Tag Archives: cellphone cosy

Apr23

Free pattern: Frond

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Frond is a simple knitted cellphone cosy that can be adjusted for size or gussied up with fancier yarn and maybe even some duplicate stitch or embroidery. It uses stockinette and seed stitch worked flat and seamed.

You will need:

Medium/worsted/#4 weight  yarn, approx 30g/50m (a little over 1oz/54yds)

1 button approx ¾ – 1 inch diameter, preferably with large holes for sewing

5mm/US#8 needles

Gauge is not critical. My gauge was 4 sts to 1” in stockinette. Finished size at this gauge is 3.75” x 6”.

Abbreviations:

CO – cast on

K/P – knit/purl

BO – bind off

K2tog – knit 2 together

P2tog – purl 2 together

St – stitch

St st – stockinette (stocking) stitch

RS/WS – right side, wrong side

Foll – following

Patt – pattern

Rep – repeat

Can easily be made bigger or smaller by varying the number cast on by multiples of 2, and working fewer or more rows of stockinette.

How to:

CO 17. Any method will do. I prefer long tail cast on for a neat edge. 

Work stockinette (knit 1 row, purl 1 row) until work measures 12” ending with a WS row.

Next row: K1, *P1, K1, rep from * to end of row.

Rep this row (seed st) until seed st section is 3” long, ending on a WS row.

Next row: work seed st for 7 sts, BO 3 sts, work to end, maintaining seed st patt (ie knitting the purls, purling the knits)

Next row: seed st to gap, backwards loop CO 3 sts firmly and closely, work to end.

Next row: work first 7 sts, K the 3 CO sts through the back loop, twisting them, work to end.

Next row: seed st across.

Next row: K1, K2tog, work to last 3 sts (maintaining seed st patt), P2tog, K1

Next row: K1, P2tog, work to last 3 sts, K2tog, K1

BO.

Fold st st part of cosy in half. Seam sides from RS using mattress st, taking half a stitch into seam from each side, starting at open end and working towards fold.

Weave in ends. Sew on button.

This pattern has not been tested by anyone but me. If you find a mistake, please leave a comment below and I will fix it. Thank you.

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(This pattern will print on two sheets of paper with just the first photo and text. Click Share below, then Print, and instruct your printer to print pages 1 – 2.)

 

Apr22

Free pattern: Bract

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Bract is a simple cellphone cosy that can be adjusted for size or gussied up with fancier yarn. It uses single and half double crochet stitches (US terms) and is crocheted in the round, so there’s no seaming. 

You will need:

Medium/worsted/#4 weight  yarn, approx 30g/50m (a little over 1oz/54yds)

1 button approx ¾ inch diameter, preferably with large holes for sewing

5mm/H/8 crochet hook

Gauge is not critical. My gauge was 7 hdc to 2”. Finished size at this gauge was 4.25” x 6”.

Abbreviations:

Ch – chain

Sc – single crochet

Hdc – half double crochet

Hdc2tog – half double crochet two together (decrease)

St – stitch

Foll – following

Can easily be made bigger or smaller by varying the starting chain by multiples of 2, and working fewer or more rounds of hdc.

How to:

Make slipknot and place on hook, chain 15.

Rnd 1: Work  1sc into the second chain from hook, place locking stitch marker in st just worked,  sc in each stitch to end (14 sts). Do not turn work.

Instead of turning and working back across your new stitches,  you’re going to work in the opposite side of the chain to form the closed bottom of bag. Work another sc in same stitch as before then rotate work clockwise so that you can sc into the unused loops on the other side of the chain. Work 12 sc, then 2sc into last stitch.  (29 sts total)

Rnd 2 and all foll rounds:: hdc into first st of next round (remove marker and place in new st just worked), hdc to end of round.

Work in a spiral (no joining at end of each round) until cosy is about 6“ tall, ending at a side edge. (This will mean crocheting a partial round, as your end of round marker travels diagonally up your work. This is a natural feature of crocheted sts.)

Sc in the next st that lies right on the fold. Turn.

Row 1 of flap: ch2 (does not count as a st),  hdc in same st and foll 12 sts, turn

Row 2: ch2, hdc in same st, hdc2tog, hdc in next 7 sts, hdc2tog, hdc in last st, turn

Row 3: ch2, hdc across, turn (11 sts)

Row 4: ch2, hdc in same st, hdc2tog, hdc in next 5 sts, hdc2tog, hdc in last st, turn

Row 5: ch2, hdc across, turn (9 sts)

Row 6: ch2, hdc in same st, hdc2tog, hdc 3, hdc2tog, hdc in last st

Row 7: ch2, hdc in same st, hdc in next 2 sts, ch1, skip next st, hdc in last 3 sts, turn (buttonhole formed)

Row 8:  ch2, hdc in same st, hdc2tog, hdc into ch from previous row, hdc2tog, hdc in last st.

Fasten off, weave in ends. Sew on button.

This pattern has not been tested by anyone but me. If you find a mistake, please leave a comment below and I will fix it. Thank you.

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(This pattern will print on two sheets of paper with just the first photo and text. Click Share below, then Print, and instruct your printer to print pages 1 – 2.)

Apr22

Crocheting along, fa la la la la

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The CAL continues…

The Creative Crochet Workshop Scrapsrific Rainbow Blanket CAL (OMG, that is a lot to type) is in week 3. I have added two rounds to the above motif which will eventually be a 12″ square.

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These four 6″ squares are also in part 3. Obviously I will, at some point, have to pin my squares out and steam them to make it easier to join them, as currently they are wonky!

