DIY Knit Kindle Case {A Tutorial}

So, I've been on the lookout for a case for my Kindle pretty much since it was given to me on my birthday back in August since it obviously isn't the best idea to have it just rattling around in my purse. However, I'm pretty frugal cheap, and had yet to find one that I liked but would also be willing to use my precious budgeted pennies on (more on that at a later date). So, I decided to make one over the weekend.

I knit a lined, envelope-style case using the Horizontal Herringbone stitch. Since it's a woven stitch, it tends to be a bit thicker than a lot of knit stitches, which I thought would lend itself to this project nicely. I also used the standard Red Heart yarn, but knit two strands together to make it a bit thicker. I cast on 22 stitches on size 13 needles. HOWEVER, please note that the newer Kindles/other e-Readers have different dimensions. The important thing is that you make your strip just slightly wider than your e-Reader, and twice as long plus 2-4inches. Here's some photos to show you scale:

Then, you need to decide if you want to line your case, and if so, where you want the lining to go. The scrap of fabric that I wanted to use wasn't long enough to span the entire knit surface, so I decided just to line where the Kindle would actually sit, and not the flap that folded over. Then, I just whip-stitched the fabric to the wrong side of my knit piece, using thread that was roughly the same color as my yarn. It doesn't have to be perfect by any means.

Once the fabric strip is tacked on where you'd like it, use a very large needle (I think this is an upholstery needle) to thread your yarn through the needle. Thread a much longer piece of yarn than you anticipate you need to sew up the sides, 'cause it's kind of a pain to get the yarn threaded.

Then, you'll just fold the knit piece so that you form a pocket deep enough to hold your e-Reader and stitch up the sides. I stitched my sides up in-side out (so the fabric was facing out rather than in). Once I stitched up both sides and tied off the ends, I just did a basic whip stitch around the fabric to clean things up a bit.

You can probably see that I chose to whip stitch around the entire edge on the left and right sides, but only around the fabric across the top. This pulled in the left and right edges a bit and created "tabs" of sorts for my buttons. I also whip stitched around the fabric only on the very front inner pocket. {If your fabric reaches the edge of your knit piece, I recommend whip stitching all the way around just for reinforcement and to make it look pretty.}

I decided that I wanted my buttons to be in the back--I was nervous about them resting on the screen itself. So, I just sewed a couple of buttons on the back. I didn't knit button-holes--I found it pretty easy just to slip the button through the knit stitch. BUT, keep in mind that if you line your knit piece all the way to the edges, you'll have to come up with some other way to fasten your buttons since there will be fabric in the way. I have no ideas there, but if anyone else does, let me know!

Finished, from the front: