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T-Yarn Pot Handle Cover



This recycled craft project was created by me out of necessity. I needed a pot handle cover for my old cast iron skillet. The handle gets hot and I wanted a sleeve type cover that I could just leave on the skillet. Well I grabbed some curled t-yarn or tarn and started crocheting. Here are my two finished t-yarn skillet covers.

Maybe you haven’t heard about t-yarn yet. Well it’s yarn you create from old recycled t-shirts. You take the t-shirts and cut them into long continuous strips. I then stretch it which causes the t-yarn to curl in on itself. Here is a picture tutorial if you’d like to make your own t-yarn.

The nice thing about t-yarn or tarn is that it stretches and fits snugly on my skillet handle. I also wanted to make one using regular rug so I crocheted this handle cover using some thrift store black rug yarn.

So whether you’d like to crochet your handle cover using recycled materials or regular yarn, here is the free pattern and details below. This pattern is easily adaptable for pots and skillets of different sizes. It’s a very easy pattern with simple stitches that works up quickly. So what are you waiting for — Grab your hook and crochet!

Free Crocheted Pot Handle Cover Pattern

Finished handle cover shown is 5″ long and 1-3/4 to 2″ wide

Materials:
1 oz) T-yarn cut about 1/2″ wide and stretched or chunky rug yarn

Hook: J (6 mm) crochet hook

Rnd 1
Using T-yarn or regular yarn, ch 10 and join with Sl St to form a ring.

T-Yarn Baby Bib


Here is my latest t-yarn or tarn project that is created from recycled tee-shirts. I cut an old white tee-shirt up into a very narrow strip about 1/4 inch wide. The shirt I used had no side seams so I just cut around and around the body of the shirt to create one long strip. I then gently pulled on the strip to curl the t-yarn into a nice thin strand which I used to crochet this baby bib. Here is a tutorial on how I cut and curl the t-shirts into curled t-yarn or tarn.

So if you haven’t already tried crafting with recycled t-shirts, check out the process and give it a go. It’s a great way to repurpose those old t-shirts into cool new items.


Free Pattern for Crocheted T-Yarn Baby Bib

Materials needed:

One white T-Shirt cut into 1/4 inch wide strip and stretched to curl into T-yarn (about 1/2 of shirt used)
1/2 oz of cotton yarn (Pink used)
One hook and eye closure

Hook:
H (5 mm) USA size crochet hook

Description: Baby Bib measures 7-1/2″wide at middle and 11″ long

Directions:
Ch 18

Making T-Yarn from Recycled Tee-Shirts

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.

Click to supersize
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.