I didn't have high hopes for this project when I started it.
I wanted to crochet an iPhone case that would allow me to use my iPhone while the case was on it. Most of the crocheted cases and cozies I've seen covered the phone completely--sometimes only leaving an open space for the head phones and the charger.
At first, I didn't want that. I thought the reason those were the only crocheted cases out there was because people didn't want to take the time to figure out how to cover the the thing properly so that everything works well. So, I gave it a shot.
And now I know the REAL reason why no one does this.
Crocheted iPhone cases (or at least the one I came up with) are really uncomfortable and way annoying!
I mean I got pretty far in the design...I covered the front just right so the yarn didn't cover the touch screen, I left an open space for the headphones, the power button, the charger and speaker, the silent switch and volume buttons and the back camera.
The trouble only revealed itself when I tried to test out my phone in the cozy. It was so uncomfortable! And it kept sliding around. Granted...It MAY not have slid around so much if I had stitched it a lot snugger. But by the time I thought up that solution I was already fed up and ready to start from scratch. I had also decided that even if it didn't slide around, I didn't like how the crocheted case felt--smooth plastic was definitely more my thing lol.
Normal, plain jane cozy it was then...but as I crocheted the bright green yarn I was working with I thought about the mermaid doll I had made. That was the last time I had used this green and I found myself thinking, "it really IS such a pretty color for a mermaid tail." Then I thought--HEY! No plain jane cozy for me! I'm making a MERMAID cozy!
And thus the project I had begun to lose hope in was revived. :D
I really wanted to give my mermaid cozy red hair--like Ariel (The Little Mermaid was my favorite Disney movie growing up before I became obsessed with 101 Dalmatians :P). But I don't have any red yarn... (it's because every time I see red yarn in the store it just doesn't look right to me...it puts me in a bad mood. Idk why honestly. But then I get mad when I actually need red). I tried orange first but...I just couldn't. I kept thinking of carrot top and I couldn't. So I went with the same colour scheme as the mermaid doll. Whatever, it's pretty, it works. Next time I'll get over my weirdness and buy freaking red yarn.
I wanted to avoid doing the torso for as long as possible by working on other things, like adding the flap (which is her hair) and button and what not. I knew I wanted a belly button, star fish pasties, and (of course) a face--but I've never worked so....blocky...before, so I was really nervous about how it was going to turn out. I was also worried I may have made the tail portion go up too high and might have to start over as a result. When I thought of that I figured I better try doing the torso before I put in the work for everything else only to be mad later.
I really like what I ended up with. I mean...if I'm unhappy with anything it's the face. I don't know why, exactly, it's just sort of boring I guess--but the starfish pasties came out so cute and (in my opinion) make everything work out just fine. Haha.
By this point I was basically done. I added a little flower (did make the face more interesting), her fins, some cute stubby arms. I could have said it was done there, but then I really started to think about what I would like from an iPhone cozy. Last year a friend of mine gave me this awesome Hello Kitty cell phone cozy that I used all summer. It had a strap so I just wore it like a mini purse/wallet. I stuck my ID in there, my money, my credit cards, my chapstick (if I felt like wedging it in there). It was a real tight squeeze though and a pain when I wanted. I was thinking about this as I worked on this project and I thought about what could have been added to that bag my friend gave me to make it better.
I already added a hole at the bottom for the head phones to come out, so the charger part is up where the flap is and the phone could be kept in the cozy, with the headphones, in while charging (this may seem like a "whatever" type of thing, but it actually WAS a bit of an issue with my over cozy.
More needed to be done though and I thought about all the stuff I tried to wedge in my little cozy. It really wasn't very safe for me to have things like my ID, money, and credit cards wedged in with my phone. I took out my phone so often, any of that stuff could have fallen out and gotten lost. A separate pocket for that stuff though, would be perfect! I could take out my phone as much as I wanted and the rest of that stuff would be safe. When I decided to make the pocket I wasn't sure at first what colour it should be. Then I thought it would be even MORE perfect if I made it "invisible" so no one would even know it's even there unless they checked it out.
I wanted to add a strap as well so it could be worn like I worn my other one. I debated adding yet another pocket to it just to wedge the strap in, but was concerned that it was was going to start getting too bulky. I figured that the crocheted material had enough yarn that if I (or someone else) wanted to tuck the strap away they could wedge it in the secret pocket too. Or in with the phone itself.
I wanted the strap to be able to be tucked away for times when the cozy wasn't worn but put in a bag or pocket or something. It was really annoying when the strap from my other one would get tangled up with other things.
Overall, I loved this project. It was an unexpected success and I'm really looking forward to making more of these in the future. In fact I might...real soon. ;) There's really not more I can say except that. This was a lot of fun and I'm proud I made something cute AND functional.
Unfortunately, I don't have any pictures right now with my phone actually IN the cozy, because my iPhone is my camera D: But when I get the chance I'm going to borrow my fiance's phone and take some more pics of the cozy "in action."
For now you'll just have to enjoy these :)
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