Demystifying T Shirt Yarn Series: What is T Shirt Yarn?

I was ready for many things when I opened my supplies shop.  I was ready to spend many hours creating inventory.  I was ready to spend many hours building up my social networking and involvement in online communities.  I was ready to build my accounting system and work out all the business details.  I was ready to make mistakes and learn from them.  However, I was not ready for the question I would most frequently be asked, "What is t shirt yarn?".

The other thing I hear a lot is, "I've seen/heard of it, but haven't tried it because I don't know how to use it".  So I have decided to do 2 things with this article.  First, I am going to clearly explain what t shirt yarn is and how to use it correctly.  Second, I will tell you how to tell what to look for in a high quality t shirt yarn.  Third, I will tell you what your expectations should be.  Fourth, I will tell you all the ways this is eco friendly.  And fifth, I will link you to my t shirt yarn giveaway, where you can enter for a chance to win a literal rainbow of t shirt yarn and try it for yourself for free!  Wanna see it?

What is T Shirt Yarn and How Do I Use It?
Very simply, t shirt yarn is made from t shirts that have been cut into a continuous loop and then carefully stretched into a cord.  It usually ranges in widths from 1/8" to 1/4".  Depending on the t shirt it is made from it can be rather stiff or it can be very soft and some a little stretchy.  Once you learn how to use it, it becomes a very versatile and eco friendly medium to work with.  

Let's quickly discuss some t shirt yarn terms.  T shirt yarn is measured in WPIs.  That means "wraps per inch".  I like to use a ruler to describe this.  So if you wrap a 4 WPI yarn around a ruler you should have to wrap it around 4 times to equal 1 inch.  I like to remember that a 4WPI t shirt yarn is 1/4" wide and an 8WPI t shirt yarn is 1/8" wide.  The larger the WPI the thinner the yarn is.  8WPI is about as thin of a width as you can get.  Anything smaller tends to not curl up well so it is really tattered looking and tends to break easily.

So how do you use t shirt yarn?  You use it the same way you would any bulky yarn, but there are a few things you should know to help you get started on that first project with t shirt yarn.  T shirt yarn has 2 sides.  One side is flat and the other side shows the cord.  There is not a twist in it like traditional yarns so you will need to keep your yarn straight, by keeping the same side up when holding it in your fingers, to keep it consistent throughout your project.  Good t shirt yarn should be a consistent width throughout the entire ball, but sometimes you see a spot that is a little wider.  When/if you see this, gently stretch the yarn a bit and it will thin to the width you need.  You also need to remember that even an 8WPI, which is usually the thinnest you will see, is still pretty bulky and you will need to use a size J crochet hook (or the equivalent if knitting) to properly work with it.  If you are using a bulkier t shirt yarn like a 4 WPI I recommend nothing smaller than a size M crochet hook or the equivalent if knitting.


How Do I Look For Quality T Shirt Yarn?
The most important thing to look for in a quality t shirt yarn when you are purchasing is good cording.  By that I mean that the cord has curled nicely into the yarn and you don't see any edges.  You are looking for the cording to be like this photo:

See how the ends curl in and there is none of the outer edge showing?  That is what you are looking for.  Of course, you don't want any stains or any holes from the t shirt showing either.  A quality shop will cut any areas with a hole or stain out of it.


What should your expectations be?
In the world of t shirt yarn, it can be difficult to find matching colors and textures.  Just like each t shirt feels a little different, so does each ball of t shirt yarn.  For me, that is often part of the charm of it.  Each ball is original and cannot be copied.  That charm can wear off fast if you are wanting to do a large project and want everything to match.  That doesn't mean that you can't use t shirt yarn.  Yes, it is difficult to find large lots of matching t shirt yarn, but it isn't impossible.

There are a couple of ways you can get around this.  First, shops that sell t shirt yarn will sometimes have yarn from event t shirts.  These are brand new shirts that are headed for a dumpster, until someone like myself or Mike from Mike's T Shirt Yarn, comes along and rescues it.  These are sold in bulk packages and are fabulous for a project that you want a uniform color and texture to, as each ball will be the exact same color and texture.  The other option is to use a shop that dyes their shirts.  They can dye up a batch of matching balls for you.  


