I need a knitting pattern for a mobile phone, or cell phone, cover that resembles a sock. I have been unable to find one anywhere. I looked on the Internet and only found one knitting pattern but it's not what I want as it is not a sock. I would appreciate it if anyone is able to help.

Do you want a cell phone cozy that has a turned heel and everything, so that it really looks like a little sock?

If so, I might recommend just finding a child's sock pattern and altering the length of the foot and cuff portions to fit the phone.

If not, here is a thread from a crafting forum of which I am a member. There's just about every kind of cell phone cozy you could think of, plus instructions for most.

http://www.craftster.org/forum/index.php?topic=10512.0

I know there is a lot of info to scroll through, but it's worth the read. LOTS of ideas.

Or, erm, hmm. Some people are pattern writers and some people are pattern followers. I've been knitting for about a year now, and I find that I'm a pattern writer. If you are a pattern follower and are not happy with any of the patterns you've seen, I could make you one. I just got done with my first pair of socks with short-row heel turning, and they were really fun. Just let me know what kind of yarn you'd like and what the basic dimensions I'm going for are, and I'm sure I could make you a sock-shaped cell phone cozy in no time.

<I'm sure I could make you a sock-shaped cell phone cozy in no time. >
Lothruin, there is just no end to yur talents is there??
LOL!!!!

You know, sock-shaped cell phone cozy pattern writing is a highly specialized field requiring years of (er, a year of) studious research. I'm in training right now to move up to iPod cozies, and after that I hope to tackle the elusive poodle coffee pot cozy.

HA!

Dear Lothruin,

Thank you so much for your reply. I will check out that website later, at my leisure, when I am at home (I am at work right now).

The pattern I was after was for a sock, with a toe and a ribbed opening at the top, but without a heel. Like a tube sock.

I am a beginning knitter, so I am definitely a pattern follower rather than a pattern writer at this stage. Your kind offer to create a pattern for me is greatly appreciated. I wanted to knit the covers for my daughter and her friends. You can buy these sock/mobile phone covers here (they call them "mocks") but they are not that easy to get and they are moderately expensive.

I don't have a mobile phone of my own, so I'll have to sneak a look at my daughter's and discreetly measure its size. I was thinking of 4 ply (baby wool) or 8 ply wool as I have lots of scrap wool in those plys.


Cheers, MotherGoose

Tube socks are NO problem.

If you have trouble getting actual dimensions, the model number of the phone might be enough. If I knew that, I think I could probably find dimensions online somewhere.

I know that yarn standards differ somewhat between countries, and being still fairly new to this myself I'm still unfamiliar with the exchanges. Could you tell me if the 8-ply yarn you mentioned is a worsted weight?

And, I think it would be equally easy to do this piece either on double-pointed needles or on straight needles with a seam. In America, knitting circularly on either circular or double-pointed needles usually comes late when learning to knit. Have you used dpns? If not, would you like this to be a good, simple first project? Or, would you prefer to knit flat and sew side seams?

I am not sure what you mean by worsted weight. 8 ply is perhaps the most commonly used ply over here. Perhaps you know it as DK (double knit)?

I can use double-pointed needles and I can knit in a circle. Simple is good but I don't mind a challenge!

Ok, yes, DK. I asked around on the crafting forum and someone was nice enough to put together a chart of conversions between Aus., UK and American yarn gauges. American worsted weight would be a 12 ply. And I believe the 4-ply you mentioned is what we call "fingering" weight.

So, I think I can help you.

And THIS is why I love this site.

"And THIS is why I love this site."


Ditto!

Dear Lothruin,

I was very much afraid I would have to look in my daughter's room to find her mobile phone - believe me, it's not a pretty sight. Beats me how she can find anything in that pig-sty she calls her room. But as luck would have it, she left her phone on the dining room table this morning.

It's a Nokia but there is no model number on it. It measures approximately 4 inches by 1&3/4 inches by 3/4 inch. Hope that information is useful.

Thanks once again,

MotherGoose

I should have something for you by this weekend. I have some Bernat Sox lying around that I think should work up in roughly the same gauge as a 4-ply baby wool.

