yoga sling from t-shirt yarn

Macrame yoga slings are super cute, but here’s what no one tells you about them. Rope is HEAVY. Here’s what I learned from my first attempt at making a yoga mat bag with macrame rope. The sling was heavy and not as pliable as I had hoped. Sliding my mat into the bag took some finesse. So I went back to the drawing board, and this time I used t-shirt yarn. T-shirt yarn is my new favorite medium.

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Shall I count the reasons why I love this stuff? This yarn is lightweight, so it is great for a tote or yoga sling. It comes in lots of amazing colors. It doesn’t fray, so you don’t need to tape the ends while weaving. And (drum roll) it’s much cheaper than rope! Approximately 210 feet of cotton rope is needed to macrame a yoga sling, which costs about $30. The same amount of t-shirt yard costs less than $10. Yeah, I know.

If a yoga sling is on your project list, t-shirt yarn is a must. It has a bit of stretch to it, so it can easily be pulled open to insert your mat then cinched tightly for carrying. Order some now. Then come back here for the following tutorial. 

supplies needed

• 250 feet of t-shirt yarn (This is the brand I used, andt you can find it in more colors from Etsy.  You can also use a chunkier weight yarn, which I think would make a super cute sling.)
• scissors

**These instructions are now available to download as a pdf:  Yoga Sling – pg 1 and Yoga sling – pg 2

step 1 

Cut 20 pieces of rope, each measuring 150″.

step 2  

First, tie one of the pieces around the top of a rolled yoga mat or rolled towel. I actually used a striped towel and found that the stripes helped me keep my rows of knots even. (See photo A .)

This piece of rope is the top of the bag that will be tied and untied as you place your mat in and out. Keep the loose strands from this piece separate from the weaving process.

Next tie 16 pieces of rope onto this first piece, using the Lark’s Head Knot. Space them evenly apart. (You can see in the photo below how I tied the first piece around the top then added the other strands with Lark’s Head Knots. I was using a lamp base until I discovered that a rolled towel works best!)

step 3

Now you are ready to begin making Square Knots. Tie a row of 8  Square Knots. Next, make a second row of Alternating Square Knots. Continue making rows of knots in this fashion until you reach the bottom of the yoga mat. (If you need more visuals, refer to my first yoga bag post.)

step 4

To form the bottom of the bag, make a Wrapped Knot. (The photos used below are from my previous project, but they illustrate the process well. The only difference is you are now working with t-shirt yarn instead of rope.)

step 5

To form the strap, tie 3 rope pieces, using the Lark’s Head Knot, onto the bag about 2-3 inches below the place where the top cord ties.

Next, begin braiding the six strands, as shown below. Near the bottom of the bag (on the same side that the strap was tied), bring 2 pieces of cord through part of the bag, then continue braiding. This is how the bottom of the strap is attached to the bag.

A few inches down, create another Wrapped Knot to finish the end of the strap. Trim the ends of the bag bottom and the strap bottom.

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