How is T Shirt Yarn Eco Friendly?
Not all t shirt yarn is what I would consider eco friendly, but I am a bit of a purest when it comes to this.  Why am I a purest?  Because 11 million tons of textiles go to the dump each year.  Because creating 1 pound of textiles emits more than 7 pounds of CO2 and the average t shirt wastes 700 gallons of water during manufacturing.  You see where I am going with this?  There is a great info graphic that shows all of this information on the Naturally Advanced Blog.  Upcycling t shirts into yarn is a fabulous way to save t shirt from going to the dump and help reduce the 11 million tons of textile being dumped annually.

So what makes t shirt yarn eco friendly?  Eco friendly t shirt yarn is usually made from gently used t shirts.  The exception for me is event t shirts that a company or group is going to throw away.    That being said, when it comes to a product like t shirt yarn, there is room for all kinds of variety.  I have seen many people who cut new shirts to make t shirt yarn and others that dye them like I mentioned before.  Outside of event t shirts that are one breath away from a dumpster, cutting up a new t shirt to make yarn is in no way eco friendly, as a new t shirt is in no immediate danger of seeing a dumpster.  I think dying t shirts can be eco friendly if they are using a used t shirt and the dye that is being used is biodegradable and doesn't contain any harmful chemicals.  There is still some water being used in manufacturing these kinds of t shirt yarn, but if handmade the water used would be minimal and certainly no where near the 700 gallons needed in mass manufacturing.


Didn't You Say Something About A Giveaway?
I most certainly did!  If you want to win that beautiful rainbow of t shirt yarn, all you need to do is log into your Facebook account and use this link.  Sorry Facebook haters, but this does everything for me, which leaves me more time to make more yarn.  The drawing ends on June 30 and there are no shipping charges.  

I hope that t shirt yarn seems more comfortable to those of you who haven't tried it yet.  New mediums can be intimidating to work with if you don't know anything about them.  Next month I will be featuring some shops that use t shirt yarn to show its versatility.  You will see everything from rugs to baskets to clothing!   And then in August I will post an article full of tutorials so you can begin using t shirt yarn yourself!  

I also want to thank Mike from Mike's T Shirt Yarn for contributing to the article.

Love and Peace,
Luci

Giveaways and Announcements

Hello my lovlies.  I have a few announcements to make, starting with a giveaway!  I have started a new line of t shirt yarn bundles.  Some of these are event t shirts that have been salvaged from dumpsters.  These bundles are all new t shirts and match exactly.  They are the exact same color and texture.  Perfect for those large projects that you want to do in t shirt yarn, but want in a uniform color and texture.  The other bundles are multiple colors matched by texture and colors.  There are bundles of neutrals (black, dk grey, lt grey, and white) and the rainbow bundle, like you see in the giveaway.  Want a peek?  Here is a picture...

You can enter the giveaway here.

You will also find bundles of neutrals (black, dk grey, lt grey, and white), Neons (pinks, blues, greens, and oranges), and Earth Tones (dk brown, lt brown, earthly blues, earthy greens, earthy burgundies, and earthy yellows).  I am very excited about this new line and hope it will make it easier to put together projects using t shirt yarn.

I am also announcing that I have taken on a second team leadership role.  I have been a team leader for Upcyclers for a few months and absolutely love this group.  They are mad geniuses at upcycling and the products they produce constantly amaze me.  I am very committed to this team and have a deep affection for its members.  That being said, I couldn't resist the invitation to become a leader for BellasBNS.  They are a group of people addicted to BNS and BNR treasuries on Etsy.  I will be helping get the social media set up, along with a blog, I will curate a BNR a couple of times a week, and I will hold a Weekend BNS Bash on the first weekend of every month.

The Weekend BNS Bash is part of a contest for our members.  They submit treasuries and judges choose a semi-finalist each week.  At the end of the month, the finalists is chosen and they get their board used on the Weekend BNS Bash and a shop feature on the team blog.  You can find all the rules for entering this competition here.

New members are welcome for both teams.  I can personally voucher for how supportive and wonderful the people on both teams are.  Both are great ways to promote your business and I will be writing a series on the Bellas BNS blog about how a BNS and BNR work and ways you can use them to promote your business.  Also look for my new series on Love2Upcycle, the Upcyclers team blog, on demystifying t shirt yarn.  In June, we will focus on the basics of t shirt yarn and what you need to know before you purchase it and start working with it.  In July, you will see some fabulous shop features of artisans that use t shirt yarn and all of the wonderful things they make, and then in August I will put up some tutorials so you can get started with some easy projects.  I am very excited about both of these series and hope you will get a lot of useful information from them.