< And THIS is why I love this site.>
Me too. Why else would I be mooching round Hong Kong Shops and markets looking for mobile phone covers knitted like socks....?

All right MotherGoose, I've gotten started. FYI, I'm using Bernat brand Sox yarn. Don't know if that is available in your area or not, but it should be similar to your 4-ply yarn, and this should be a fairly forgiving pattern when it comes to gauge, etc.

Before I ask my question, I should also say this: I'm working mine on US Size 1 needles. I'm not sure if Aus. uses the UK or Metric needles sizes, but the US size 1 is a 2.25mm or UK size 12. I also cast on to a larger needle (a US size 3, which is 3.25 or UK size 10, but that isn't all that important. It's just to help my cast-on be a bit on the loose side while still being even).

Ok, now to the question. I don't have any size 1 double-pointed needles, but I really want to use the size 1's to get the nice, tight stitches. Because it is such a small piece and will fit snuggly to the phone, I thought making it without seams would be best, so I'm using a technique called double-sided stockinette. (Well, it's really not all stockinette, I'm doing the top bit in a 1x1 rib, but hear me out...) It's a method where you can knit in a tube using 2 straight needles and slipping every other stitch. It's very handy and if you don't already know how to do it, this would be a really excellent way to learn. However, if you'd prefer to stay simple, I can write the pattern for dpn's instead. Or, I could just make it flat with seams. It's really up to you.

Oh, my next question is, would you like me to write the ribbed bit at the top so that it can be made into a casing for a bit of elastic? I think it'd stay on the phone better that way. Since I am not, and probably you will not be, using elasticized yarn, making a casing for elastic is probably a good way to go. Of course, I'm also making it about 1/2" smaller than your dimension specs so that it fits snuggly.

Er, let me know. I'll probably continue on in the double-sided stockinette until I have a basic prototype. I can write a pattern for you off that no matter what method you'd like to use.

All right, I lied. There's going to have to be some seaming at the toe anyway, and the yarn is so small that I think seams will be OK. I had to start over because my daughter pulled the needle out of my work, so I'm going to work it flat. Now, you can still tell me you want to work it in the round. I think I can write a pattern however you like.

Dear Lothruin,

It is very kind of you to go to all this trouble for me. I would probably prefer circular but I'll take what I can get (flat/seamed or circular) and be very grateful to get it!

Happy Easter! MG

Happy Easter to you as well. I'll write the pattern for using dpn's. It's no trouble, really. I don't have a mobile phone myself, but I've been wanting to make a cozy for SOMEthing, and it's my boss's daughter's birthday on Tuesday and SHE has a mobile phone, so I will probably do some duplicate stitch embroidery on my prototype and call it a gift.

Ok, here it is:

Lothruin's FunTrivia Phone Sock with Two Variations

Keep in mind, I'm using standard abbreviations for US patterns. I don't know if the abbreviations are the same or if you'll be able to figure them out, but if you have a question, just ask.

Materials:
US 1, metric 2.25mm double-pointed needles, set of 4.
Bernat Sox, less than half a ball or equivalent small amount of 4-ply baby yarn.
Yarn needle
Stitch markers

Gauge is approx. 8 stitches and 11 rows to 1 inch or 6 stitches and 9 rows to 2cm. (This converting from US to metric is going to get to me. )

I think this will have enough stretch to it that your gauge doesn't need to be exact. If you're within 1 stitch you probably don't need to use different needles, and it's knit mostly by length, so your row gauge isn't that important at all.

Cast on 38 stitches and arrange them on 3 needles. (Casting on to a needle two-three sizes larger will help the elasticity of your ribbed top.) Place a marker and join.

Row 1: Work in K1 P1 rib for 19 stitches, PM, work to end of row. (If you choose to make the flattened bottom, you do not need this second marker.)
Work 5 more rows or about 3/4" (2cm) in K1 P1 rib, making sure to move your markers along with your work. (Eesh, that should be obvious, but I don't know the standard for pattern-writing in Aus.)

