Oh, the Drudgery!
I wanted a simple no brainer nook color sleeve that would take no thought to knit. Every free search on ravelry resulted in cables or a sleeve for a kindle. Well well well. I did the math and made my own. I'm calling it Oh, the Drudgery (yes the caps are necessary) because it has got to be one of THE single most boring patterns EVER. It is so simple all you need to know how to do is cast on, knit (OR purl), bind off and sew a simple stitch. Really, that's it. I used yarn from my stash, size 10 needles and got to work. Gauge is NOT terribly important with a felting project. Just be prepared for different wools to felt at different rates. Its all dependent on your water temperature, stretch of washer, objects in washer, detergent, oh and the yarn. 100% wool is best. Agitation + heat = fulling. Cast on 55 stitches. Knit row. Knit next row. Repeat for 13 inches. (I actually purled, since its faster for me.) Bind off. This is done garter because #1 stitch patterns won't matter when fulled. And #2 I think it's a little thicker fabric when fulled. When you bind off, fold the knit rectangle in half. You want it to be 13 inches long and 7.5 inches wide. Seam side and bottom. Full your wool. Check to make sure you don't OVER felt it. I tossed mine in a pillowcase then closed the pillowcase with rubber bands, so I don't have to try and clean wool fuzz from my washer. One cycle later mine was done. And perfect size. It ended up being 9.5 inches tall and 6 inches wide when fulled, perfect for my nook color. Knitting will felt more lengthwise compared to width, take that into consideration. Warning. This is the most boring thing I ever knit. Ever. In ten years of knitting, nothing has come close. But I think it's been the most cost effective thing I've ever knit. These covers are pricey. And this yarn was cheap. I used a 40% off coupon at Joanns and this project only used one skein with a teeny bit leftover. I had to put on my big girl panties and finally finish this though because woo it was boring.
all content copyright elizabeth a smith 2012 I hope it comes in handy for someone. Have fun!! Ravelry page link here. And this also fits a kindle. It will be a little longer though. I am thinking even for my nook I will need to add a button and some sort of tabs on the top (or a flap) to prevent the nook from sliding out. Its extra insurance for sure. You have several options for flap. You could knit a separate square or rectangle and sew it on when you everything together, before felting. Id try 30 stitches cast on and knit for at least 3 or 4 inches. Or you could bind off 25 stitches at the end of your project and continue to knit the last 30 stitches for 3 or 4 inches. Then bind off and seam as normal. Alternatively you could knit a few icords to attach at the top for looping around a button sewn on the front. Or you could knit "straps" wider than an icord. (Maybe 5 stitches wide?) I'd probably do this and attach a snap at the end so it snaps down on the wool, I think two evenly spaced would secure it. There are many options here! I have NOT tested those numbers so if you do, please give feedback! One last addition. I prefer knitting in the round. If you do too, cast on and knit in the round. Three needle bind off for the simplest finish at the end! allcontent copyright elizabeth a smith 2012 Printer Friendly Page:
Oh, the Drudgery!
Cast on 55 stitches. Knit row. Knit next row. Repeat for 13 inches. Bind off. (seam end OR 3 needle bind off and no seaming...) You have several options for flap. You could knit a separate square or rectangle and sew it on when you everything together, before felting. Id try 30 stitches cast on and knit for at least 3 or 4 inches. Or you could bind off 25 stitches at the end of your project and continue to knit the last 30 stitches for 3 or 4 inches. Then bind off and seam as normal. Alternatively you could knit a few icords to attach at the top for looping around a button sewn on the front. Or you could knit "straps" wider than an icord. (Maybe 5 stitches wide?) I'd probably do this and attach a snap at the end so it snaps down on the wool, I think two evenly spaced would secure it. There are many options here! I have NOT tested those numbers so if you do, please give feedback!
