Crochet bags for tablets, headphones, sunnies…

After working on some bags to hold my parasols, I still have a lot of wool scraps available from larger past projects that I really need to run down. By wool scraps, I mean little lengths of wool. The lengths really vary, from tiny amounts that are under a metre in length to balls that are the size of a cricket ball and smaller.

The shortest amounts (approx 1-5m) I have are usually the last few metres of wool remaining from finishing a much larger project like a blanket or coat. I do something special with these. They automatically get added to a scrap ball as I finish each project. The ball ends up looking like this (please excuse the current project attached):

As you can see, it is a real mixed bag of different colours, and these will vary all the way down into the ball. I do not ever throw wool out, so this scrap ball is an important part of my practice. It also doubles as a useable artefact of past crochet project memories!

The balls varies in size constantly. In the photo above, it is quite large, but that is because I have not made a scrap project of late. That current project is a sunglass case with a long strap so I can tie it to my backpack when I am travelling at night, or wear it as a shoulder bag. It is a little wobbly up the sides because I haven’t planned the wool weights correctly this time around, but have I have nary a care for this particular project. I need something to hold my glasses, not something that’ll be on display in the Tate!

After doing something more extensive like the project below (an iPad cover), I will usually have ran that ball down into something the size of a chicken or quail’s egg, if I haven’t used it up completely. Either way, the cycle will begin anew; big projects, scrap wool, scrap ball, small projects. Rinse and repeat.

The random lengths and colours of the wool are how I get the unique patterning. I use a bit of colour theory (colour context and colour harmony) when making the scrap ball. This step hopefully ensures that the colours all work well together in whatever finished piece I create, regardless of size (which can vary in length and height from jewellery bag, to A4 notebook). It is obviously a bit hit and miss, but overall, I finish up pleased with the result.

As I mentioned above, there’s also a bit of thought that needs to go into the thickness of the wool. They can’t vary wildly in terms of ply and weight if you would like your project to look totally even. Craft Yarn Council has a handy guide, but that is likely for North America only. I would recommend checking for your countries specifications in case there is a difference going from imperial to metric, and so on.

The main stitch I use for these projects is the amigurumi-style single stitch and a 3mm hook. I find this makes a dense stitch, perfect for this style of project. All of these bags and holders will be very heavily handled throughout their lives, so they need to be robust.

The project above is a bag to hold my headphones. I have also made a little pocket to be sewn to the front to hold my aeroplane plug attachment and charger.

I made the strap out of some of my longer balls of wool because I did not want any stray knots to be rubbing on my neck or pressing uncomfortably into my shoulder as I am walking along.

The tassels are from leftover shag jacket projects, I usually find I will have a fistful of strays at the end of a coat that just cannot be added onto the body! Waste not, want not, yeah?

Thanks for reading! Hopefully this post can give you some ideas with what to do with those last little bits of wool. Xx

Related;

I don’t consider these bags good enough to ask people to pay for, they are just practical little pieces that make my day easier. I do have a shop on Depop that I put all of my heart and over a decade of skill into. Check it out here.

Past scrappy projects! Crocodile-stitch bedsocks (or booties) with leather soles…

A Fair Isle hearts-and-stripes onesie-bumsie expansion piece

Support independent creators if you can! I compulsively fill my immediate vicinity with beautiful, comforting things made from materials I have sourced sustainably, but it can be a time consuming, lonely task… can you stand with me and help fight off the scourge of fast fashion?