Pencil Case - Part 3

Today we're finishing up the Pencil Case!  If you missed the first 2 parts, you can check them out:

Part One - Where Jaime crochets an outer shell for the case...

Part Two - Where Jaime does a sewing tutorial with thread you can't see, so she has to draw it in...

So, on to Part Three - Where Jaime shows you some stuff you might not have seen before... And hopefully finishes the Pencil Case... Finally!

The Supplies we're using today are:

12 1/2" zipper (or longer, since zippers don't come in that size)

Yarn needle

Scissors

Matches

Sewing pins

The cotton yarn you used to make the crocheted outer shell in Part One 

Knit Picker

As you Dynamos may already know, I can never find a 'right-sized' zipper.  I haven't put a un-customized (that's not a real word, btw) zipper into any of my crocheted projects.  I cut and stitch and melt all of them.  I was lamenting this sad fact to Jake a while back, and he suggested I find someplace that I could purchase big lengths of zipper, if I was just going to customize it anyway.  Brilliant!  

Did you know that you can buy a big, fat roll of zipper?!  Okay, smarty pants, well the rest of us didn't know about it!  I got mine online at Joann.com.  They have two kinds of the Make-A-Zipper,  regular and heavy duty.  I got heavy duty, since most of my projects are meant to be used a lot.  So, lucky for me, I was all ready to go when I needed a 12 1/2" zipper!

I was able to zip the zipper pulls along, up the spool of zipper, until I got the length that I needed.  Then I just cut it off.  So easy peasy!  There are instructions on the package on how to sew the ends closed (in fact, they HIGHLY recommend sewing the ends before cutting the zipper), but we fly without a net around here. Usually, I elaborately stitch the ends closed with sewing thread, but this time I knew that I would be stitching across the ends when I sewed the zipper in, so I just used a piece of yarn and sewed it once around the zipper teeth.  Even more simply, I tied the ends in a knot on the back of the zipper.  Seriously, Dynamos, it was freeing to work so loosely!

I used a match to (very slightly) melt the cut ends of the zipper fabric.  This will keep it from fraying.  I don't know how necessary this step is for this particular project (the ends won't show, get rubbed or abused or handled in any way), but on the off chance that I would ever need to wash the case, I did it for good measure.

Putting a zipper in, without wanting to throw the project across the room, requires some prep work.  First, we're going to pin the zipper in place.  Grab your pencil case with liner and your pins!

Decide if your case has a front and back (if you used one solid color, this doesn't matter, but two or more colors will have a slight jog in the stitches on one side, thus necessitating a banishing to 'back' status).  I put my zipper in so that it would unzip from left to right.  You can, of course, put your zipper in however you like.

Start by sliding the end of your zipper about a half inch in between the liner and the crocheted outer shell. Pin it in place (I put the pin in sideways, across the zipper).  Unzip the zipper to make it easier to see what you're doing.  Slide the zipper fabric in between the liner and the crochet, slowly working around the edge of the flap.  Pin it in place as you go.

When you get to the corner of the flap, you're going to want to fold the zipper fabric over to miter the corner.  Make sure you catch both layers of zipper fabric when you pin it between the liner and the crochet flap so it doesn't spring apart.

Make your way around the case, sliding the extra length of zipper end in between the liner and crochet outer shell when you get to the other side.  Pin, pin, pin everything. Once you've got it pinned in place you can check it by (very carefully!) zipping it closed.  If the zipper pulls the fabric weird, or in some way aggravates you, NOW is the time to adjust it.   Also, check to make sure that the liner fabric and crocheted fabric are spaced evenly (maybe 1/8th inch?) from the zipper teeth.  Go around and adjust the pins until you are thrilled with how it looks, and you're sure the zipper pull won't get caught on too-close fabric.

Now, get out your Knit Picker and yarn, 'cause we're going to crochet it all together! 

If you didn't see my previous Knit Picker project (the Simple Ruffle-Butt Onesie) I would strongly encourage you to go and look at the step-by-step pictures of the knit picker in action.  It's okay, open it up in a new tab and read through the instructions on how the tool works, we'll wait for you  because we are covering so much info today that this next part is bare bones, baby!  Okay, not bare-bare bones, but it will be really confusing if you don't know how to make it work.  If you've used one before, or you're familliar with the latch-hook mechanism as it pertains to this application, then you're ready for this next part! 

