DYEING COTTON T-SHIRTS TO MAKE YOUR OWN YARN

Materials Needed:
-white cotton t-shirt with seamless body (from underarms to hem)
-5 quart pot (or larger)
-hot tap water
-50 tea bags
-large bowl
-cold tap water
-white vinegar
-washer
-dryer

Instructions:
(1) Remove the paper tags, if any, from all 50 tea bags. You can keep the strings on the bags, or cut them off if you prefer; just be careful not to cut open the tea bags. Loose tea will make a mess in your pot!

(2) Fill the pot with about 3.5 quarts of hot tap water and add all 50 tea bags.

(3) Cover your pot and bring the water and tea bags to a boil. Remove cover and let the tea bags boil for about 5 minutes. Turn off the heat and let your tea bags steep in the pot, uncovered, for 15 minutes.

(4) You will only be using the seamless body of your t-shirt. Lay your shirt flat and cut off the top portion of the shirt, from its neck to just below the sleeves. Then cut off the bottom hem. This should leave you with a seamless tube. (You can choose to dye the entire shirt and cut off these parts later, but it may take longer to dye and not fit as well into the pot since you’d be dyeing a larger amount of fabric.)

(5) Wet your shirt/tube with hot tap water. Squeeze out excess water but leave the shirt damp and put it into the pot with the tea bags.

Note: if you want your resulting fabric to have some variation in color, leave the tea bags in while the cotton steeps; the parts that touch the tea bags will become darker than the parts that are just sitting in the tea water. If you want your fabric to be uniform in color, remove the tea bags and just let the cotton steep in the tea water.

(6) Let the fabric steep for 1 hour. Then drain the excess water from the fabric and put it into a cold water bath with 1 tablespoon of white vinegar for 10 minutes.

(7) Rinse your fabric until the water runs clear. Squeeze out as much water as possible and machine dry on low until the fabric is dry. (The amount of time it takes will depend upon how damp your fabric is.) Alternatively you can launder the fabric first before drying it if you want to get rid of the tea smell, but be warned that the color may fade if you launder it before drying it (drying first helps to set the color).

(8) After your fabric is dry, lightly machine wash it for 30 minutes in cold water with a small amount of detergent. Then dry the fabric again and get ready to cut it into strips to make your yarn.

MAKING YOUR OWN COTTON T-SHIRT YARN

Materials Needed:
-old cotton t-shirt with a seamless body (from underarms to hem)
-ruler or measuring tape
-sharp scissors

Optional Materials:
-15mm template to help ensure strips are similar widths

Notes about making your own cotton t-shirt yarn:
The cotton t-shirts I used to make yarn had uncut fabric that was 21.75” wide (the width of the shirt) and a seamless body that measured 17” from just under their sleeves to their bottoms (with the hems cut off). I was able to create 29 strips, each approximately 15mm wide.

The balls of t-shirt yarn I made with these shirts had starting weights of  109g (3.8oz) for the white yarn, and 112g (3.9oz) for the dyed yarn.

The t-shirt yarn that you make will depend on the size and thickness of the shirt you use. I am providing information about the t-shirts I used and their resulting yarn for reference only.

Instructions:

**Please read through each step before you begin and use the accompanying photos as guides to make sure you understand the process fully and don’t make unnecessary mistakes!

(1) You will only be using the seamless body of your t-shirt to make the yarn. So first you need to get rid of any part of the shirt with seams. Lay the shirt flat on a hard surface, line up the hem, and smooth out the rest of the shirt. You want to make sure that you cut somewhat evenly through both layers (front and back) of the flat shirt.

Steps 1 and 2

(2) With sharp scissors so you get a good, clean cut, cut off the top portion of the shirt, from its neck to just below the sleeves. Then cut off the bottom hem. This should leave you with a seamless tube.

Step 3

(3) Orient your tube with its openings on the left and right; the top and bottom will be continuous fabric that is two layers thick.

(4) Again with sharp scissors, start cutting your tube into approximately 15mm wide strips, starting at the left side opening, and moving from bottom towards the top. DO NOT CUT ALL THE WAY TO THE TOP THOUGH! Start at the bottom and cut upwards LEAVING 1” UNCUT at the top all the way across your tube.

Step 4

Steps 4 and 5–Note the 1″ at the top is left uncut

**Go slowly and make sure you’re cutting evenly through both layers of fabric. This is why you may want to create and use a 15mm wide template; you can move the template up the fabric as you cut it to make sure your strips near the middle and at the top continue to be 15mm wide.

(5) Continue cutting strips, from the bottom to 1” below the top, all the way across the tube from left to right until you reach the tube’s end on the far right side.

