Turn an old t-shirt into beautiful crochet projects. Learn to crochet a t-shirt yarn crochet coaster and crochet placemat with these free crochet patterns.
Below you will find the complete patterns and instructional photos for a crochet coaster and placemat made with T-shirt yarn. You will also find the material list, stitch list, gauge, and video tutorial.
What is T-shirt Yarn?
T-shirt yarn is yarn made from t-shirts. It can be purchased online but you can also make t-shirt yarn from old shirts you have at home. T-shirt yarn is a great way to recycle old t-shirts. For this project, you will want to make sure your t-shirt yarn is cotton as nylon and other fibers can melt. You can learn to make standard-sized and super thick t-shirt yarn here!
Quick T-shirt Yarn Crochet Projects
I wanted to provide you with a few crochet projects that you can make with just a few t-shirts. The coaster uses less than one t-shirt. The placemat took 4 x-large t-shirts to make. The t-shirt yarn crochet patterns are 2-6 rows and work up quickly. Don’t forget the T-shirt Trivet that can be made with a single x-large shirt.
Because T-shirt yarn is so thick and does not have a lot of stretch, it can be hard on your hards. Consider taking breaks while working on a project with t-shirt yarn.
T-shirt Yarn Crochet Coaster and Placemat Pattern
Materials Needed
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Coaster (for one coaster)
10-11 yds of Cotton T-shirt Yarn (Learn to make your own here!)
Placemat (for one placemat)
73-74 yds of Cotton T-shirt Yarn (Learn to make your own here!)
Both Projects
Size P 10mm Crochet Hook
Smaller Crochet Hook for Weaving in ends
Scissors
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Note: An X-large t-shirt will yield 23-24 yards of yarn.
Stitches and Abbreviations
CH – Chain
DC – Double Crochet
TR – Treble Crochet
SLST – Slip Stitch
ST(s) – Stitch(es)
MC – Magic Circle (Video Tutorial)
Gauge and Size
Gauge: 2 DC X 1 Row = 1 inch
Size:
Placemat – 13 inches in diameter
Coaster – 4 inches in diameter
T-shirt Yarn Crochet Coaster Pattern
Notes:
-Written in US terms.
– I do not count my CH2, turning chain, as a stitch. This means you will work your first ST into the same stitch that you slip stitched to and you will not work a stitch into the top of the turning chain.
Row 1: Make a Magic Circle, CH3, Work 15 TC into the Magic Circle. SLST to first TC. (15)
Row 2: Work a SLST into each of the next 15 STs.
Note: The slip stitches of row 2 are worked under both the front and back loop of the stitch so that the slip stitch is seen on the front of the work.
Fasten off.
Weaving in your ends
Since t-shirt yarn is so thick it is hard to use a yarn needle to weave in your ends. Instead, you can use a smaller hook to pull the yarn ends under a few stitches. Just push your smaller hook under some loops of yarn and use the hook to pull the yarn end through. Clip off the excess yarn.
Now your crochet coaster is complete and ready to be enjoyed. They work up fast and make a great gift.
Crochet T-shirt Placemat Pattern
Notes:
-Written in US terms.
– I do not count my CH2, turning chain, as a stitch. This means you will work your first ST into the same stitch that you slip stitched to and you will not work a stitch into the top of the turning chain.
– Feel free to change colors whenever you like. I used 4 t-shirts (2 x-large, 2 medium size) and changed colors when I ran out of yarn.
– To add some extra detail to the placemat, I used any leftover yarn to work surface slip stitches around the top of random rows. This detail was added after the placemat was completed. I just fastened off when I ran out of t-shirt yarn and it left me with partial circles of surface slip stitch.
– The yarn used is homemade t-shirt yarn. In order to get complete rows in a single color, I did have to go back to the t-shirt that was used to make the yarn and cut a few strips of the upper portion of the shirt in order to finish a row. You can always just change colors when you run out of yarn and have a scrapy yarn kind of look.
Row 1: Make a Magic Circle, CH2, Work 12 DC into the Magic Circle. SLST to first DC. (12)
Row 2: CH2, Work 2DC into each ST of Row 1. SLST to first DC. (24)
Row 3: CH2, *Work a DC in next ST, Work 2 DC into next ST* repeat from *to* a total of 12 times. SLST to first DC. (36)
Row 4: CH2, *Work a DC in next 2 STs, Work 2 DC into next ST* repeat from *to* a total of 12 times. SLST to first DC. (48)
Row 5: CH2, *Work a DC in next 3 STs, Work 2 DC into next ST* repeat from *to* a total of 12 times. SLST to first DC. (60)
Row 6: CH2, *Work a DC in next 4 STs, Work 2 DC into next ST* repeat from *to* a total of 12 times. SLST to first DC. (72)
Fasten off. If you like, you can decorate the front of the placemat with surface slip stitches as mentioned in the pattern notes.
Weaving in your ends
Since t-shirt yarn is so thick it is hard to use a yarn needle to weave in your ends. Instead, you can use a smaller hook to pull the yarn ends under a few stitches. Just push your smaller hook under some loops of yarn and use the hook to pull the yarn end through. Clip off the excess yarn.
Now your t-shirt yarn crochet placemat is complete. Make more to make a pretty table setting or just one as a fun plant mat or centerpiece mat.
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