Make Your Own DPN Stitch Keepers, Deux

A couple of days ago I posted about the cool felt DPN point protectors, or stitch keepers, featured on the CRAFT blog. Very nice. I love DPN protectors. I wondered whether felted cups of our own making would serve, and another blogger sort of said, “So why don’t you?” So I did.

Here’s what I got….

Okay, they’re pretty plain, but imagine them with more spectacular beads, different colors, some kicky needlefelting, maybe allover beads? Maybe some cool Coralscape, a la, Ms. Jorgenson? Or something? I can see that, yes? So here’s how I did it, and when you do yours, will you send me a link?

First the ingredients:

Plain old worsted wool. In this case Plymouth Galway. A couple of beads… really optional, but I liked the idea. A length of elastic that is double the length of the DPNs you’re trying to protect, and a plastic bag that you’ll use to make some plastic yarn the way my hero, Helle does. you need less than a fist-ful of plastic yarn. A crochet hook, mine is 4mm.

Chain 3, and 8sc into first chain:

then pull the tail through the center along with a loop of elastic, wrap the elastic around the tail.

then fix the tail with a bead and knot it off. I think I might next time make the tail a crochet chain, for strength. The elastic will pull the bead and knot tight to the end when the needle holder is in place, so don’t worry too much about a little floppiness right now. Just try to get the end bead or knot as close to the hole as you can.

and then work 8sc rounds until the piece is about as long as your finger….

Then stuff the piece with the plastic yarn, just feeding it in and stuffing until it is full. Not overfull, but full…

The plastic will keep the piece from felting in on itself. Now knot the elastic ends, and close the top, looping the elastic through one of the loops, so it’s fixed at the top, just as it is at the bottom, stuffing all the elastic inside before you completely close the loops at the top… The elastic will stick out a little. That’s just fine…

Bead and knot off the top to make a funny looking little thingamajig…

I tried machine felting, this, but it was too small, and ended up fulling it by rolling it between my palms under the hottest water I could stand…

Until I got this little green hairball…

The next step was to carefully cut it apart, but in my zeal, I just chopped the whole thing in half, and cut right through the elastic cord… darn. I reknotted that. But you will be more careful, and use tiny scissors to cut your little hairball in tiny snips to avoid the elastic, then remove the plastic yarn, and show your needles their new home…