Steps 6 and 7

(6) You are now going to create one continuous strip by making diagonal cuts at the top where you left the tube uncut. Reorient your tube and spread out the uncut portion in front of you as flatly as you can. You want to be able to see the strips on both sides of the uncut portion. Since you did not cut the topmost 1” of your tube, you should have approximately 2” uncut when you reorient your tube.

Step 7

(7) Use your scissors to cut diagonally from the edge of the first strip you made across to the edge of the second strip. This sounds odd at first, but if you look closely at the accompanying photo for this step, it will become clear and make sense. MAKE SURE YOU’RE ONLY CUTTING ALONG THE UNCUT PORTION AND THAT YOU DON’T ACCIDENTALLY CUT ANY OTHER PART OF YOUR STRIPS OR FABRIC. The strips are very loose and can easily move around as you’re cutting, so just be careful.

(8) Continue cutting diagonally between strips like this—from the edge of one strip to the opposite edge of the next strip—until you reach the end on the far right.

(9) Now go back to the beginning where you started cutting at the far left of the tube, and make a small diagonal cut from the tube’s left edge to the edge of the first strip. (See photo for Step 7, above. You can see where you need to make the small cut to detach that first strip.) You now will have one continuous strip of fabric.

Steps 9 and 10

(10) Starting at either end, gently pull a 6” to 8” section of fabric lengthwise as if you’re trying to stretch it and make it longer. The fabric will naturally resist when you’ve stretched it as far as it’s able to be stretched without breaking. It will curl into itself and look like thick string (aka t-shirt yarn!).

(11) Continue gently pulling on your strip of fabric, one section at a time, until you reach the other end. You may want to pause and start wrapping your yarn into a ball to keep it manageable, but you can also wind it all at once when you’ve finished creating your mound of yarn.

My crocheted snowflake trivet with a small ball of leftover, undyed t-shirt yarn, along with a full ball of t-shirt yarn I dyed using tea bags.

(12) Use your newly-created t-shirt yarn as you would any other chunky cotton yarn. Enjoy!

The post Upcycled Fun: Dyeing and Making Your Own Cotton T-Shirt Yarn first appeared on MakerKnit.com.

MAKING YOUR OWN SHRINK ART

Materials Needed:
-Polystyrene container (imprinted with “PS” underneath #6 recycling triangle)
-Scissors
-Markers (Sharpies work well)
-Baking sheet
-Oven

Optional Materials:
-Hole punch, if you want to hang or string your finished shrink art
-Templates, if you want to create a specific shape or size
-Painter’s blue tape, to hold the template in place while you trace around it on the plastic
-Parchment paper, helpful to ensure shrink art doesn’t stick to baking sheet

Instructions:
(1) Wash and dry your polystyrene container.

(2) Place oven rack in middle of oven and preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

(3) Cut out desired shapes from container.

(4) Color or decorate these pieces as desired, leaving space to punch holes in the pieces if you want to hang them or string them together when done.

(5) Use hole punch to add holes for hanging or stringing your finished pieces.

(6) Place pieces onto baking sheet (or if using parchment, on parchment on baking sheet), spaced evenly around the baking sheet, making sure none are touching. (If they touch each other, they will fuse together during baking.)

(7) Place baking sheet into 350 degree oven and watch as your pieces shrink.
– They may curl, but will usually flatten themselves out while baking.
– Baking time will vary depending on many things—your oven, baking sheet, thickness of polystyrene, size of shapes—so watch closely as your pieces are baking.
– It will usually only take 1 to 4 minutes to completely shrink your pieces.

Things to remember when making your own shrink art:
** Don’t forget to punch holes into your pieces BEFORE baking if you intend to hang or use string with them. The plastic hardens upon baking and it is very difficult to drill a hole through a baked piece without breaking or marring it.

** Watch closely as your pieces bake. Depending on your oven, baking sheet, thickness of polystyrene used, and size of your shapes, bake times can vary greatly.

** Some polystyrene will curl and not flatten itself out during baking. In my experience, this is relatively rare, but it does happen, so you may want to test a smaller batch of pieces before you spend a lot of time creating more.

The post Upcycled Fun: Making Your Own Shrink Art first appeared on MakerKnit.com.

Making a star for one of my projects.

A panda pendant and some other pieces my daughter created.

Another upcycling project from last year was me learning to make yarn out of old t-shirts. I was familiar with the idea, but I had never tried it myself. And my husband had a few old white undershirts that were begging for retirement. I also wanted to try dyeing my own yarn, so I used the opportunity to do both–make and dye my own cotton t-shirt yarn. And I had a lot of fun.

