Another charity knitting challenge in 2012 was to make pencil cases. These are for kids in Africa. I love using brighter than bright colour combinations and interesting buttons and beads for the fasteners.
Pencil cases are really quick and fun to knit. If you ever want to see results quickly, the knitting part is really satisfying. It’s basically a square, then folded in three. I had fun with stripes and using different stitches for textured patterns for the flap and the back.
It was the making up that I found really daunting. First, I had to work out how to sew it together (I hadn’t learned mattress stitch or simple crochet at that stage). Next I had to decide how to add clasps to keep the flap closed. I tried press studs (snap fastener), and buttons and button holes. I also bought some magnetic fasteners, but they are a bit heavy duty for the size, weight and material of the pencil cases.
I’m working on a design that is super strong, with the flap on the short side rather than on the long side of the case. I’ll post instructions as soon as I am happy with it.
In the meantime, lots of other people have designs. Here are some links to similar projects:
Pencil case patterns for Sudan
Flickr: Pencil cases for Sudan
Moss stitch pencil case for Sudan
Pencil Case for Darfur
Master crafting 