Monday, June 13, 2011

iPod Touch Cozy

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Call it a cozy, a sock, a case, a protective bag, whatever. I improvised this for my husband a couple years ago when he got his Touch, but managed to not write it down anywhere. For my birthday I got a Touch, and of course I need a cozy, too! So here is the recreated pattern.

Materials: Bernat Felting (Patons SWS) less than a skein; probably any feltable wool would work
Needles: US 10 (6.0 mm) long circular for magic loop OR 2 circulars OR dpns
Sizes: ; two sizes
Gauge: 4sts per inch; size of pouch AFTER felting and before adding closure 2.375 in. x 4.5 in. (5 in. x 3.5 inches)

Using Judy's Magic Cast On, cast on 20 (36) stitches (10(18) on each needle). Begin knitting in the round by your preferred method. Work in stockinette until pouch measures 5 1/2 to 6 inches. Bind off. You're ready to hand-felt the pouch now before working the top/closure. (Pouch to this point used 24g/33 yds. of yarn.)
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I recommend hand-felting: it really doesn't take that long and gives you the most control over the finished size. Machine-felt this only if you're really going to babysit that machine and check your cozy for size every couple minutes! Fill one sink or large bowl with HOT water and a little dish soap. Fill another with COLD water. Neither of these need to be very deep, just enough to submerge the item. I make sure my HOT water is very hot by using the hottest water that will come out of the tap and then adding some boiling water to it. I definitely advise wearing thick rubber gloves like you would wear for washing dishes! Take your cozy and plunge it into the hot soapy water and rub it vigorously between your gloved hands for a while, 30 seconds to a minute at the most for this first plunge.
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Once you've agitated that thing for a while, squeeze the extra water out and then plunge it into the cold water. You can agitate it if you like; I'm not sure if the cold water agitation matters. The shocking is what's important.
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Already starting to look a bit fuzzed. On to more agitation in hot--rub, rub, rub vigorously--squeeze and then plunge in the cold.
DSCN1873.JPG Lather, rinse, repeat and you'll quickly start to see the individual stitches disappear. You need to start keeping an eye on size at this point.
DSCN1875.JPG Stitch definition is pretty much gone and I think it's about the right length. Roll the item up in a towel and squeeze so you can be relatively sure it's just damp when you get it near your iPod/Phone; I hear they don't like water!
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Length looks just about perfect at this point! We'll be adding some length in the finishing part, but for now we need to let the pouch dry completely. This one might be a little wider than I'd like, but it will allow room for the earbuds to be snug in there too. If you don't want as much room width-wise, cast on 34 or 32 stitches. If you want more room at the top, knit till it's 6 inches or longer. I quit when I did because I was running out of yarn and in fact finished the top with another colorway of SWS.

Once the cozy is dry, pick up an even number of stitches around the top. This can be a little difficult, but with a sharp dpn and maybe the help of a crochet hook, you can do it without too much trouble. Knit 5 or 6 rows, depending on how much room you want at the top. On the next row (k1, k2tog) all the way around. Knit the next round. You now have the eyelets for the drawstring. If you were lucky in the picking up round, you ended up with an even number of eyelets, but I've only managed this 1 out of 3 tries; two of my cozies have an extra hole. Bind off.

Cast on 3 stitches. Work an i-cord to your desired length. My blue/green one is about 12 inches. Weave in ends and thread the cord through the eyelets. Enjoy your iPod/phone cozy!
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And for the amusement of those who know me well and know of my limited proficiency in the arena of Maths, I present my scratch paper:
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