To make your own shrink art or t-shirt yarn, just follow my step-by-step instructions.

Click here for my shrink art instructions.

Click here for my instructions on dyeing and making your own cotton t-shirt yarn.

Have fun, and don’t forget to email me photos of your fantastic projects!

The post Having Fun with Upcycled Materials first appeared on MakerKnit.com.

As its name implies, the Mini Maker Faire will be smaller than a flagship Maker Faire, which means you actually may get to see every amazing thing that will be there! ((We LOVE the super-huge Bay Area Maker Faire, but it is impossible to see everything and we always leave wishing it lasted for more than one weekend.)) For more information about what exactly a Mini Maker Faire is and what you can see and do at the Benicia Mini Maker Faire, visit benicia.makerfaire.com.

Here’s what my family and I will be showing at the Benicia Mini Maker Faire:

My husband is bringing his drawing robot that makes poster-size drawings. The robot draws slowly, but it’s very cool to watch the image take shape. For more information, visit his website plotterbot.com.

My 10-year-old daughter, ((I also have a 2-year-old daughter, which largely explains why I have not posted anything in a very, very long time!)) aka TinkerGirl, will be doing 15-second drawings and showing off the timer she made and programmed to count down, flash lights, and buzz after 15 seconds have elapsed. Visit her webpage to learn more.

My contribution is entitled “Upcycled Fun!” and entails two different kinds of upcycled projects.

The first project turns recyclable plastic containers into homemade shrink art. I’ll show you examples of what my family and I have created using washed recyclable plastic containers, scissors, Sharpies, and a warm oven. ((A hole punch and parchment paper are also convenient to have on hand, and you’ll need an oven-safe pan for baking your shrink art.)) It’s really fun and a great project to do with kids!

A homemade shrink art star in progress.

My daughter creating her own shrink art panda pendant.

My second project takes old t-shirts and turns them into homemade yarn, which you can then use to knit or crochet whatever you’d like. ((Well, anything you’d like that can be made with somewhat chunky yarn.)) I’m bringing two items I created with my homemade t-shirt yarn: a snowflake trivet crocheted with undyed t-shirt yarn, and a small bowl knitted with t-shirt yarn that I first dyed using tea bags.

My crocheted snowflake trivet with a small ball of leftover, undyed t-shirt yarn, along with the full ball of t-shirt yarn I dyed using tea bags (and later used to knit a small bowl).

My family and I would love to tell you about our projects and teach you how to make them yourselves. If you can’t make it to the Benicia Mini Maker Faire, email us your questions, and check back here in a few weeks for my post with complete and detailed instructions for making your own homemade shrink art and t-shirt yarn. However, if you do make it to the Faire on April 2nd, please stop by our table and say hello!

The post Come to the Benicia Mini Maker Faire on Sunday, April 2, 2017! first appeared on MakerKnit.com.

The cabled side of my throw pillow.

Last December I received a comment on a photo I posted of a cabled pillow cover I created.  The commenter called my design “spectacular” and asked me to share my pattern.  How nice is that?

Well, it’s only taken me 9 months, ((It’s all my new daughter’s fault. Alright, not really. But I’m still trying to blame the baby for everything.)) but I’m finally responding to this kind comment and posting the pattern for my Cabled Pillow Cover (see below).

My original pillow used two different colors of yarn and had a different pattern on each side.  I designed a cabled pattern for the one side and used dark brown yarn ((I used Knit Picks Swish Worsted in Truffle.)) to knit it.  For the other side I modified a plough and cables pattern I found in the book Tunisian Crochet by Sharon Hernes Silverman, and I used a light brown yarn to make that panel. ((I used Knit Picks Swish Worsted in Camel Heather.))  Then, to tie it all together, both physically and visually, I single crocheted the two panels together using a strand of each color of yarn.

My pattern is only for the cabled panel that I created.  You can knit two cabled panels and make both sides of the pillow cover the same, or you can choose a different pattern for one side, as I did.  The plough and cables pattern that I used is very pretty, but it’s not included with my Cabled Pillow Cover pattern since I didn’t create it. ((However, if you purchase Tunisian Crochet and want to modify the pattern to fit the other side of your 14″ cabled panel, just add 8 chains to the initial chain and work another set of Tunisian purl stitches and Tunisian simple stitches over those 8 additional chains.))

The other side of my cabled pillow cover, with the modified plough and cables pattern from Sharon Hernes Silverman’s book Tunisian Crochet.

