Tuesday, July 8, 2014

Flat and Cozy Cellphone Cozy


Flat and Cozy Cellphone Cozy
This is a flat knit cellphone cozy! I was looking for a good cellphone cozy pattern one day and didn't want anything that had to be knit in the round. I couldn't find anything I liked so I improvised and came up with this simple knit. This is knit in one piece that folds naturally in the center due to the composition of the pattern. The selvage is sewn up to create the cozy pocket. The strap can be done a number of ways. I'll include a few suggestions toward the end.
Needles:
8US (I used Bamboo.)
Yarn or Tapestry Needle
Yarn Used:
Lion Brand Homespun for my own and a friend's (both pictured).
I've done it with cotton, though, as well. The project is much less fuzzy and more neat and clean this way. I also recommend sewing it up with the wrong side out with cotton, because the bumpiness looks nicer with the sleeker, more sporty looking, outcome.
Gauge:
Not important. --You know what you knit the most comfortably and you'll be using your own phone to determine size of project, as it is, so don't sweat it. :)
Finished dimensions will depend on your own phone, as you will see. Have it handy when you start, you'll need it!
Casting on:
Create slipknot for first stitch and cast on two more stitches after it (so you have three loops on your needle.)
Now cast on until you have cast on sufficient loops to go across the bottom of your phone when you spread them out evenly and hold it up your phone up to your needle.
Cast on three more stitches.
There will be some flexibility and extra space, so don't stress over the measurement, just make sure that your phone fits between the first three loops and the last three, as these will be your selvage and the sewn up sides of your cozy.
Pattern:
Row 1: k3, *k, sl3 p-wise wyif
Row 2: k3, *p, sl3 p-wise wyif
Repeat until you can hold your knitting to your phone and it reaches the top (or as close to the top as you want the cozy to end if you want your phone to stick out some).
The next bit of knitting will be the bottom of the cozy and will cause the project to want to fold in on itself nicely.
(If you want to use the “wrong side” as the outside of your phone purl here instead and begin the next side with a purl as well.)
Row W: k across
Row X: k across
Row Y: k across
Row Z: k across
Now your pick back up the previous pattern to come up the other side.
Row 1b: k3, *k, sl3 p-wise wyif
Row 2b: k3, *p, sl3 p-wise wyif
Continue until this side is the length of the side before the “fold” section. The project should be wanting to fold and create the bottom on either side of the garter bit.
Bind off. (Bind off to last three stitches if using Strap Option: I-Cord Variant, and knit your cord now before continuing. For all other Strap Options, go ahead and bind off all stiches.)
Fold and make sure your phone fits.
Sew up the sides, keeping your stitches within the selvage, or just inside if your phone still fits and you prefer the aesthetic.
Tada!
Strap Options:
I-Cord Variant:
This works well with the fuzziness of the Homespun yarn.
Simply knit the three stitches left on your needle after you bind off then wrap the yarn around the stitches once so it's back ready to knit and knit them again. This will create a pretty wrapping pattern that looks good with a fuzzy yarn. Make this as long as you like then bind off and fold over to make the strap loop. You could even make a full “purse-like” cord if you'd like.
I-Cord:
I have never used I-Cord only because I don't own double-pointed needles. It would be a perfectly viable option to sew into the top of this project after binding off. I would suggest sewing in the cord before sewing the sides of the projects together so it looks like a more integral part of the design.
Braid:
For my husband's cotton version (which I would love to include pictures, but of course he lost it XD), I simply braided some of the cotton yarn together and sewed it on to each side of the piece about a quarter of an inch down the side to make a little strap.
Cord and Strap options are truly endless for this, so feel free to be creative! :)
This is a quick knit and very gratifying because it's so immediately useful. Makes a great gift if you're a beginning knitter or just don't have a lot of time. I hope you've enjoyed this pattern. 

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