Mom''s iPod Pocket
Mom uses her iPod to make recordings of the choir she sings in. She stands in the back row, and their costumes don’t have pockets. She wants a portable pocket that will hang around her neck and hold her iPod at about bust level, and give her access to the record button on the screen.
I used the incredibly flexible geometry of crochet to incorporate a neck strap into a decorative pocket, including an openwork panel in front so buttons on the face of the iPod can be accessed easily. Check it out:
Mom''s iPod Pocket (also on Ravelry)
iPod dimensions: 4.5” x 2.5” x .5”
E hook, Plymouth Yarn "Linen Isle" (.5 cotton, .3 rayon, .2 linen, recommends a US 6 needle for knitting)
Excel chart
Filet crochet, which I can''t spell consistently, is a way to make a pattern of open and closed blocks on a grid of crochet work.
Each block or fillet is 3 stitches: a post on either side (which are shared with neighboring blocks), and the stitch in the middle. The middle stitch is the same as a post for a "filled" or "closed" block, and a ch or ch-space for an "open" block. Openwork filet has all blocks open. I''ve increased the size of the holes in some of the filletwork below by replacing some of the posts with chspaces, which is cheating, but works. :)
BACK 1:
Make a chain long enough to go around your neck, allowing the last 4.5 inches on both sides to hang where you’d like the iPod to be (estimate chain stretch). hdc for 2 rows.
R4: Filet openwork 10 spaces (21 sts), turn and repeat until you have 4 rows openwork OR work is 4.5 inches wide when laid out as in next step.
R8: Fold work in half so the long strap can fall around someone’s neck, being careful not to twist. Ends should be lined up and row 3 of unworked end of strap lies parallel and adjacent to row 7 of worked end. Join edges using slipstitch. Work may lie flatter if you slipstitch the front loops only. Bind off. Diagram of back layout
RIGHT SIDE:
The strap is the “top” and the ends are the “bottom”. Hold work so right side faces you and left edge is up. Join yarn at 21st st of ch edge, ch2 to start and hdc across.
FRONT:
R1: ch2, and hdc across into the front loops only, so the work naturally folds and forms a corner.
R2: ch2, hdc across.
R3: ch2, hdc. Filet openwork for 8 spaces and fill the last space, 20 st (including ch2).
R4: ch2, fill first filet. Open 2 fillets. ch3, hdc into 4th st (as if you opened 2 fillets and ch for the middle hdc). ch3, hdc into 4th st. Open 2 fillets. 2hdc to round out the row.
R5: mirror R4: ch2, hdc, open 2 fillets, ch3 hdc into 4th st, ch3 hdc into 4th st, open 2 fillets, close 2 fillet.
R6: mirror R3: ch2, fill first filet, 8 open filets, 2hdc.
R7: ch2, hdc across (20st incl ch). hdc into bottom of hdc just worked to make 21 sts.
R8: ch2, hdc across (21st incl ch).
LEFT SIDE:
ch2, hdc across in the front loop only, so the work naturally folds and forms a corner.
ch1, join to right edge of back using slst into back loops only, so the work naturally yadda yadda yadda.
BOTTOM FINISHING:
Attach yarn at bottom left corner of front (this’ll be the top right as you hold the work) and even out the edge, e.g. ch2 hdc across bottom edge of front. If your work is uneven, account for it here using sc, dc, etc as needed. 14sts incl ch.
slst down last hdc worked to reach the right side, 2-3 sts. slst across right side, 2sts.
Even out bottom edge of back, e.g. ch2 hdc across. 14sts incl ch.
slst down last hdc worked to reach the left side, 2-3 sts. slst across left side, 2 sts.
At this point we’ve worked around to the front side again, and we’ve got the front and back sides a bit longer than the left and right sides. Form bottom panel: slst up the ch2 from last rnd (or whatever), ch2 and hdc across in back loops only, so the work folds and forms a corner. Join this edge just made to right side, back panel, and left side using a slst join in the back loops only. Bind off.
TOP FINISHING:
Attach yarn at top right corner of front and even out the edge, leaving a divot over the openwork panel. e.g. ch2, hdc to first filet row (5 st incl ch), slst down hdc just worked, slst across filet rows (4st), ch2, hdc across (5 st incl ch).
slst down hdc just made to reach left side. work 2sc in left side.
work 3slst across inside of back strap. Work 7sc across top edge of back panel (or to make edge even). work 3slst across inside of other back strap.
work 2slst across right side (or to make edge even) and bind off.
Weave in ends and block.
Design process notes:
- I did two sketches on paper, exploring two different ways of laying out the pieces. The other one had you do flat construction of the strap: making half at a time, and sewing them together at the back of the neck later. I thought that was much less interesting.
- I didn''t swatch.
- ... meaning that I guessed completely wrong about number of rows and number of stitches on my sketches. I did plan for that, but just in case someone''s trying to duplicate my design process -- I''ve made a lot of really bad crochet, and at this point I can eyeball pretty well how far things are going to stretch when I add stitches, and I always go over the side edges again with more stitching to tidy up all the mistakes I make.
- The above instructions are a compromise between what I did and what you''d do if you could crochet straighter than I can. A lot of my bottom and top finishing incorporates sc and slst into the hdc work, to account for lumpy edges. You may need to rip out the finishing work several times before you get a nice straight border, but it''s not a lot of work, so imho that''s okay.
- If I were to revise the project again, I''d make the fillet pattern for the back and front more identical. I like the wider margin on the front; the back looks a bit messier with the narrower margin.
- I did the paper design in about 20 minutes sitting at my desk during my lunch hour, the bulk of the work during the hockey game on friday (3 hours?) and the finishing and weaving in the next morning (<2hrs, probably about 1h). Easy project. And you won''t have to rip out as much, ''cause you have instructions. :)