If you love Tunisian crochet (as I do), or if you’re interested in learning it, Tunisian Crochet: The Look of Knitting with the Ease of Crocheting by Sharon Hernes Silverman is a great book to own.  It has clear, detailed instructions on how to Tunisian crochet, with photos for each step in the process, which I found especially helpful.  The book also contains many beautiful patterns–the Honeycomb Skirt and the Ivory Shell are particularly lovely, and the Have It Both Ways Pillow (from which I got the plough and cables pattern) is really attractive.  It’s just a fantastic book, with projects for every skill level, and I highly recommend it.

To make your own Cabled Pillow Cover, download my pattern here:

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Last November we welcomed another daughter to our family!  She was adorable and (mostly) good-natured, but sheesh! was she needy: feed me, burp me, change my diaper, bathe me, rock me, put me to sleep.  Given her demands (and trying to keep up with my older daughter and the rest of things in life), I haven’t had the time, energy, or interest for much else for quite some time.  But now my daughter is 10 months old and she is a lot of fun. ((I can say this now that she is sleeping regularly and I am no longer chronically sleep deprived.))  And having regular sleep once again, I am inspired to get back to some things that I have missed, like knitting.

My childhood best friend just had a baby a few days ago–a beautiful little boy–and I immediately wanted to start knitting him something as soon as I saw his photograph. With fall and winter on their ways, I thought a hat would be a nice gift.  And I had some of my favorite hand-dyed yarn in my stash in lovely shades of blue ((Malabrigo Arroyo in colorway 855 Aguas.)) that would be perfect for a hat for my friend’s new son.

I used this same yarn, Malabrigo Arroyo, for a hat I knit for my daughter when I was still pregnant with her last year.  Like the first newborn hat I designed, this hat is just a simple Stockinette stitch hat with rolled brim, but I recalculated the pattern for the DK-weight Arroyo yarn (my original pattern used worsted weight yarn).  For my daughter, I chose the colorway 872 Purpuras, which I already had in my stash (because I wasn’t kidding when I said this was one of my favorite yarns). ((I also have the colorway 047 Coffee Toffee, which I’ve used for yet another newborn hat; stay tuned for that pattern!))

George modeling my daughter’s hat; he was so easy to work with last time that I enlisted his help again.

I love a rolled brim for a child’s hat because it’s so practical—it can be rolled up or unrolled as much as necessary to fit the child’s head.  I am also particularly partial to using beautiful, hand-dyed superwash merino wool. Malabrigo’s Arroyo is especially scrumptious, both in its variation of hues and its softness.  And because it is superwash wool, it’s machine-washable, which is something every new parent will appreciate.

I named this pattern “Newborn Hat, the Second” because it is my second newborn hat design and because it is for my second daughter.

To make your own newborn hat using a DK-weight yarn, download my pattern here:

The post Back to the Land of the Knitting first appeared on MakerKnit.com.

My daughter’s (very colorful) mid-calf wool socks.

A little over a week ago, my daughter was getting ready for bed and put on some summer pajamas along with the mid-calf wool socks I knitted for her.  Given that it was about 75 degrees in our house at the time, I thought she’d be way too warm in those socks.  I asked her if she’d like me to make her another pair of bed socks (the short, footie-like socks, which she has long outgrown) and she said she’d rather have socks that come up a little higher.  So I started thinking about what I might make for her that are more traditional socks but also better suited for warmer weather.

In our matching bed socks, back when they still fit my daughter.

I went to my stash and looked at what sock yarn I had on hand.  Seeing the Cascade Fixation yarn reminded me of the pair of socks that I knitted for myself in a somewhat open, lacy pattern using that yarn, which is mostly cotton with just a bit of elastic.  The Fixation yarn with the lacy-ish pattern would make great warmer-weather socks for my daughter, and back when I originally ordered that yarn, along with the green for myself I ordered some teal, which is now one of my daughter’s favorite colors.  Hurrah!

My daughter’s newly-finished sock, with its companion on the needles.

So last weekend I started on the new socks for my daughter, and this weekend I finished her first sock (and started on the other).  Even after all these years of knitting, I still find it amazing that in one week I can go from having a ball of yarn, which is pretty and full of potential, but not very useful in its ball form, to having a sock, which will lovingly cover my daughter’s foot and keep it warm. The sense of accomplishment from making something, especially something useful, is one of the many things I love about knitting.

A close-up of the lovely herringbone lace pattern, which also happens to naturally create that pretty, rippled edge at the sock’s top.

