Friday 11 January 2013

Minecraft Creeper Phone Cosy


I have been working all week on a pattern for a phone cosy. It is still a WIP, and is proving more difficult than I had imagined. I don't usually post until I have finished a pattern, but I am fairly confident I will get there with this one eventually.

My first step was to knit a plain phone cosy for my own phone, which is proving very useful. I watched one of my work colleagues drop her phone and crack the screen yesterday. So this seems a great idea to protect your phone from damage or scratches from keys and other things in your bag. Fine, but it is not very exciting.


My son is crazy for a game called Minecraft, and I thought this might be a good idea. Even quite small children at my school talk about Minecraft. As computer games go it is one I don't mind too much, as to me it seems a little like a 3-D screen version of lego. I should admit though I have played it, just looked over my son's shoulder from time to time. He seems to spend a lot of time building - very complex castles and airships etc. Some of the fun then seems to involved blowing them up afterwards.  Not so great, but the building process does seem good to me. And a creeper, if you didn't know, is one of the more spooky characters in Minecraft.

Anyway I digress a bit from the knitting. I decided to knit him a creeper phone cosy. My first version had to be binned, as I tried to use 8 different shades of green. Much too complicated, and I just ended up with a tangle of wool. So this next version only has 4 colours. It is still not quite right, as a creeper's face should be square, but he is using it for his phone.


I then worked out how to make the creeper square, and think it is going to work out best to have a row of small creepers as they seem to keep their shape better. It is still quite confusing working with 4 strands, and I have found the best way not to get in a complete tangle is to work out exactly how much of the green shades of wool the knitter needs and cut this off before you start, and just work with these bits of wool.

So here is my first square creeper, and a row of some even smaller ones.


But phones come in different sizes, so I still have to decided what size or sizes I am going to design for. Just for once for this pattern I think I am going to have to be really accurate about gauge, and tension, and even perhaps recommend a wool. Nobody minds too much the size of a minibeast, but a phone cosy needs to fit.

27 comments:

  1. My son is a Minecraft addict too, I'm sure he would kill for one of these! A Minecraft series will be very hot, you definitely have got your fingers on the pulse for this one!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Very clever of you. Mastering colorwork is a real skill; you have it!

    Cute cosy.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Great idea! I love my phone case! I would love a case that fits over my Otterbox case (very important with my 3 year old who drops it lots) Sizing is hard for phone cases...I've always wondered how designers decide on the size!

    ReplyDelete
  4. It's neat to see how you worked the colors out. Very nice!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Not sure what MineCraft is, but if he's using it then it's a hit!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Saw your photo on Old Magnolia Tree's sidebar and had to check this out! I have a young fried who adores Minecraft (also Legos) and this would be perfect for his birthday in a few weeks. Would make an awesome hat with the creepers around the brim. Thanks so much for posting. :)

    ReplyDelete
  7. A phone cozy is such a great idea!! I am dropping mine all the time and not it is held together with tape!! Love the little mine craft guy. Great representation!

    ReplyDelete
  8. These look really great and I am sure that they will be popular! Well done for persevering.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Looks very clever, and at least with knitted covers there is some stretch to allow for a little bit of difference in size.

    ReplyDelete
  10. These are such a fab idea for the younger generation :) well done for persevering with the design! x

    ReplyDelete
  11. A great way to protect a phone. I bet they will be popular.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Brilliant idea! I like making phone cosies as a way of trying out pattern ideas but I agree its a nightmare with all the sizes to cater for!

    ReplyDelete
  13. Phone cosies are a great idea and very popular at the moment. It sounds like the Minecraft idea will be a big hit.

    Jan x

    ReplyDelete
  14. A really lovely case - a great idea. Hope you have a good idea.

    ReplyDelete
  15. I love it! Brilliant :-) I'm sure you'll hit on the solution soon!

    ReplyDelete
  16. I wish phones didn't come in so many sizes! Being knitted must give an extra bit of flexibility though as I suppose they will stretch to fit a little.

    ReplyDelete
  17. Well done you for being so patient! I like the row of smaller squares, and the way you have knitted up the colours.
    Wendy x

    ReplyDelete
  18. Love the design and no doubt kids will.
    Ali x

    ReplyDelete
  19. Very cool! I love the trial, error and perseverence - the final final product is going to be well worth all that testing. It's already looking very cool - you're nearly there. Good luck with the home straight!

    ReplyDelete
  20. Wow, that looks like really complex knitting to me to get all those colours.

    ReplyDelete
  21. Love this design. For a creeper though. are you sure it's safe and won't blow up the phone? :-D

    ReplyDelete
  22. Great job there! I like how you use that special paper to mark out the pattern first. Thanks for sharing at Hookin On Hump Day!

    ReplyDelete
  23. All three of mine are ADDICTED to Minecraft - and I'm learning to be okay with that, lol. I love the phone cozy! Saw you on Hoookin On Hump Day! :D

    ReplyDelete
  24. my son just looked over my shoulder and asked if i could make one for his ipod touch.....your pattern is going to be a hit!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It is taking me a bit longer than I thought, but will definitely have different sizes, and one will be ipod touch, as I spend half my life on mine. I have got a bit sidetracked with zombies and skeletons.

      Delete