Hottee: T-shirt Yarn Hot Pad

In my house if it's not nailed down (and can be cut into strips), then I'm probably going to try and knit with it. Fortunately this fact lends itself well to recycling, especially all of the old t-shirts that tend to pile up in a household of 5.

You know what else those t-shirts are great for? Dye experiments. Mix the two together to create a handy-dandy hot pad in the perfect shade to match your kitchen (or your mood)!

Materials

T-Shirt Yarn (from an XL-XXL Men's Shirt)

Tulip Custom Dye Color Kit

Stainless Steel Pot

How to Dye T-Shirt Yarn

• Choose color from the Custom Dye Color Kit Chart (I went with "Mango" for Spring). Following the chart's recipe, add dye mixture and 1 gallon of HOT water to pot.

• Immerse t-shirt yarn into dye bath and stir continuously for 15 minutes. Let soak for at least 45 minutes more, stirring occasionally.

• Thoroughly rinse t-shirt yarn in cool water and mild soap until water runs clear. Wring excess water out. Hang dry.

• Wind into ball before using.

T-Shirt Yarn in Color: Mango

Make the Hotpad

Materials:

T-Shirt Yarn

Size US 13 Needles

Size US J Crochet Hook

Yarn Needle

CO 18 stitches.

Rows 1-5: Knit

Row 6: Purl

Repeat Rows 1-6 four times more.

Repeat Rows 1-4.

BO.

Finishing

Join t-shirt yarn at corner of hot pad. With crochet hook chain 10; join chain at corner to create a loop. Tie off.

Weave in ends.

Craft.Rock.Love,

Vickie

T-shirt yarn is made by cutting t-shirts into strips and rolling them into a ball. For a tutorial, check out my book AwareKnits: Knit & Crochet Projects for the Eco-Conscious Stitchers.

In Austin? Take my Eco-Yarns class!

Winner of Custom Dye Color Kit Announced!

Congratulations are in order to blogger Arlene of Altered By Me. She won the Custom Dye Color Kit contest here on our blog!

Here's what Arlene had to say about what she loved to create:

"I love to create mixed media + altered art using paper and fabrics. The ILoveToCreate product I love the most is the tie dye kits. My daughter got one for Christmas and we had a blast with it."

Thanks Arlene for participating and thanks to all who left us a comment and shared in the iLoveToCreate love! If you are dyeing (yes, we meant the pun) to get your hands on one of these kits, you can purchase one straight through our web site. Click here for more info!

We are always having fun contests in the works! So check back shortly and we'll be offering up some more fun stuff to win!

iLoveToCreate.com Contest - Win a Custom Dye Color Kit!

Enter to win a Tulip® Custom Dye Color Kit!
Enter to win a Tulip® Custom Color Dye Kit of your own by simply leaving a comment below telling us what you love to create! Double your chances to win by not only telling us what you love to create, but by telling us what iLoveToCreate product you love to create with! We will put your name in the pool twice!

About this kit
Even the most extreme color enthusiast will be blown away by the 150 color combinations that the Tulip® Custom Dye Color Kit™ makes possible!

Beginning with just four base permanent fabric dye colors, any color-loving consumer can follow the easy-to-read recipe guide to mix 150 custom dye colors, including Sprout, Fish Bowl, Pixie and Happy Hour, just to name a few. The fun doesn’t end when the base colors are gone…the dye storage containers can be refilled with Tulip® Permanent Fabric Dye™ and the custom creation can begin again.

The kit includes four base color permanent fabric dyes (black, yellow, turquoise and fuchsia), how-to color recipe guide, storage containers and measuring tools.

The value of this kit is $24.99

Official Contest Rules
Contest begins at 12:01 AM Eastern Time (ET) on 8/5/2009 and ends at 11:59 PM ET on 8/19/2009. A random drawing of all entries will be held shortly thereafter by the iLoveToCreate staff. If you are selected to win, you will be contacted through our blog for your mailing address. Your kit will be mailed to you once your information has been collected.

Please note: Only one comment per person.

Employees of the Sponsors, their affiliates, subsidiaries, distributors, retailers, advertising and promotion agencies, and the immediate families of each are not eligible to enter or win. All federal, state and local laws and regulations apply. Void where prohibited by law.

Submission of projects constitutes consent to use writers' names and messages for editorial, advertising and publicity purposes without further compensation (except where prohibited).