This project is harder than the onesie, since you're going to have to go through multiple layers of fabric.  I found it was easier to get through the layers of liner, then go through the zipper fabric, and come out in a crocheted stitch.

The good part is that you don't have to mark your stitch guide, just use the crochet stitches on the flap as a guide.  Your knit picker stitches will be evenly spaced if you go through each crocheted stitch across the top of the flap.  Down the sides of the flap I used the rows as a guideline, but I just eyeballed the spacing.  The stitches don't show on the outside of the case, so it's hard to make a mistake on the side spacing.

Pulling the (much thicker than the yarn we used for the onesie) cotton yarn through all those layers of fabric is not easy.  Once you've done a few stitches you'll get the hang of it, and you'll know how hard you need to pull to get it to work.  

I started in the center of the back, since I figured that was a spot that was least likely to show, and wouldn't have much tension placed on it in the zipping/unzipping process.   

That reminds me, make sure that you really pay attention when you get to the bottom of the flap, as you go across from one side to the other, put a stitch on each side of the zipper teeth.  One on one side, go across and one on the other side.  This will really secure the zipper in place.

Once you've gone around the case, pull the last loop out just a little extra.

Come in from the outside, so that you can pull the loop through.  This will make it really easy to weave the end in when you're finished.

Once you've gotten the loop through, pull it out really long.  You may need to grab a crochet hook for this part.  **In fact, if at any point you are having trouble pulling a loop out far enough for it to 'chain' to the other stitches, use a crochet hook.  You will feel like you're going to break your knit picker if you pull very hard, and it's just not worth the sick feeling in your stomach if you've got your tool kit nearby.  The knit picker is super sturdy, and it shouldn't break, btw. I'm just sayin' why take the risk if it makes you nervous?**

Fasten off and weave in the ends, 'cause you are done, baby!!!

Oh yeah!  Inside!!  And now Outside!!!

I know I say this about every project, but I really am so happy with how it turned out.  I have made a few more that need to get the zippers put in, but I'll share those with you when they're done (and I don't have anything else to talk about that day...).

In the meantime, I thought I'd share this video.  This is the one that my friend Eliz sent me that really kicked off my knit picker love.  If you'd like more info you can click HERE and it will take you to TECHknitting, who pioneered this technique.  (And I know that in-blog videos are annoying, but pop it open to full-screen because this one is really good and well worth watching.).

xoxo

Recycled Yarn Holder

Recently, Jake and I discovered two of the greatest things known to man.  Sprite Zero and the Market Pantry Cherry Limeade water enhancer (Target brand, in the Kool Aid section).  Do you know what combining those two things makes?  A really, really good Sonic Cherry Limeade clone!  And it's sugar-free, but it doesn't taste sugar-free!

Please don't notice that the Sprite bottle is empty... LOL!!!

Here's the 'recipe':
Fill a quart sized mason jar (or any other big ol' summertime cup) with ice.  Pour in Sprite Zero to cover ice. Add two squirts of the Cherry Limeade flavoring.  If you happen to have a wedge of lime, give it a squeeze and then toss it in too, because it's extra awesome with a wedge of lime... Stir with a straw, and then take it outside to enjoy while you watch the kids play in the sprinklers.

This has left us with an abundance of 2-liter bottles that we have to recycle.  There's a little recycling center about five hundred feet from our house (don't ask, it's weird) which we regularly take our cans and bottles to, but there's something that I really like about the Sprite Zero bottles.  They're really clear, and they've got cool texture, and grippy parts.  I can't explain it.  I just dig the design.  So, I thought I could make something crafty and yarn friendly with these cool bottles, and recycle them in a different way.

I am always on the lookout for cheap (but cool?) yarn holders.  So I went on a search to find the best soda bottle yarn holder out there.  I discovered some really great ideas, particularly this article by Teresa Gunderson, but none of the bottles were pretty.  I mean, I don't need it to look like it's not a empty bottle, but I was looking for some flair!  By the way, read Teresa's article, the idea of storing yarn in the bottles to keep it dry and clean is brilliant by itself, but then adding that she throws the bottles into her project bag for on-the-go crafting?!!  Did you hear that noise?!  My brain just exploded.  Why, oh why, has it never occurred to me to use two liter bottles when I'm traveling with my crochet projects?  My spindles are rad, but they are heavy and not appropriate for travel...  Yet my yarn still wants to roll around on the floor.  That cinched it.  Now I had to make a yarn holder.  And I knew just the bottle I wanted to use...

