Easy charge electronics case and the Turkish cast on

I know, it used to be sugarplums dancing in people’s heads, but now we have dreams of smart phones and tablets for Christmas. One of the best accessories for these gifts is the gift of protection and we can make charging more convenient while we’re at it. A case that makes transport easy and it can be hung out of the way while charging. We’ll use the Turkish cast on to make this knitted easy charge electronics case. This case makes a great stocking stuffer or hostess gift.

This pattern is going to be written for an iPhone 6 Plus size. I’m going to go over the math so you are able to plug in your own numbers depending on if you want to make it much smaller, for an mp3 player, or much larger, for a tablet.

First thing you need to do in order to get the right size is make a swatch. Usually, you aim for your swatch to be around 4 inches. The ball band for Red Heart’s Cutie Pie yarn says 20 stitches should equal 4 inches with a US 5 [3.75mm] needle. We’re going to go down a needle size because we want the fabric to be sturdier. This case will have a handy strap to hang it out of the way while it’s charging and the firmer the fabric, the less stretching will occur.

Since our gauge will be different because of the smaller needle size, cast on approximately 25-30 stitches. It isn’t important to hit a 4 inch swatch exactly because we are going to take an average measurement.

Knit in stockinette stitch until your swatch reaches 4 inches and bind off.

Place a ruler on your swatch, without stretching or altering it, just place it on top. Try to place the ruler in the middle of the swatch because that’s where your gauge is going to be the most consistent. Count how many stitches are in 4 inches. Take that number and divide it by 4, this is your stitches per inch.

Next measure the width of your phone, mp3 player, or tablet.

Holiday hint! If you’re making this for someone and you’re not able to inconspicuously measure their phone, you can find the specifications on the manufacturers website.

Once you have your width, don’t round it up or down, take the most accurate measurement you can, if that’s 3.2 inches then use that number. Double the width; this case is going to have to go completely around the phone. If my phone width is 3.2 inches, I would double it to 6.4 inches. Now is when that ‘stitches per inch’ comes in, multiply your doubled width by your stitches per inch and that will be the amount of stitches you cast on.

Example, if my doubled width is 6.4 inches and my stitches per inch is 5, I would cast on 31 stitches. Now you can take your own number and plug it into the pattern to make any size case you like!

materials
1 circular needle US 3 [3.25mm] 24 inch cord length
1 ball of Red Heart’s Cutie Pie Yarn in color Tulip
1 ball of Red Heart’s Cutie Pie Yarn in color Cotton
1 tapestry needle

CO 42 stitches with the Turkish Cast On using the magic loop method. I’ll go over that now, just in case this is an unfamiliar technique.

1. Hold both ends of your needles together side-by-side with your right hand. Secure the yarn to the needle with one finger and simply wrap the yarn around both needles 21 times (half of the required co stitches).
2. Rotate needles 180 degrees (upside down) so you’re holding your needles in your left hand.
3. Pull the bottom needle out of the stitches and knit across the top stitches on the other needles.
4. Rotate needles again 180 degrees, and push the needle back into the stitches. Pull the bottom needle out and knit across the top stitches.
5. One round completed. It’s best to repeat the round in the same fashion before starting the case.

If you need a visual reference for the magic loop, check out the video below.

Knit in the round like this until your phone case is an inch shorter than your phone itself. Change colors over to white. Knit your last inch. On your last round bind off all but your last 6 stitches.

If you’re doing a larger case, leave 8-10 stitches for the extra security of a thicker strap. Now work in an i-cord for 6 inches. My phone case was approximately 3 inches so the strap was twice the width of my case. If you’re doing a smaller version, you’ll want to shorten the cord, and lengthen for a larger case. Keep in mind that this strap will stretch a bit with the weight of your tech inside. Bind off your i-cord and sew the strap into the opposite side of the case.

This might be the perfect stocking stuffer to accompany any new technology going out this holiday season. The Cutie Pie yarn is soft protecting it from scrapes and scratches. The plushness of the yarn will offer some shock absorption and the strap will make charging a breeze leaving shelves and counter space clear!