**If you would like to make a casing for elastic, work one row of purl stitches, then another 6 rows of K1 P1 ribbing.

Work in stockinette (I have no idea if you call this "jersey" or "stockinette". In the round, you will be knitting all the way.) until piece measures 3 3/4" from the beginning.

Here you have two choices. You can work a rounded bottom much like the toe of a sock or you can work a slightly flat bottom. It's up to you and depends a little on the phone.

For the sock-toe bottom:
Row 1: K1, K2tog, K until 3 stitches before marker, K2tog, K1,slip marker, K1, K2tog, K until 3 stitches before marker, K1.
Row 2: K
Repeat Rows 1 and 2 once more.
Either bind off the remaining stitches and sew a seam or graft them, whichever method you feel more comfortable with.

For the flattened bottom:
Row 1: K 15, bind off (cast off?) all remaining stitches. Work 6 rows flat in stockinette. Bind off.
Sew the flap down, matching the short side rows with the first and last 4 bound-off stitches of the final round and the 15 stitches of the flap with the middle 15 stitches of the final round.

Finishing:
If you worked the extra rows for an elastic casing: Turn the sock inside out. Cut a piece of elastic (I would recommend 1/2" elastic just a bit smaller around than the phone.) and sew the ends together. Slip it over the top of the sock, fold the casing down so the purl row is now the top of the sock and the edge of the ribbing matches the last row of ribbing on the sock, with the elastic inside, and stitch it down.

Now's the perfect time to add some embelishment. Using knitter's graph paper and duplicate stitch you can make it look like you put hours into a complicated Intarsia pattern.

Here is a graph I made so you can advertise your love of FunTrivia on your knitwork! Obviously you don't have to use purple. Work the purple squares in whatever color yarn you want, in duplicate stitch, leaving the white squares the background color.

PS: Is this FunTrivia's first official knitting pattern?

I am absolutely amazed that you can make up your own knitting pattern! I have been reading this thread with great interest even though I don't understand half of what you are saying.
I am just a very plain knitter and to follow a pattern it must be written in really plain English.

I take my hat off to you.

While you're at it MotherGoose can you knit me a cover for my battery charger and hands free kit, thankyou.

<I am absolutely amazed that you can make up your own knitting pattern!>
Yes, that is so clever, Lothruin. I pride myself I can follow any pattern, but I could even begin to make my own. That's brilliant.

Thanks, everyone. This one was really very simple. Knitting is mostly about math. But I was really rather proud of this sweater that I made in January. It was my first sweater AND my first pattern. The pictures don't really do it justice, and that was the first time I wore it, so I didn't know yet that I should wear it with a black skirt instead of jeans. It is really rather pretty in person.

< end bragging >

<Knitting is mostly about math>

Ahh, that explains why I can't follow an intricate pattern.

That's a lovely "shrug" you designed and knitted Lothruin.

Dear Lothruin,

Thank you so much for the pattern. When I get to work on Thursday, I'll print it out (I'm having trouble with the printer here at home) and I'll have a go! I'll let you know how it turns out.

Your sweater pattern is really impressive.

Your comment about the math hit home.

I was working on a sweater once and no matter how carefully I followed the pattern, it would not work out. Finally I sat down and counted up all the stitches in the pattern and discovered that it did not add up to the number of stitches that were originally cast on. So I knew there had to be stitches missing in the pattern. After careful examination and allowing for the mirror image aspect of half of the pattern, I worked out where the missing stitches should be. I discovered about seven or eight errors like this throughout the pattern, each time occurring in a different place.

At first I was really annoyed that I had spent a lot of money on a pattern which had that many mistakes in it. But by the time I was finished, I had learned a lot and I was really proud of myself for figuring it all out. So I wrote a polite letter to that effect to the knitting company (if my memory serves me correctly it was Hayfield, a British company).

I couldn't believe it when they replied by sending me a complimentary copy of a book on how to knit. Firstly, because the book was a photocopy of a book I already possessed. Secondly, because it seemed silly to me that they were sending me a book on how to knit when I was the one alerting them to their errors. I think I already proved I know how to knit!

Cheers, MotherGoose