I have also completed a quick bulky beanie. It’s called the Spin Cycle Hat, which is a very compact, one page pdf, clearly written, in three sizes. I made the medium without swatching for gauge (ooh, er) and the hat fits my Sally Styro head perfectly but is too small for me. Not that it was for me anyway, but I shall have to find someone with a small head to give it to.

Whilst I am happy with the pattern, the yarn is another story. This is Loops & Threads Facets, a bulky, underspun, very soft yarn. Let me tell you, all those YO, K2togs were a nightmare with such a splitty yarn. Yes, it’s pretty, but don’t be fooled, it’s not worth the hassle. It’ll pill quickly too. I’m using up what I have in the stash but I won’t be buying this or anything like it in future.

Now, I had a lovely draft all ready to Publish with a simple pattern for this…

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…but left it in an open tab on my laptop for a few days. I am also knitting one, and wanted to publish both at the same time. Well, something went wrong, and it’s gone. Can’t find a saved draft anywhere. At least I do still have my text document in Google Docs to fall back on, so I don’t have to start from scratch. So that will probably be finalised mid-week, as I have a run of three days off starting tomorrow.

I hope you all enjoyed a lovely Easter weekend. We had a mini road trip  Saturday to visit a plant nursery and buy plants for our garden. We ended up with a Chi Chi Gingko tree (max height 16 feet), two mock oranges (native plants so should do well) and some  hostas and other ground cover for the patch by the front door where we recently took out the messy evergreens. We meant to get some kinnikinnick but forgot, so we may have to try and find it locally, or drive south again for it.

I am off to work shortly, so will sign off for today. Have a great day!

 

Nov26

FO: Strawberry Shortcake set

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The hat that I was telling you about last time, the Eyelet Messy Bun hat, is now finished, washed and blocked. There were five shades of pink in the cake of Dynasty Cake Twist (Strawberry Shortcake colourway) but because I was only making a hat it was too small to get to the later shades. I even cut a little of the hot pink out so that I could get a good band of the lighter pink at the crown of the hat.

I felt that decreasing to 20 stitches for the bun hole was a bit too much, so I unravelled a round and bound off at 30 stitches.

There was plenty of yarn left so I used the hot pink that I cut out of the skein to start a matching cellphone cosy, then transitioned to the lighter pink, and then the lightest. I never did get to the fifth shade, a really dark pink.

Hopefully the intended recipient will like this set. There is still some of the cake left and I will use it up later for something else. I usually hold on to leftovers when someone asks me to make them something.

I had an unsettled night’s sleep last night, and dreamt a lot. In one of my dreams, I remember someone wearing a really nice sweater. I think it was garter stitch, a really simple shape, sleeveless, and the yarn was beautiful. Do you think I’ve been able to find anything online today that is even close? Nope. Honestly, it’s really frustrating when you are all fired up to spend some money and then you can’t find anything you want!

It felt like that a bit at Michaels today. They’ve been churning out the sale emails, the coupons etc, so I went in there today with a 55% off coupon to take a look at what they had. I didn’t buy a thing! Which is good, really. Because spending money just for the sake of it is not wise.

I am excited for tomorrow as ds2, who has been away on holiday for the last couple of weeks in California, returns and I am going to pick him up at the airport. I can’t wait to see him arrive safely and hear about his trip.

Happy crafting, folks, and talk to you again soon.

 

 

 

Jul16

Time flew by…

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Well, I must have been enjoying myself out on my deck – after the blogging, button sorting and crocheting I came inside and was gobsmacked to see it was 6.30pm. My only other companion this weekend is ds2 who slept all day. Ds3 has been at summer camp all week and Tai Chi Man is picking him up tomorrow, along with his two backpacks and sleeping bag. There may be two other teens with him wanting a ride home (thankfully only a short way)  and it will be interesting to hear how they all fit in our Toyota Yaris with all their stuff.

I used my own (published) pattern to create a new cellphone cosy. This one is a bit wider and longer, as I got the impression from my co-worker (who requested this for a friend) that she has one of the larger phones.

I am sad to let go of this button as I love it, but it’s a perfect match for the pink in the yarn at the top back of the cosy.

That’s one thing crossed off the To Do List.

 

May23

Happy Monday!

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Everyone is so down about Mondays (I’m looking at you, Garfield). But today, I didn’t have a shift (even though the store is open this afternoon) and Tai Chi Man had a long weekend because of the public holiday. So this particular Monday is pretty darned good!

I love getting an email from my Google Calendar peeps saying, “You have no events scheduled today.” It feels like the day is so full of possibilities. I also love waking up in the morning and knowing I don’t have to jump out of bed and get going. Slow starts are so much nicer.

However, there is still housework to do, and Mondays used to be my regular day, before work outside the home got in the way, so I did clean up the kitchen and bathrooms, vacuum (the majority of) the house and washed a crapton of laundry. After lunch I was able to relax on the couch with my crochet, guilt-free.

This is my experiment with Tunisian knit stitch. I LOVE THIS!

(Whaddya know, daylight shots, taken outside, so they are actually in focus and full colour!)

The right side of the Tks looks like, well, knitting. The back looks sort of like purl, but the ridges are way bigger, and the fabric it makes is so soft and thick, it’s gorgeous. Can you imagine a sweater made with this? I can, and it would be really warm and cuddly.

I used the same yarn as the cowl – Loops and Threads Chameleon in Rainbow – but of course on such a small project you only see a couple of colour changes. This time, though, the hook is 6.5mm. Tunisian crochet takes a larger hook than you’d use normally.

Now I have to get in the kitchen for a little advance dinner prep, but my plan for later is to open my new Tunisian crochet book to the next stitch and practice that one.