iPhone Cozy

iPhone Cozy
(includes instructions for provisional cast on & grafting)
Recently I had a request to make a cell phone cozy for a family member’s new iPhone. Of course I saw this as an opportunity for a stitch of the month project! And I know that 2 of the frequently asked questions at the store are about provisional cast ons and grafting, this pattern covers both. (I should mention that this is only one of the many provisional cast ons, it is the one I find the easiest to remember).
For the cozy I used a small amount of a 50 gram ball of sock yarn (fingering weight) –in this case Footloose in colour # 9- sun dance. The gauge is 8 sts/inch on 2.5 mm needles. (Or what you need to achieve this). It is knit in a tube starting with the provisional cast on, and then when finished, grafted together at the bottom, if you prefer you could always knit it in a flat piece and sew it together. It has a draw string top for quick access to open.
To begin: This provisional cast on starts with a crochet chain. We need to cast on 44 knitting sts so using a smooth fairly fine waste yarn, (cotton works well) make the crochet chain 50 or more stitches long. You will see on the crochet chain that it has, just like knitting, a knit and a purl side - the knit side being the flat stocking stitch and the purl the bumpy purl looking one. We are going to use the purl side and knit one stitch into each of those purl bumps. Leave a 10 to 12 inch tail of the yarn you are knitting with to use for grafting.

When you have the 44 knit sts picked up using the yarn for the cozy, leave the end you stopped crocheting with dangling a bit so you have easy access to it when you are ready to unravel it, because that is what you will do to expose the live stitches you started with. Now join the sts into the round with 3 or 4 needles and knit stocking stitch for 114 - 15 cm. Then do a row of eyelets for the drawstring: Knit 2, YO for all of this round. On the next round knit, knitting into the YO like any other stitch. Knit a further 1.5 to 2 cm and cast off loosely.

Now, carefully undo the crochet chain exposing the stitches that you cast on with. Put the stitches on 2 double pointed 2.5 or smaller needles, 22 on each. To graft, use the tail left from casting on and a blunt tip darning needle. Line the 2 rows of stitches up together.
To begin::
1. Insert your darning needle purlwise trough the first stitch of the front needle. Pull yarn through, leaving that stitch on the knitting needle.
2. Insert darning needle knitwise through first stitch on back needle. Pull yarn through, leaving stitch on knitting needle.
3. Insert tapestry needle knitwise through first stitch on front needle, slip stitch off needle and insert darning needle purlwise through next stitch on front needle. Pull yarn through, leaving this stitch on needle.
4. Insert darning needle purlwise through first stitch on back needle. Slip stitch off needle and insert darning needle knitwise through next stitch an back needle. Pull yarn through, leaving this stitch on needle.
Repeat steps 3 & 4 until all stitches on both front and back needles have been grafted. Darn in end securely.
Now knit a 3 st I cord (see SOM archives March 2006) approx 35 cm long and thread it through the eyelets. Darn in all ends and you are done! --Heather Tunnah