How to crochet a ukulele cover

I wanted to crochet a ukulele cover, but the only two patterns I could find were not quite right. One was knitting, the other was crochet, but required a bit of sewing. With both the available patterns a little out of my depth, I came up with my own.

This is the first crochet ukulele case that I have made, and it went well. I wanted to share this for anyone else who crochets, may not feel like reading a pattern and wants to make a ukulele carry bag of their own.

Things you should probably know already;

• Calculating tension.
•  How to crochet beanies, blankets, button holes, jumper sleeves and doily lace.
• Sewing woollen shapes together and attaching buttons.

If you have an intermediate crocheting skill level, hopefully you can follow along and shape the case to your own ukulele’s size.

Planning

First things first; needed a plan. Probably the easiest way to go would to be to work with the shapes of the ukulele. I’ve decided to start with the largest rounded portion of the instrument, and leave the long neck to crochet as a continuous loop later.

How to access the uke repeatedly throughout the lifespan of the case is another consideration. I’m game to try a crocheted flat-and-button-clasp system on the bottom, and think it will be possible without the material stretching or fraying too much.

But what if the straps open during wearing the case and it falls out the bottom? Another solution – dual straps. One to act like a sling around the body of the instrument, with a single button clasp. Then, two flaps that will fold over that strap again, to close with two buttons.

Lastly, how to attach the strap to the case? I decided on D-rings and removable D-clasps.

I came up with this design for a ukulele case:

The next step; celebrate the plan

I went through my wool collection and have decided on a couple of shades of blue of which I have 2-3 balls each. I have more of the lighter blue, so plan to use the bulk of the wool for the body, and the darker blue as a complimentary colour for highlights and so on.

This post is becoming quite long and ramble-y, so I am going to break it into a few stages; Planning, Making, Finishing.

Right now, I have the design, my wool, the tension worked out and the right hook. It’s quite an ambitious plan, as every shape needs to be just right for the uke to sit in the case properly. Lots of work to do. Time to crochet.

Related:

I have written a few tutorials, mainly to do with paper, food, booze, shoes and textiles. I keep them all in the How-To category.

If you are having trouble working out tension or how much wool you will need for a project, there is a great tutorial available here.