Felted Cell Phone Tote in Imperial Yarn Columbia - P112 (Downloadable PDF)

Felted Cell Phone Tote in Imperial Yarn Columbia – Pattern P112

This downloadable PDF knitting pattern by designer Jean Lampe, published by Imperial Stock Ranch, provides instructions for a felted cell phone tote — a compact, practical, and elegantly simple accessory designed to keep a cell phone within easy reach. Rather than digging through a bag every time the phone rings, the wearer can carry this small tote over the shoulder on its long I-cord strap, or thread optional belt loops through a waistband. The pattern is rated intermediate in difficulty and is offered as a downloadable PDF.

What Is Being Made

The finished project is a small felted tote case sized to fit most cell phones. Before felting, the tote case measures 7½ x 4¼ inches (19 cm x 11 cm), and the strap measures 50 inches (127 cm). After the felting process, the case shrinks down to approximately 6 x 3¼ inches (15 x 8.5 cm), with the strap reducing to roughly 42 inches (106.6 cm). Final measurements are noted as approximate, since felting results can vary slightly from project to project. The pattern is written as one size that fits most cell phones. An optional belt loop version is also referenced, though not shown in the pattern photo.

Materials Required

• Yarn: Imperial Yarn Columbia 2-ply yarn (100% wool) — a 2 oz skein in the main color (MC) and a 1 oz skein in the contrast color (CC). The colors shown in the sample are 01 Natural and 46 Quail. Because the yarn is 100% wool, it is well suited to the wet felting process.
• Needles: US size 11 (8 mm) knitting needles, plus two double-pointed needles (dpns) in the same size for working the I-cord strap.
• Notions: A US size L/11 (8 mm) crochet hook (used for the provisional cast-on), a tapestry needle, a few yards of smooth waste cotton yarn for the provisional cast-on, and 2 stitch holders.

Techniques Used

• Felting (wet felting): The completed knitted tote is intentionally felted — a process in which 100% wool fabric is agitated in hot water, causing the wool fibers to mat together and shrink. This creates a dense, sturdy fabric that holds its shape without fraying at cut edges. Felting is what gives this tote its finished, polished appearance and its snug, protective fit around a cell phone.
• Provisional (temporary) cast-on: The pattern uses a provisional cast-on worked with smooth waste cotton yarn and a crochet hook. Stitches are picked up from the bumpy side of a crochet chain, allowing live stitches to be retrieved later for seamless joins or additional construction steps.
• Circular knitting / working in the round: The tote body is worked in circular stockinette stitch, producing a seamless tube that is ideal for felting evenly.
• Fair Isle colorwork: The pattern incorporates a Fair Isle stranded colorwork pattern using both the main color and the contrast color. The gauge swatch is specifically measured over the Fair Isle pattern at 13 stitches and 13 rows = 4 inches (10 cm) on size 11 needles.
• I-cord: The shoulder strap is knitted as an I-cord using two double-pointed needles. I-cord is a classic technique for creating a narrow, rounded tube of knitting that, in this case, forms a sturdy and attractive strap both before and after felting.

Stitches Used

• Stockinette stitch — worked in the round for the tote body.
• Fair Isle / stranded colorwork — two-color patterning worked across the body of the tote using MC and CC.
• I-cord — a small