That's all for now.  Time to start getting orders ready for shipping.

Peace and Love,

Luci

Shop Feature: Instinctively Indie

Recently through the Upcyclers team on Etsy, I met a wonderful woman named Ann who owns an Etsy shop named Instinctively Indie.  Not only is this a beautiful shop full of treasures, but she has devised a way to recycle crayons into stunning jewelry.  That's right.  You heard me.  The girl recycles crayons into jewelry!!  I have never seen anything like it!  This jewelry is truly one of a kind.  See for yourself...

An example of Ann's amazing recycled crayon jewelry available for purchase here.

She advises not leaving this in a hot car or in any extreme temperatures like that, but it will stay perfectly intact with normal storage and wear.  So how do you decide to make jewelry from crayons?  Well, I was dying to know myself.  Ann said, "I have recently seen a lot of melted crayon art on canvas and was immediately inspired. Whenever I see something I like, my first thought is 'How can I make that wearable?'. The biggest challenge was coming up with a way to create them on a small scale. I won't go into how I do it, but the process evolved through a lot of trial and error."  I think the trial and error was well worth it.  This is most definitely not the work of a novice.  I asked Ann how long she had been making jewelry and how she got started and she told me she "started making jewelry when I was 10 yrs old. I started with fishing line, seed beads, and findings that were way too big! The older I got, the better my techniques became and the more I loved the results. I've only been good at it for a few years. Jewelry making is something I learned on my own and I didn't have anyone I could ask for helpful tips, so it took me much longer to master."  And master it she has!

Not only does Instinctively Indie make jewelry from crayons, they also many other fun items.  Their shop is like a carnival for me!  It is so bright and fun and you can find the neatest items, like the fried marble jewelry for instance.  And the pretty button decorated pillboxes that Ann's mother makes.  She has a fabulous eye for matching colors and textures!  And beautiful handbags too!  And many more things that I don't have the room to mention.  You really just need to look through her shop.  I asked Ann what inspired her.  She said, "There are so many things in the world that have the potential to be beautiful. I am most often inspired by things that other people would throw away. I don't purchase items in perfect condition very often. Items have meaning when you've taken the time to create or refurbish them. Flea markets are my favorite places to go and find inspiration. I carry a small notebook with me and write down or sketch ideas. I often buy something and have no idea what I'm going to use it for. That item may sit around for a year or two, but it becomes the perfect solution to a design problem I have!"  I just love Ann's approach.  

One of Ann's pieces of fried marble jewelry available for purchase here.

Ann's shop also has many wonderful button pieces, everything from pillboxes to jewelry, that I had to find out more.  I needed to know how she started working with buttons.  My enquiring little mind was on overdrive!  Probably because I also have a respectable button collection.  Ann told me, "My first passion is sewing. My mother made most of my clothes when I was young and taught me everything she knows. I loved going through her buttons and I've always been amazed at the detail that can be found in these tiny notions. I bought a mason jar full of them at a flea market on a whim. I had so much fun going through them. Unfortunately most of them were singles, so I didn't have much use for them in sewing. I experimented with turning them into jewelry and found it to be incredibly relaxing. I was pregnant at the time and needed to stay off my feet. When friends and family members found out about my button jewelry, I was given jar after jar of buttons as gifts. I started with one quart sized jar of buttons and now I have thousands upon thousands of them!"  And they are put to good use too!

Button embellished barette available for purchase here.

I love that Ann's mother taught her to sew, but now Ann is "taking it to another level" and teaching her!  Ann said that her mother was "also lured by the siren song of the buttons and wanted to create some things for my shop. I am constantly bouncing ideas off of her."  I love when the "student" becomes the "teacher"!  


Please visit Ann's Facebook and Twitter and show her and her lovely mother some love!  


Peace and Love,


Luci
Idle Hands Yarn Supply

Idle Hands Giveaway!!!

