T-shirt yarn.

Lookie lookie what Sunanna made!

(Sunanna’s me, btw.)

Over a month ago I was given a jumbo, Santa-sized-sac of hand-me-down clothing.  (Always appreciated!)  There was this gigantic, old Philadelphia Eagles T-shirt that I knew would not be welcome in our home.  And while perhaps it might have been welcome in our neighbors’ home, I know that they have even nicer Eagles wear.  So technically I was doing them a favor by relieving their wardrobe of unnecessary junk.

(See how I justify myself?)

Anyhow, I saw this tutorial on making your own T-shirt yarn.

Why, you ask, would I make my own T-shirt yarn?

Well, ’cause there’s this tutorial on making your own rug!  We all know that rugs are painfully expensive; and I personally cannot stomach forking out my hard-earned cash for something upon which dirty feet will surely be trampling.

So I have this vision for a large, eclectic, colorful round rug that will go in our eventually-rearranged living room.

Pros:

  • This was so fast and simple!  The yarn curled up with unexpected ease.
  • I was able to do this and talk on the phone with Momma at the same time.
  • I have a pretty ball of yarn for free.

Cons:

  • Ironically, when I was stretching the fabric, I gave my hand rug burn.  (But that was only confirmation that this yarn is destined to be a rug!)  Instantly wiser, I finished by wearing gloves.

Expected difficulty:

  • When you’re cutting the folded T-shirt, it takes a little more hand strength to get the scissors through four layers of fabric.  Fortunately, as a hairstylist, I exercise my hands daily and they were well up to the task.
  • Cats find this project to be entertaining and infuriating.  I expect a lot of cat hair to be crocheted into my future rug.

 

 

 

 

 

Oh, one other thing: I did end up giving away my afghan on Monday morning.  Not much to tell.  It was so early that the sun had yet to rise.  I noticed a man walking on the street in the bitter cold with what looked like trash bags wrapped around him.  Upon u-turning and intercepting him, I realized that he was wrapped in a thin, white blanket with red trim.  Regardless, most of us bundle in coats and scarves when we’re out in the cold, not blankets.  So I insisted that he take mine.  His initial expression read fear, then confusion, then curiosity, then gratitude.  It dawned on me later that I had my head wrapped all gansta-like in my bandana ’cause I needed to wash my hair but wanted to wait until after the gym… So I’m sure that it was an unusual sight seeing a little woman from the ‘hood waving a chunky knit afghan out of her car window like she was taunting a bull, saying, “Take it!  It’s cold!”

I hate the cold.

9 Comments

  1. January 18, 2012
    Momma

    Wonderful news on finding a recipient for the afghan! I’m so happy for you both. I love the concept of making your own rug and recycling old clothes. Is it just me or does it seem like we’re becoming more and more like our pioneering ancestors … thriftier … wiser … yeah. 🙂

  2. January 18, 2012
    Margaret Treadwell

    you are an awesome girl! this sounds like a fun project…maybe one day you can teach me to knit!

  3. January 18, 2012
    Karen McKinley

    You know this pains me being the next door neighbors who love the eagles. Maybe at least I can lay on the rug! Just kidding sounds amazing teach me!

  4. January 19, 2012
    Cindi

    I saw how to do this on Pinterest and wondered if it would really curl up easily or not, good to “know” someone who has the experience! Pretty color too!

  5. January 19, 2012
    Manny

    Awwww Cubby Cubs. 🙂 He’s still a kitten at heart. Super cool that you found this neat idea to make rugs. They are expensive! Even cooler that you were able to give your blankie away. I wanna do that.

    • January 19, 2012
      Momma

      was thinking the same thing “Cubby Cubs”

      love that Sammy cat 🙂

  6. January 21, 2012
    Katie

    SUPER COOL ! I saw something similar to that idea on Pinterest! Good job! And I can totally picture the blanket thing! How wonderful!

  7. January 22, 2012
    tamra

    Wow! Way to work the Pinterest! Can’t wait to see the finished product

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