to left slit 2? Thats what I read but your arrows seem to go from right slit 1 to left slit 1.
Did that make sense, lol.
Thanks,
Tee
Absolutely! I was wishing I had some, sadly I'm kind of a solid tshirt girl and only have those to cut up! – Barb
Tee,
Sorry for the confusion! Before the pictures with the arrows, I have a picture of me cutting through the hem to slit 1 from right to left (the picture might make it seem like I'm cutting left to right, now that I look at it again, but you can do either so long as you're consistent through out), so left slit 1 is already gone, so to speak, in the picture with the arrows. So then I cut from right slit 1 to left slit 2 and so on. Does that help? Let me know if I need to be clearer! Thanks, Barb
Sounds like it's time for a trip to the thrift store for some prints {;o)
Perfect sense! That's what I thought but wanted to clarify b efore I boo-booed. You'll hear me shrill if I do this right. I have some projects in mind.
My 3rd or 4th project for this might be a winter hat. Have you seeb anyone else do them with t-shirt fabric? Not sure they will be stretchy enough but I'll likely give it a go, lol.
That'll be for the next rug! Can't justify it yet with all of the saved up stained shirts I already have!
– Barb
The knitted fabric ends up pretty dense, without much give, but worth try. I wouldn't try to cut the yarn thinner to make it less dense either, I ran into some thin parts that wanted to break (and one did) as I was knitting it up. If you do try it I would love to know the results! - Barb
Not sure where your other replies to me went but….
HOT DIGGITY DOG! I done it – done it good, lol.
With your other help, I have just one weak spot and it's at the beginning so who cares if I loose a little.
I'm a big weiner when it comes to trying something new but you've got me roasted!
Thanks very much!!
Brilliant idea, just brilliant! I can’t wait to try this!