Who doesn't love a giveaway?  I have only had my shop actively open for a few short months.  In that short period of time, I have had a fabulous launch and have been fortunate enough to make many new friends.  To celebrate 50+ Facebook likes, 100+ Twitter followers, 70+ sales in my Etsy shop, and 130+ favorites of my Etsy shop, and to promote a series I am writing this summer for the Love2Upcycle blog for the Upcyclers team on Etsy on demystifying t shirt yarn, I am having a giveaway!

The giveaway is being done through Facebook.  Sorry Facebook haters, but it was the best way to do this one.  Entering is super easy and a little addictive.  The giveaway will start on June 3 and go through June 30.  I will post the link once it goes live.  So how do you enter?  Well, you go to my Facebook page and click on the "Sweepstakes" app under my bright banner.  It is next to the "My Etsy Shop" app.  You like my page and it enters you.  You must click the "Sweepstakes" app to be entered, but if you just want to like my page that is awesome too!  The app selects a winner at random and notifies you (and me) through Facebook.  You then give me a shipping address and I go to the post office.

What will you win?  Well let me show you....

That's right, 189.25 yards of a rainbow of t shirt yarn sent to you at no charge!  With shipping, that is about a $45 dollar value.  My gift to all of you who have supported my shop and to new customers.

I'm also announcing an exciting new shop section.  Starting today, I will have bundles of t shirt yarn for sale in my shop!  These bundles will include the rainbow of yarn package you see above for the giveaway.  They will also include neutrals (white, light grey, dark grey, and black), pastels (pink, blue, yellow, green, peach, and lavender), neons (pink, green, blue, purple, and orange), and earth tones (tan, brown, earthy green, earthy blue, and earthy burgundy).  I am very excited about being able to put together collections of t shirt yarn that will blend well together.  This section will also include lots of yarn taken from event t shirts destined for the dumpster and crying to be rescued!  These t shirts are brand new left overs from events.  The color and texture will match perfectly because the shirts are all made from the same dye lots and fabric textures.  It is the perfect solution to that large project you have always wanted to do in a uniform color and texture.  I am also always happy to work with customers and help them design an order of yarn to fit a specific project they are working on.  You can contact me directly through my Etsy Shop, Idle Hands Yarn Supply, by clicking the blue contact button on the left side of the page under my name.

Today you will see a rainbow bundle and a neutrals bundle go up.  Pastels, neons, and earth tones will go up as the week progresses.  The rainbow and neutral bundles going up today will be in a 4 WPI, but these same bundles will also be done in 8WPI as I continue to put this line out.  As always, there will be a wide variety of single balls of yarn for sale, including some more tie dye and hopefully some stripes.  I am hunting to find some of those beauties.  I hope you enjoy the bundles and will read the series on the Love2Upcycle blog!  I will post an article soon detailing the series and the schedule and will post links to the articles as they go live.

Thank you everyone for your support through these months!

Love and Peace,

Luci

Shop Feature: Re-Creations

I recently joined a new website that I found quite by accident.  On a previous shop feature I had done, I noticed that I was getting a lot of traffic from this site.  So I clicked on the link to see what this site was and it took me to her post in the forums.  Much to my delight, she was thrilled with her shop feature (whew!).  As I read through her thread, I noticed how supportive the members were and really enjoyed their comments.  So I poked around on some other threads and liked what I saw.  I decided to join and posted another one of my shop features and said that I was the one who wrote up the feature that had been posted previously by the shop owner.  At the bottom, I asked anyone interested in a shop feature to contact me.  Luckily for me, someone did.  A lovely woman named Stacy who, with the help of Jacqui, started not only an Etsy shop called ReCreationsProject, (they also do summer markets!), but a program for the developmentally disabled that enriches their lives, helps the environment by doing upcycled projects, and does community outreach in the form of workshops and demonstrations teaching people about upcycling and all of the nifty things they can make!  I honestly stopped breathing for a minute.  That is like the trifecta for me!

This item is available for purchase here.

Stacy's description of the group and their work blew me away.  I worked with people with developmental disabilities for several years, so what she had to say in her email tugged at many of my heartstrings.  Then I read the links she had sent me.  This is the first thing I read on the first website I visited; I took this directly from the Re-Creations Project website on the Home tab:

The Re-Creations Project consists of me (Stacy) with support from my fearless sidekick Jacqui Atkins, and some awesome freelance crafters who pitch in to help.  We started in 2011 in the hopes of creating a sustainable social enterprise for people with learning disabilities that would give them a chance to do meaningful creative work and help the environment in the process.

