This is a tutorial on how to make T-yarn from old recycled tee-shirts. T-yarn maybe a new term to you. T-yarn or Tarn is what the yarn is being called that is made from cutting t-shirts into strips for crafting.

The best t-shirts are ones that do not have side seams as you can cut around and around starting at the bottom. First cut off the hem and then with a sharp pair of scissors cut strips about 1/2″ to 3/4″ wide. Cut in one continuous strip as I have shown here.

All photos are clickable to supersize them

I stopped at the armhole openings as this was the end of my continuous strip that is completely one piece cut in rounds. You can cut off the sleeves and start another continuous strip at this point but it’s not as smooth as the main body because you will have curves in your strip where you have to turn the corners.

To create the circular T-yarn, you gently pull on the strip. I found the best way to do this is by taking a short length about 1-2 feet long and stretching it. The stretching causes the tee-shirt strip to turn in on itself thus creating your rounded T-yarn. One important warning is not to pull too hard otherwise the strip breaks. I did have this happen on my first attempts so be advised to gently pull on the strip until it won’t stretch any further. Then you move to the next section of your strand and stretch it again. Continue stretching your strip until the whole long continuous strand has been stretched and is curled as shown in the photo.

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Here is a small sample of what the curled T-yarn looks like when you crochet with it. It’s smooth to work with and has a nice finished look. You can either crochet or knit with the recycled yarn that has been created. This circular T-yarn would make excellent potholders, trivets and of course is perfect for a recycled tote bag. One large tee-shirt netted about 90 yards of T-yarn once stretched. So grab your crochet hook or knitting needles and experiment with this recycled material to create some wonderful eco craft projects.

Today I want to share some free patterns from a few friends of mine over at Crochetville. Crochetville is a crochet forum where ideas, patterns, friendships, and finished projects are shared among all the craft members.

Here is a scrubbie I made using Rachel’s pattern that she calls her all purpose scrubbie. As soon as I saw this handy scrubber, I knew I had to crochet it and add some of my recycled plastic to the project. So I added some recycled lettuce netting along with Sugar and Cream Country Stripes cotton yarn on rounds 2-5 on the bottom only. And because I’m lazy and don’t like to sew, I just put my two round disks together and worked SC sts around to join the two together. Rachel’s pattern calls for using a yarn needle to join the two rounds together so use whichever method you desire to complete your scrubber.

If you need a tutorial on how to make and crochet with the recycled plastic lettuce netting you can find it here. Here is Rachel’s free all purpose scrubbie pattern link.

Next I present Rhelena’s dishcloth that features a granny style stitching. Here is the free pattern link. The only thing I added to her pattern was a sl st around the center circle to tie in my yarns as I used up a bit of scrap yarn I had for the center. The main dishcloth was crocheted using the same Sugar and Cream Country Stripes cotton yarn that I used in my scrubbie project. I really like this yarn as it naturally provides you a type of striping to your crochet items.

Well this wraps up my latest addition of crocheting with recycled materials here at My Recycled Bags. By adding the recycled lettuce netting, my scrubbie is extra durable but gentle enough to use on non-stick pans. My dishcloth completes the kitchen set which I will be saving for a future gift-giving idea.

Recycled your old tee-shirts into a cute handbag. I crocheted this purse using two tee-shirts and a part of another for the striping. I added a flower as an embellishment and here is my final result.

Click to supersize photos

Here is a photo showing how I cut around the tee-shirt to create “yarn” to crochet with. You just continue cutting in one continuous strip and go around corners as shown. If you do need to join two strips, either overlap and weave under your ends or join splicing strips together by either hand or machine stitching the ends together. Another method that doesn’t require sewing the strips together is to make a small slit hole at the end of the two strips you need to splice together. The slit should be cut lengthwise only about ½ inch from the end of the strip and should only be big enough to allow the next strip to pass through it. Hold the two strips with the holes together then take the uncut end and lace it through two holes. Pull the strip completely through the holes and pull tight to make the splice as small as possible.

Have fun with this project by recycling your tee-shirts into a charming eco-friendly handbag. The materials are free and so is the crochet pattern below.

Free Crocheted Recycled Tee-Shirt Bag Pattern

Bag measures 10 inches wide and 9” long with 8” handles.

Material: Three different colored tee-shirts cut into ½ to ¾” inch strips

Hook: Metal “N” hook

Chain 12 (more…)

I have been saving grey plastic bags for several years until I had enough to crochet this recycled plastic bag (plarn) net market bag. I’m happy to say that I was finally able to finish the bag using this unique colored plastic bags. You may recognize this open netted bag as it is a variation of another market bag I crocheted that had long straps. Both recycled bag patterns feature an expandable sturdy bottom and an open netting look for the main body of the bag.

If you prefer the longer straps on your market bag, here is the free pattern link for the white market bag with 18 inch long straps that is pictured below.

So mix and match the straps or bag colors as desired to create your eco-friendly market tote bag. Below is the pattern for the grey market bag with 8 inch handles. Enjoy the project and happy recycled green crafting to all!

Free Recycled Plastic Net Market Bag Pattern

Bag measures 14 inches wide and 14” long with 8” handles
Materials: One large ball of plarn (plastic bag yarn) Appox. 45 bags

My picture tutorial is found here on how to make plarn yarn from plastic bags
Hook: Metal “N” US size hook

Chain 24 (more…)