A Black and White Checked Cell Phone Pocket Crochet Pattern

I said I would make a black and white grid pattern telephone pocket this week (# 6).

First of all, I had a bit of problem. I couldn't find the little ruler I used last and so the school ruler I found instead, showed that 5 rows equals 1 inch. Well, that messed up my calculations. So I'm gonna have to go back and change the basic pattern. Excuse me while I go do that.

Second of all, no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't get the grid pattern to come out right when crocheting in the round, so I'm crocheting this grid pattern in the flat and will stitch up one long side and the bottom to make my pocket.

On my basic pattern, I chained 32 chains to begin, with 31 sc, but in order to get the grid pattern to come out even, I'd have to either go smaller, which is not an option, or go a bit larger, which I did. So to begin:

(# 6) Supplies:

* Red Heart Fashion Crochet Thread. Size 3 of 100% Mercerized Cotton. 126 yds of both white and black.

* Boyd's Size D crochet hook.

* Scissors, steel yarn needle, stitch keeper or safety pin, sewing needle and thread

* 1 button in either white, black or bright red.

* a doubled towel or quilt pad and a number of rustproof straight pins

(# 6) Directions:

Step 1: Ch 36 loosely (make it an even number of stitches, so that you can make it 5 sc for each grid; see grid pattern). In second ch from hook make a single crochet and 1 sc in each of the next 4 chs. You should have 5 sc.

As in the striped pocket, I dropped the black thread when I attached the white, however, so that you have no loose threads to snag on the phone, you will have to crochet over it.

Tip: Drop black thread to the back; drop the white thread to the front. (Black back). The only time you can snug thread is at the loop on the hook, otherwise do not pull the thread as you crochet over it or it will distort your fabric.

Step 2: To attach white, slip your hook into next ch with black thread over the hook, slip a noose of white thread on hook and make a sc, holding both the beginning chain and the black thread together in the opposite hand from the hook. It will feel awkward, but persevere. Make 4 more sc. Drop white thread to the front and pick up black thread.

Step 3: Make 5 sc in next 5 chains in black. Then drop the black thread to the back and pick up the white to make 5 sc in the next 5 chains. Continue till you get to end of chains.

Step 4: Ch 1. Make 5 sc in black. It is helpful if you fold the white thread to the back and crochet over it. You will have to count 5 sc for each color to the end of row to get it to come out correctly, dropping and crocheting over threads. Continue till you come to end of body of work. Ch 1. Repeat this row 3 more times.

Step 5: We are going to alternate colors in row 6. Ch 1 in white and make 5 sc. Repeat, alternating colors for all five rows.  Continue work, alternating colors, as to the grid pattern until you complete the crocheted fabric. Picking up both colors, ch 1. Do not turn.

Tip: If you must drop the work at any time, insert stitch keeper or safety pin into the last 5th sc, so when you come back to it, you will know that you've completed the 5th sc and can begin the next color.

Step 6: To finish, do the rsc across the top of the fabric with both colors in hand to make a varigated rope-like finish. End off. Weave in all loose ends of thread.

Tip = Blocking is useful when your fabric wants to curl and you want it flat or when you want to shape starched fabric into the final shape, such as ruffles on a doily.

Step 7: To block the phone pocket crocheted fabric = dampen it, then pin flat on a doubled towel, straighening lines to grid. If you wish, you may spritz fabric lightly with starch. Let dry.

Step 8: Un-pin. Fold right sides together and whip stitch 1 long side and the bottom together. Turn inside out and finish by adding the button loop, button and neck loop.

Simple Washing Tip = I've already washed my purple pocket. To do that, throw the pocket in the wash with your colored clothes, remove, flatten pocket with your fingers and hang to dry. Simple as that. 

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(# 7) Supplies:

* Aunt Lydia's Baker's 100% Cotton Twine Thread, Size 1 Super Fine (Art #159; 150 yds) by Coats & Clark, www.coatsandclark.com

* Small bit of white thread left over from last phone pocket project.