In October 2011, the Project received a Level 1 Millennium Award from Un Ltd, helping us to buy tools and materials for the group.  Off to a good start!  Since then we’ve been working with a small group in Cambridge, as well as delivering “roadshows” to schools, youth groups, and other social enterprises.  We’ve opened our etsy shop, and are preparing for the upcoming summer market season.  Along the way, we’ve met loads of inspiring people, and had a great time.  We’re always looking to connect with new people, so if you have fresh ideas, please get in touch!

I couldn't wait to learn more about this incredible group.  I asked Stacy how she got started.  She said, "In 2011, Jacqui and I were both facing redundancy from our job at a local disability charity.  Having been in the situation before, we wanted to try setting up a group of our own that could run without all the overheads of a large charity.  So we met with a group of people with disabilities to find out what was important to them and what kind of project they would like.  They said that their ideal project would a) involve arts and crafts, b) give something back to the local community, and c) help the environment.  So the idea for the Re-Creations Project was born".


By this point, my heartstrings were playing a concerto.  I was struck by the fact that the mission of this group was designed by the people it was meant to benefit.  The best way to empower a person is to let them make a decision.  I have always strongly felt that people with developmental disabilities should be as involved as they can be in the decision making process of groups whose mission it is to enhance their lives.  My experiences in the States have not been so completely inclusive and I was very impressed with Stacy and Jacqui for taking that approach.

This item is available for purchase here.

I asked Stacy about the size of the group.  She said, "Our existing group has six members, and we're currently recruiting more.  Jacqui and I also have support from several freelance artists who help us with specific projects, and many of the group members employ their own support staff to help them access the group".


They may not be a large group, but they get a lot done.  Stacy told me more about their community and outreach programs, "Our core group meets every Wednesday to process materials and try out new crafts (with lots of coffee and a good old natter in the process!).  But at our markets and public demonstrations, we realized that many of the passers-by were keen to try making our crafts.  So we started to offer private parties and workshops to help finance the core group.  So now kids (and adults) can have birthday parties with games that teach them about upcycling and make cool crafts to take away with them!".  I thought all of it sounded wonderful and asked about the what the community involvement had been like.  Stacy said, "The community support has been fantastic!  We've had support from several recycling champions around the city, and have held workshops and demonstrations for youth groups, fairs and other social enterprises to exchange ideas to provide mutual support".

This items is available for purchase here.

And they have some fabulous recycling champions!  Stacy describes where and how the acquire their materials, "We've had wonderful support from local youth groups, recycling champions and "being green" representatives from the county council, who have responded to our appeals for particular materials  We even have dedicated individuals around the country who post us certain items when they've finished with them!  It's inspiring to see so many people who are motivated to find better solutions for their waste packaging materials.


Some of our project ideas are motivated by the groups desire to practice a particular skill.  So, when they wanted to learn about jewelry making, we set about finding ways to make beads from upcycled materials and incorporating used inner tubes instead of leather.


Other times we're motivated by a random donation of a particular material.  Right now we work in a great community Centre, that's been inundated with donations of plastic bottle tops - so they asked if we could do anything with them.  Our stock response is 'Ummm....  Sure!' and then we hit the internet to work out what the heck we can do with them!


Our biggest appeal at the moment is for the metal ring pulls from drink cans.  One of our group members has an ambitious project idea, but we're going to need thousands of ring pulls to make it work."


This group is impressive in every way.  I am going to end this with Stacy's words summing up what this group is out to accomplish, "Our main goal is to help people with learning disabilities develop their skills and showcase the results of their hard work.  We're always looking for new members who want to connect with the local community, learn craft skills, or work on sales skills.  Each of our group members has the option of displaying a gallery of their work on our web page, so we love it when people stop by and offer feedback on their work!


Our second aim is to inspire other to try upcycling, by demonstrating that anybody can do it!"


Please visit their Etsy store, ReCreationsProject, and their website, Re-Creations Project, and show this group some love by leaving some feedback for these talented and hard working artisans.


Peace and Love,


Luci
Idle Hands Yarn Supply