Craftster user robotdinosaur snagged one of the Craftster Best of 2009 with this cool repurposing project. She shredded some of her unwanted t-shirts into yarn and then knitted them into these cool dishcloths. This is such a pretty thing to do with your old tees, and it makes the best-looking knitted dishcloths I’ve seen. [click here for the t-shirt dishcloth project]
She didn’t post a knitting pattern for them, but I’m pretty sure it’s a very basic knit square. If you need a pattern, you can google “knit dishcloth pattern” or check this page for a bunch of free patterns. You can also crochet these, but if you’re a crocheter, you already know that! If you don’t knit or crochet, how about sewing two or three layers of t-shirt together in squares to make dishcloths? That could be really cool!
T-shirt yarn: Apparently some evil company is harassing all the crafters who post tutorials about making t-shirt yarn (usually when they post tutes about making t-shirt yarn necklaces), and consequently every time I link to how-to instructions, they get removed. Well, first of all I want to say that whoever that evil company is, it’s a simple process and although you may have filed a patent on it, I really don’t think you should be able to patent the process of cutting jersey into strips and stretching it until it coils into a tube. Oops, did I just give away your trade secret?
Project Estimate:
- Old t-shirt or two, on hand
- Knitting needles or crochet hook, on hand
Total: FREE + bonus points for recycling!
p.s. Bonus project for your t-shirt yarn: How about knitting one of these fab scarves? I love the two-color stripes! Project found at Design Vagabond.
23 Comments
Almost Unschoolers
Those are excellent ideas. I don’t know which I want to try first, the disch cloth, or the scarf.
Paul Overton
T-shirt knitting! Brilliant. And bound to be faster than all the other ignored and lonely knitting projects I have in my project box. Thanks for the tip!
Kathy V.
What a practical idea and cotton is too good a substance to waste on a landfill.
amy
love it! I also ended up on a craftster link to a tshirt star rug that was croched. Brilliant.
Lady in a Smalltown
I am picturing all of our college t-shirts sitting in a box in our bedroom and in a trunk at my parents. I think I would use this “yarn” with my Knifty Knitters. I can see scarves, hats, and lap blankets.
I would love to know more about the evil company.
Sophia
Would this be anything like the loops we used to make potholders out of? I’m definitely going to try crocheting a few dishcloths! Thanks so much for sharing such a great idea!
Martha Heiden
One of my favorite throw rugs was made with old t shirts. I cut them into strips about 6 inches by 1/2 inch and latch hooked a rug. I found that men’s colorful shirts worked best because the sleeves were the perfect size for strips when I cut the seam out. I did not use a design just blobs of the same color. It washes great and the color stay bright. What a great site this is.
Martha
Betty
Recycled T-shirts. One more. I had enough leftover ginham check for a skirt so I gathered it around the top, just to fit the bottom of a nice t-shirt and sewed it on. I like to have pockets so I put them in the side seams and added some fabric flowers to match the skirt around the neck. Lots of compliments on this cute summer dresss.
Mona
This is brilliant!!! I am off to rip up some of my husbands tshirts. Thrift stores beware!!
I’m sad they keep taking down your tutorial. Buggers! But thanks for the repurposing idea.
blair
So I don’t know how when one piece of yarn ends, to begin again with a new one… Does that make sense? Someone please email me.and tell me! [email protected]
Liza
Ooohh i have some old t shirts i love and have been procrastinating the getting-rid-of-them moment… I’ll use them to give life to some of this upcycling projects! Thank you! And for giving away the secret! (Y) Like! Haha!
Barb
Great projects and great way to reveal a “trade secret”! LOL
Loree
How can they patent a technique that’s been around since forever? Rag rugs have been made with jersey rags since the early 1900s?
Norma
Thanks for sharing.
Anne Dovel
Yes! I was surprised to see “tshirt yarn” at the store the other day. Haven’t we been doing that for years and years? :)
Hadn’t thought to make dishcloths though, with it! We always crocheted rag rugs with the strips. Thanks for the idea!
Anne Dovel
Bethany
If you have tshirts that mean a lot to you make a Tshirt quilt out of them first and with all the leftover material make your yarn! And make the dishcloths that way you are geting more than one project out do your material on hand!