How to Knit a T-Shirt Yarn Potholder – Beginner Knitting Pattern

After I turned my husband’s old Guns N’ Roses t-shirt into DIY t-shirt yarn, I almost immediately set out to make this handy little potholder. It feels so good to turn something I would have otherwise thrown away into a practical, useful item. And seeing the upcycling process through from start to finish was so satisfying! Whether you made your t-shirt yarn yourself or bought it straight off the shelf, anyone from beginner to advanced could enjoy this quick, simple pattern.

I’ve got a video tutorial for you to follow along if you’re a visual learner:

What you’ll need is to buy or diy some t-shirt yarn. Yarn thickness will vary from yarn to yarn but try out a couple needle sizes and pick one that makes a tight but comfortable gauge for you. With my chunky weight t-shirt yarn I used 6mm needles.

You’ll find the written pattern down below. You can also get a downloadable, printable copy of the pattern here: T-Shirt Yarn Potholder Pattern

If you have a Lovecrafts.com account you can find the pattern there as well and share your projects!

To begin, make a slip knot and place it on your needle to cast on one stitch.

Row 1: Yarn over, knit 1

Row 2: Yarn over, knit 2

Row 3: Yarn over, knit all sts

Repeat row 3 until one side of your potholder is 8 inches (20cm)

First Decrease Row: on the next row, yarn over, ssk (slip 1 stitch knitwise, slip the next stitch knitwise, knit them together through the back loop). Knit to the last two stitches and knit two stitches together.

Repeat the decrease row until you have 4 stitches left on your needles.

Yarn over, ssk, pass the yarn over over your stitch. Then knit the remaining two stitches together.

With two stitches left on you needles, bind off. Cut your yarn and thread the yarn through the last stitch. Weave in your ends.

And that’s it! I hope you enjoyed this little pot holder pattern and video tutorial. If you’re curious about how to make your own t-shirt yarn, check out my previous post HERE