I peeled off the Sprite Zero label and discovered that underneath the bottle was segmented by little ridges. Perfect!!!  I cut the bottle apart, using the ridges as guidelines so that my cuts were straight.  I cut the bottle at the top ridge and at the middle ridge, which gave me three pieces to work with: the top, the bottom, and then a little 3/4" strip from the middle.  I set the middle strip aside and focused on the two big parts.

You're going to need a 14" or longer zipper for this project.  I used an 18" zipper, because that was what I had.  The circumference of the bottle is 13" so we're going to have to customize the zipper, like how I showed you when we made the Work-In-Progress Bag.  But first, we're going to hot glue!

Hot glue the zipper to the bottom section of the bottle (quick reminder, it's really hot! Be careful, Dynamos!).  You want to try to get the teeth fairly near the edge of the bottle, so that it's neat and lined up.  When you get close to the end (beginning!) stop a half an inch or so before you reach the teeth where you started.  Give yourself a little bit of space, maybe a quarter of an inch, and then sew across the zipper teeth to create a new end to your zipper.  Snip off the excess, and melt the edges to keep it from fraying.  If you want to get fancy schmancy, you could crochet a little end cap for this flappy, slightly unsightly, end of the zipper.  Otherwise, let's just move on.

Now you're going to hot glue the other side of the zipper to the top part of the bottle.  This is slightly trickier, since you will have to unzip the zipper to glue it in, and so your zipper to hot glue ratio is going to be a little worse.  Be extra careful.  But on the bright side, it doesn't matter where you start gluing, since you don't have to line up sides or anything.  Yippee!  Try not to get glue on the zipper teeth.  This is important, since the first couple of times you zip/unzip the zipper it's going to be tough anyway. Hot glue on the zipper track just makes it that much harder.  I got one little bonus blob of glue that completely bogged down the works until I snipped it off with some tiny scissors.  Learn from my mistakes, Dynamos!  Take care of your teeth!  LOL!

Hmm.  So we got the bottle together, but now what?  The hot glue and zipper don't look especially good at this point, so I think we should crochet something to cover that part up.  There's not a word, or even a phrase, that I can come up with that adequately describes what that piece is, so I'm kind of at a loss as to what I should call the pattern.  For now, I am going to call it Bottle Flair.  I toyed with Zipper Edging for a few minutes, but Bottle Flair won out.  ** If you have an opinion, feel free to express it in the comments below.  Let your voice be heard!  I will also accept other naming suggestions.  I don't expect that this will be the only time that I make these, and I'd love to have a name that we all agree on.  Dynamo votes count double!** 

Supplies: 

Small amount of worsted weight yarn (I used Lion Cotton in Purple)

Size G hook

Bottle Flair

(make 2)

R1: ch 44, sl st to first ch to join round (44 st)

R2: ch 1, sc in each ch space around, sl st to first sc to join round (44 st)

R3: -do not chain- (skip 1 sc, 5 dc in next sc, skip 1 sc, sl st in next sc) 11 times 

Fasten off.  Weave in ends.

Slip your Bottle Flair onto the bottle with the straight edge towards the zipper.  Hot glue the Bottle Flair in place.  **Bottle Flair feels very fancy, maybe Zipper Edging would have been better... It's not too late, place your votes now!**

This is what your finished Yarn Holder should look like.  Unless you used a different color, in which case, your Yarn Holder is going to look different - but similar - to this.

The Yarn Holder in action!  I am very happy with how it turned out.  I think I'm going to make several more, since they will be perfect for multi-colored work.  And, most importantly, my yarn isn't going to roll around on the floor of the car when I go to the drive-in now. 

xoxo

P.S. Don't throw away that 3/4" strip of plastic from the middle of the Sprite bottle.  I've got a project that uses it coming up on Thursday.  In the meantime, have a happy 4th of July!

xo Jaime

The WIP Bag, Part 2 - Put in the Zipper!

