So the first thing I did was decide what stitch to use. I really like the cable stitch, as evidenced by creating my own pattern for a newborn hat. You can see my blog post about it here and at my Etsy shop here. I also did a cable pattern review here and Cat shared the puff stitch instructions in her Pumpkin Hat pattern here. Another major reason I chose the cable stitch was because it would make a cushion for extra protection for an e-reader.
To start out with I just made a chain the width I wanted for the e-reader cover. I made sure it was divisible by four order to have symmetry in my design. I ended up with 22 st in my chain. The first dc goes into the third st from the hook. For my pattern I did *four double crochet (dc), four post stitches, repeat *, and four dc. The post stitches varied between back post double crochet (bpdc) and front post treble crochet (fptc) depending on which side you were on.
**Note you will want to have the cable pattern handy to be able to make this cozy cover and have your cables turn out the same. Use only steps 1-3. Steps 2-3 repeat for the cables (only with the extra cable and 4 dc thrown in).**
Here is a picture of the first several rows:
I used my kindle for my pattern size but I made it bigger so that if you were to have a larger e-reader or had one in a different case it could just slip in too.
In this design I wanted to be able to make a long strip and fold it over to make the pocket for the e-reader. Because of the cable stitch adding cushion, by folding it over you have that cushion protection on the front and back. Once I had it long enough I changed the pattern so it would fold easier. To make it more clear I've separated each row.
1. I did a row with the back post dc (bpdc) just like normal.
2. On the next row I did: 4 dc, 4 fpdc (front post double crochet), 4 dc, 4 fpdc, 4 dc; turn ch 2.
3. Sc (single crochet) 20 st
4. Dc (double crochet) 20 st
5. Normal bpdc row.
6. Continue on with the cables.
It is hard to see it in this picture (I thought I got a better picture but it didn't turn out like I thought it would) but the gap in the cables is this change in pattern. This part will be the bottom of the cover.
Here it is the almost finished. When I reached the point where it would fold in half and be equal in length I added another section with a different pattern and then continues on with more of the normal cable stitch pattern. This part was to fold over and I added a button loop.
Folded up:
I had been thinking how I was going to sew the sides together and almost from the start I thought of the puff stitch. I actually have never used it before (I'm still branching out and learning new stitches) and so I wondered how it would look on the sides.
What do you think?
I thought it turned out really cute. : )
Now I went from the top to the bottom this time so that the puff stitches would match. They look different from the front side to the back side so you want to keep it the same. I attached the yarn with a ss and did a sc in the same stitch. My pattern is as follows: *puff st, sc in the next two st. Repeat from *. Pretty easy huh. I started at the bottom fold and worked my way up. I then smoothed out the cover so I knew where to start for the other side.
I also added some red edging around the button loop.
And the final product...
I really enjoyed making this cover. It was so much fun to make something new and to have a puzzle to solve. I liked the colors too. I picked white hoping it would make the cables show up better and I had to have red. It is almost Christmas after all. : ) Have you made anything new? What's your favorite creation you have made? We'd love to hear from you and you can send pics too!
~Heidi
Pin It
