dishcloths knitted from thrift store tees

cloths knitted from recycled tees - my french twist
cloths knitted from upcycled tees

I first published this post on knitted cloths from old tees about a year ago, but it’s such a great way to upcycle tees from the thrift store, I thought it worth re-posting!

cloths knitted from recycled tees - my french twist

One of our craft club challenges this summer was to upcycle an item into something to be used for a different purpose. Although knitting cloths from old clothes was not an original idea, it turned out to be a lovely little endeavor that I think I’ll stash away for a handmade Christmas gift for someone special.

I started with some tee shirts my son has outgrown (you Call of Duty fans, I hear you gasping as if I’ve committed blasphemy!)

tees

The second step is to cut the tee shirts into long strips that can be tied together and wound into a ball. I followed this helpful tutorial on instructables.com. After some trial and error, I found that cutting the strips very narrow made knitting easier (I used a size 11 needle.) If you prefer wider strips, make sure you use a larger knitting needle (size 14). I also cast on 14 stitches instead of 10 suggested by the tutorial. 

ball

Cloths of any size and for any purpose can be knitted from old tee shirts, but I discovered a surprising use for these precious cloths – their chunky texture makes them perfect facial cloths that add a bit of exfoliation. Pair them with a luxury soap and they make a thoughtful and lovely gift.

Comments · 4

  1. Gorgeous table! I love the vibe! Nice touch on the chocolate piano keys. And Moroccan couscous? Recipe? That looked delicious!

  2. Hi, cute idea, I now want to make a recycled bathmat… However, I’d try and adapt the cutting of the tshirt into going around the whole garment in a spiral. It’ll mean you get a straighter ‘yarn’ without corners, and the tiny overlocked seams on the sides of tshirts aren’t gonna cause you too much of a problem, certainly less than some big clumsy knot in the middle of your work. That said, I haven’t tried either yet!

    Thanks for this, I like your blog! (Though it does make me feel like I’m not doing enough with my free time).

    1. thanks for commenting! it would make an awesome bath mat! you should join along on some of our monthly challenges… sounds like you are very crafty!

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