Are you ready to put a zipper into your bag?  I know that I am.  I'm going to show you a way of putting them in that looks really neat, and will impress all of your family and friends.  Okay, grab the supplies you rounded up on Monday and meet me back here in two minutes (brief reminder, you'll need your: zipper, your bag, your lighter (or matches), a pair of scissors, a sharp needle, thread that matches the bag, yarn needle, and leftover nylon yarn).  Whether you go get a glass of iced tea or not is entirely up to you...

First thing we're going to do is sew the zipper on to one of the flaps.   You can just center the zipper along the flap.  Don't try to line up the end, it will only make it more complicated later.  Centered inconveniently is what we're going for here.   Sew it in, getting the flap lined up as close to the zipper teeth as possible, then go  back and whip stitch the bottom (non-toothed) edge to the flap as well so that the zipper lies nice and flat against the bag.  The picture is what the inside should look like, with the two rows of stitches.

Pin the other flap in place, along the other side of the zipper, and then stitch it down the same way you stitched the first side.  It will be a little less fun than the first side, because you'll have to unzip the zipper in order to do the stitching.  That's why it's important to pin it in place before you start.

Now you can zip the top closed! Yippee!  You're in the home stretch now, so why don't we stitch the zipper closed at the bottom of the flap?  It's easy, just stitch over the teeth where the flap ends.  Go over it with doubled thread, three or four times.  Then slide the zipper pull into the area between the flaps and pin the zipper closed at the other edge of the flaps.  Stitch the zipper closed at that edge too, which will be a little less neat, and a little bit more difficult, since the zipper is open at that edge.  I've put two pictures, one so that you can see how it should look, and then one pointing out the exact places you will be sewing across the zipper teeth.

Now you're going to cut the zipper off at the end of the flap!  Sounds scary, but it's not.  Just snip across the end!  Then get out your matches or lighter (Jr. Dynamos, please get help from an adult!) and run a flame along the cut edge to seal it and protect it from fraying. (You will notice the knots left from when I sewed that  end shut.  I didn't cut through my stitches, lol!  We're going to cover the ends of the zipper up in the next step, and I didn't want my knots to show on the inside of the bag.)  Make sure you cut and seal both ends of the zipper.

Last step!  Get out your yarn needle, and the leftover piece of nylon you had left.  Stitch the last 4 stitches along the edge of the flaps together, and then sew the flap pieces to the little open area at the butt end of the zipper.  Do it on both sides.  Weave the tail ends in about two stitches, and then snip and melt the ends, like you did on Monday.

Voila! You now have an awesome new bag to put your current project in! It looks small, but...

Look at all the stuff it's holding!!!  Can you believe it?!  It's like the clown-car of bags!!!

Btw, yep, that's a couple of lip balm holders in-the-making... Have you made one yet?  What are you waiting for?! 

xoxo

Work in Progress... Part 1: Crochet!

I cannot say it enough, I love project bags.  Small enough to throw in a purse on my way out the door, but big enough to hold all of the supplies I need for crochet-on-the-go.  I tend to work in phases, and it helps me to stay organized when I keep the yarn and hook and pattern all together when I have to put a project aside for a while.  Then I know I've got everything there when I am ready to pick it back up again!

I am fascinated with nylon yarn.  It doesn't behave the way that cotton, wool or acrylic do, the fibers don't blend together.  The stitches are smooth and even the tightest stitches leave lacy stitches and hole-y fabric.  It's heavy and it's slippery.  The ends unravel.

Yet, it produces beautiful results.  Results that you can't get any other way, because the natural fibers don't behave the way that nylon does. Nylon doesn't stretch out of shape in awkward and dramatic ways.  You don't have to weave in ends...

I got some Iris Nylon Thread (size 18) to make a project bag.  I wasn't sure what I had in mind, but I wanted something with a zipper, and maybe handles. I wanted a one-skein bag, since I only bought one skein of this color...  I got to crocheting, and 197 yards is just not much to work with.  I frogged several designs, since I was at the end of my skein before I was even halfway done with my bag.  My bag was going to be a lot smaller than I had thought it would be.  This was going to be a bag for delicate projects.  That was okay with me, I am still on my size 3 crochet thread kick.  My current projects tend to be small anyway.