The pattern I’m using is called “Herringbone Lace Socks” and the lace repeat is simple and easy to remember, but not boring.  And it produces a really lovely sock.  The pattern is by Ann Budd from her Getting Started Knitting Socks book.  This is a fantastic book for beginner sock knitters; it has step-by-step instructions for each and every part of a sock, with detailed written instructions and photographs for each step.  Plus there are patterns for socks at various gauges–from 8 stitches per inch using fingering yarn, to 4 stitches per inch using bulky yarn–and for sizes ranging from a kid’s medium (shoe size 9 to 12) to an adult’s large (women’s shoe size 11 to 14; men’s shoe size 10 to 13).  If you want to start knitting socks and buy only one book, I highly recommend Ann Budd’s Getting Started Knitting Socks.

The post Last Week It Was a Ball of Yarn, This Week It’s a Sock first appeared on MakerKnit.com.

I came across this book, Crobots: 20 Amigurumi Robots to Make by Nelly Pailloux, and immediately bought it, just knowing that my husband so obviously “needed” a more traditional, human-looking robot. He could put it on his desk, or it could hang out with our other robots. My husband looked through the book and picked the “Babybot” for me to make for him.

The crocheting didn’t take long; it’s a small robot, ((As its name would imply.)) only 5.25″ tall when finished. But the finishing work is extensive for such a diminutive item: there are 6 pieces for the head, 4 pieces for the body, and the 2 arms and 2 legs. Then there’s the embroidery work, on both the face (13 details) and body (4 details). ((Don’t be put off though by how very time-consuming the finishing work is; the completed robot is ridiculously cute and worth the effort. Just look at how the Babybot seems to be smiling in the bottom photo!))

I’m embarrassed to admit that it was well over a year ago that I completed the crocheting part. Sometime between then and now I did start the embroidery, but I didn’t get past the four French knots on the face. Pitiful, I know.

I finally resolved to finish this adorable little guy, and to keep the task manageable, I just did a little bit each day over the course of a week. And I let go of it having to be perfect and instead settled for it being cute, and done.

The Babybot’s head is a little crooked, the control panel on the body doesn’t look square, and its legs aren’t even, but does it really matter? I could have spent yet more time resewing and fixing these imperfections, but I chose to accept and embrace these flaws as a testament to the fact that it was handmade, and so that I could finally say I was done and give it to my husband, who is the least-honored but most-deserving recipient of my knitting and crocheting endeavors.

The post The Excruciatingly-Long Birthing Process of a Babybot first appeared on MakerKnit.com.

The first is a simple stockinette stitch tank top (named Montauk) with some subtle but sweet details like a one-row ridge near the hem and a left shoulder strap that you tie into a bow. My daughter chose the color cerulean for her tank, and it’s just beautiful, and so bright and summery.

The second project is a purse that looks like a slice of watermelon (named Pepo). And what is more summery than watermelon? Or if you prefer, you can make it into a pillow by just stuffing it and not adding the zipper. I’m not sure which my daughter will choose. Either way it will be super-cute and especially fun for summer.

I also bought yarn for another project from the Lake House pattern booklet, but haven’t started it yet. It is a crocheted decorative bowl (named Ninigret), like for fruit as displayed in the photo. I’m going to use a little different color scheme than shown, substituting a more vibrant blue for the blue in the original and a bright green for the small yellow flecks within the blue band. It should be a nice “summery” addition to our dining table and a great receptacle for fresh summer fruits and garden vegetables.

All this talk of summer has me wishing for warm, bright sunny weather. I know I should be happy that spring is officially here (and I am)–the trees are budding, the tulips are blooming, and our weather is warmer–but I can’t help but be a little anxious for summer, especially with all these summery knits in progress. Wherever you are, I hope you, too, are enjoying the signs of spring and that you have some fun summer projects in your knitting queue.

The post Dreaming of and Knitting for Summer first appeared on MakerKnit.com.

My daughter’s finished shamrock hair clips.

For St. Patrick’s Day, I designed a small shamrock to use as a decoration on hair clips for my daughter. I used bright green crochet thread, a really tiny crochet hook, and plastic barrettes bought at my local craft store.

Overall the shamrocks are easy to make, and very quick, especially for an experienced crocheter. It took me a few tries to get the leaves (mostly) right–I am not an experienced crocheter and still struggle with tension issues–but in the end I had two “good” shamrocks.

The plastic barrettes I found at my local craft store.

My shamrocks are nowhere near perfect, nor are they identical, but I choose to see imperfection as one of the beauties of a handmade item. And, as always when making something for another person, the real test is whether they like it. My daughter wore her shamrock clips to school today, which is testament enough for me.

To make your own shamrock, download my pattern here:

• MakerKnit Shamrock (40143 downloads )

Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

The post A Shamrock (or two) for St. Patrick’s Day first appeared on MakerKnit.com.