How to Make Yarn Out of Old T-shirts

Those T-shirts that you no longer use can be transformed into yarn to crochet anything from baskets to mats, or whatever your creativity decides upon. The problem is how to get a continuous piece of yarn without having to tie pieces of fabric together along the way.

5-Minute Crafts will show you how to easily accomplish this. And at the end of the article, you’ll find a special bonus just for you.

You’ll need

✅ Old T-shirts or those you’re ready to part with (the best fabric options are cotton or Lycra)

✅ Scissors

✅ Ruler (optional)

Step 1

• Start by cutting the sleeves and bottom hem of the T-shirt.

• Save these pieces because they may come in handy for a future project.

Step 2

• Use the piece of fabric left in the middle. This is where you’ll get the yarn from.

• Fold the rectangle on the side of the hems, leaving 0.8 in (2 cm) free on one of the edges.

Step 3

• Start cutting the fabric into strips of 0.6 in (1.5 cm) to 0.8 in (2 cm) wide (approximately the same width as your finger).

• Carefully cut each strip until you reach the edge that’s free. If you want to be neat and tidy, then you can use a ruler.

• Hold the fabric up and open it.

Step 4

• Slide your arm under the fabric so that you can better see the slits you’ll need to make.

• Cut diagonal slits only along the upper layer.

Step 5

• Once all the slits have been cut apart, you just have to roll the fabric into a ball, pulling slightly from the slit.

• Done! You’ve now got the material to start knitting whatever you want.

Bonus: Plant hangers using T-shirt yarn

Learn how to make them by watching this video.