The crochet part of this bag is really straightforward and simple, but the zipper instructions are a little image heavy, so I'm going to break this project up into two parts: The Crocheting Instructions, and Installing the Zipper.  Most of the crocheting is just working hdc stitches in the round.  I made the flaps in (what I would consider) a rather unconventional manner, so I would recommend reading through the pattern before you start.  If you have any questions, please feel free to email me at CrochetDynamite (at) gmail (dot) com.

So, if you'd like to make a Work In Progress bag, grab your supplies and let's get going.

The WIP Bag
Supplies:
1 skein Iris Nylon Crochet Thread size 18 in French Wines (or any other color that makes your heart sing!)
Size D crochet hook
1 polyester zipper that is at least 9" long
Thread to match yarn (if you have to choose between matching the zipper color or the yarn color, match the yarn color)
Scissors
Yarn needle
Sewing needle
Matches or lighter

Making the Bag:
ch 31
R1: hdc in the back loop of the 2nd ch from hook, hdc in back loop of each ch across, ch 1, turn (30 st)
R2-4: hdc in each stitch across, ch 1, turn (30 st)
R5: hdc in each stitch across, 5 hdc across the short side, 30 hdc across the other long side, and 5 hdc across the other short side, sl st to first hdc of row (70 st)
*a side note: don't add extra stitches to the corners, we don't want the bag to flare out, we want it to go straight up from the base.
R6-31: ch 1, hdc in each stitch around, sl st to first hdc of row (70 st)
R32: (flap row) ch 1, 30 hdc in back loops only, 5 sl st, 30 hdc in back loops only, ch 10, skip 5 st (60 st in a really weird row. Don't turn work, just start next row, leaving the chain to dangle.)
R33: (flap row) 30 hdc across hdc stitches, ch 10, skip 5 st, 30 hdc across hdc stitches, ch 10, skip 5 st (60 st)
R34: (flap row) 30 hdc across hdc stitches, ch 10, skip 5 st, 30 hdc across hdc stitches (60 st)

Fasten off, leaving a few inches of yarn tail.  We're not going to weave the ends in, exactly, but we are going to move them away from the edge of the bag flaps a little. So, use your yarn needle to pull the end through a couple of stitches, so the frayed yarn end is now on the inside of the bag.  Make sure the starting yarn tail is on the inside as well.

Now, READ THIS CAREFULLY:  You are going to cut the chain loops from the flap rows.  Only cut through ONE strand of yarn, halfway between the two flaps (which would make it the 5th or 6th chain). THEN, unravel the chain back to the crochet fabric. Stop before you unravel your flap!  Use the yarn needle to weave the unraveled chain back into the flap a few stitches.  It's going to look bad at this point, but the next step will clean it up.  Trust me, dear Dynamos!  I would never steer you wrong! You will be cutting, unraveling and weaving the end into the inside of the flap for all four of the chain loops (8 frayed chain ends, plus the start and end tails, will give you total of 10 ends to be dealt with).

CAUTION: CAUTION: CAUTION: CAUTION: CAUTION: CAUTION:
This next part is slightly dangerous.  If you are a Junior Dynamo, please get an adult to help while you do this next part.  Grab your matches, or lighter, and your scissors. We're going to melt the ends of the nylon so that they don't unravel or fray. *Go slowly. Only do one thread at a time!! Open a window so that you aren't inhaling the fumes!

Snip the thread, leaving a 1/4" tail sticking out of the fabric.  Melt it with the matches, letting it melt into the stitches around it.  This is a quick process.  Don't worry if the stitches around it get slightly melty. (Just don't touch them!!!  They are super-hot melted plastic, and it will stick to your skin and burn you.)  The melted end will cool into a little hard blob of plastic that will never come loose.  Yippee!!

Now do that for all of the frayed ends.  Wow!  That was awesome.  Put it aside and get yourself a glass of iced tea.  We'll put the zipper on Wednesday. (Oh, and don't throw away the last 2 feet of yarn you have left, you'll need it for finishing up the top!)

xoxo

edit 6/21/12: This is the post where we put the zipper in!