How to make "yarn" from fabric scraps


  From denim to t-shirts,  almost any fabric can be turned into yarn for crochet. Whether its old clothes or fabric scraps from your sewing, fabric yarn is simple to make, and a great way to recycle!
  You could sew fabric strips together as for bias strips, or I can show you the easy way! This method works on most fabrics. To start you will need your fabric scraps and scissors.

  If you are using a recycled item of clothing and it is tube shaped (t-shirt, legs of jeans), I recommend cutting in the spiral method, as for plarn. See here:
 http://crochetistheway.blogspot.com/search?updated-max=2012-09-14T18:57:00-04:00&max-results=1&reverse-paginate=true
  Regardless of the shape of your material, you will want it cut into strips anywhere from 1/2 inch to 2 inches wide, depending on the bulk of your fabric. A quick tip: A pair of good, sharp scissors will be a lifesaver. Trying to cut fabric with dull scissors is a pain.

See patterns using fabric scrap yarn:
Recycled fabric necklace
Fabric scrap chair pad

  Here I will be using an old t-shirt which I cut into about 1-inch strips. 

Once you have your fabric strips cut and ready, its time to join them. Cut a slit in both ends of each strip to be joined.

















Run one end of strip 1 through slit in strip 2 so that the slit is past where you inserted it.





Pull opposite end of strip 2 through the slit in its other end.


















If tails stick out, trim them as closely as possible.





Keep pulling through until snug.




Continue for as little or as much as you need! Here is the results of 3/4 of a men's medium t-shirt. The upper back was unusable. At 1-inch thickness, it made 25 yards.




Tip:
  Test your yarn! Keep in mind the bulkier the fabric, the more space it will take up in your project. I once thought I was going to crochet a rug from denim strips, only to find I had cut them too wide. Not only could I use a hook no smaller than a size P, but had I made the project, I would have had a rug about 2 inches thick! (Which would have been cool, if it wasn't also as stiff as a piece of cardboard.) When you get at least 1 strip cut, work it up to test your gauge. You may just save yourself from having a pile of unusable denim.



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