* Small bits of red and yellow thread or 1 hank each of embroidery thread in red and yellow.

 * Boyd's Size D crochet hook.

* Scissors, steel yarn needle, stitch keeper or safety pin, sewing needle and thread,

* two small black buttons or beads & 1 large button for closure

(# 7) Additional Directions:

And while I was crocheting this variegated fabric, I thought how much it looked like a flecked chicken, so I decided to turn this pocket into a one and then I had to run to the store to get additional thread.

While I was at the store, my husband suggested since I needed just a little red and yellow thread, why not purchase embroidery thread which I did.

Frugal Tip: My husband works in a warehouse and he brings me home throw away goodies from time to time like for instance the heavy-duty cardboard tubes from the printed mailing labels they slap on the boxes. I wind my embroidery thread on them. Lacking these, wind thread on TP or paper towel roll.  

Step1: Ch 32 and follow basic in the round pattern to make a tube 6 inches long.

Step 2: SS into next row and make a neck loop. I make my neck loop of ch's 30 inches long because I'm a BBW. Make yours however long you need it. Flatten your fabric-- where the ch's began is one side and you need the opposite side to attach ch with a ss. Ch 1, turn, and sc across ch. Attach to beginning side with ss. Flatten fabric once again handle side to handle side to figure out center front; ss to that point and make a ch 16 loop; attach to beginning of ch with ss. End off, then weave ends into fabric.

Step 3: Attach the end of red embroidery thread to front left just in front of handle of neck loop. Ch 1, then make a sc in same stitch. We're going to make scallop stitches (scst) for the chicken's comb at the top of its head, so make two more sc, then make 5 dc in same stitch as last sc, then sc in same st, 2 sc, scst in next, repeat across top to handle. When you come to button chain and neck loops, push them to the back and crochet around them. I made half of my scst on one side of button chain, then the other half on the other side. When you come to the next handle of the neck loop, sc around it and across the back to handle. Attach to beginning red sc, ss into it and end off. Weave ends in.

Eyes: With white thread, ch 5, ss into last ch to make a circle. Ch 1, and make a sc. Make a total of 10 sc in circle. Attach to beg sc with ss. Ch 2. Make 2 half-double crochets (hdc) in each sc around, ss in 2 beg ch and end off. Make another eye just like this one. Whipstitch to fabric underneath comb. Sew a black button in center of each, then sew beak just underneath and in between. To make beak, see directions below.

Beak: Ch 6 with yellow embroidery thread. Sc in 2nd ch from hook and all across ch, ch 1 turn. Decrease (dec) two sc into one by pulling up two loops through two sc and then pulling one through all three loops on hook. Sc in remaining sts. Ch 1, turn. Dec again, then sc in remaining st. Dec again, sc once more. Ch 1, turn. Dec last two st and end off. Weave ends in and trim. Blind stitch onto front of fabric under eyes when you sew on buttons.

Postscript: Someone told me my chicken looked like an owl because it didn't have the wattle under the beak, so I crocheted one and here's the directions.

Wattle: Ch 4 with red embroidery thread, leaving a tail long enough to tie off with. Make 5 double crochets in last loop from hook and one slip-stitch, Fasten off. Pull tails of wattle through fabric under beak to inside and tie off. Weave ends in. If you wish to make it extra secure, whip-stitch to crocheted fabric with a single strand of sewing thread.
 

Feet: Flatten fabric and attach yellow on beginning chain in line with handle of neck loop. Ch1, then sc in same spot and across about a third of the way, catching both sides of fabric together. It looks like I've sc 7 stitches. Ch 10, then sc into 5 ch, ch 6, sc into those 5 ch, repeat, then wind hook through sides of all the last sc and pull up a ss as for a cls, then sc down remain ch to fabric. Sc across bottom of fabric 5 or 6 times and make another foot, then finish off by sc across the rest of the bottom and end off. You may block the feet if you wish to have them flat.

 



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I went over to a girlfriend's last night and got two more ideas for another couple of phone pockets. That's next.