Knitting

Free Patterns, Tutorials and Project Ideas

Pencil Case Knitting Patterns

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One knit item for back to school that students can actually use is a knit pencil case. Especially if they are tightly knit or lined with fabric, a knit pencil case is a fun project to knit and useful for everything from pencils to makeup to knitting supplies. Let’s take a look at some fun pencil case knitting patterns. 

I have a pattern on Our Daily Craft that I just called a zipper bag, but it’s a good size to hold pencils and other school supplies. I used worsted weight yarn on mine but you can use whatever you have handy. This one is kind of fun because I started from the zipper so there’s no sewing when the project is done. 

The Knit Guru has a free zipper pouch pattern worked in DK weight yarn that uses hurdle stitch (and easy knit and purl pattern) and includes a video tutorial.

If you want to add some colorwork to your pouch, the Bellfower Pencil Case from Ellen S-A on Ravelry is a fun one. This one calls for sport weight yarn and uses four colors (in the photo it kind of looks like three but the vine is a different color from the stitches on the edges. Or try her Dancing Sheep Pencil Case (also free on Ravelry), which features a row of colorwork sheep with garter stitch bodies. So cute!

Frankie Brown has a fun knit triangular case called the Toby Case, which can be used to hold pencils, eye glasses or anything in between. It calls for DK weight yarn and uses plastic canvas to help hold its shape. You can find this one for free on Ravelry as well. This one has a button closure if you don’t want to sew on a zipper. 

And speaking of pencil cases with fun shapes, there’s this pencil shaped case from Amanda Berry that’s super cute. It has a zip closure at the top by the eraser, and calls for DK weight yarn. It’s knit flat and also uses plastic canvas for reinforcement (though I secretly wish it were a Pringles can LOL). 

The Pia pencil case is a sweet little design from Irene Nielsen Milano, which comes in two sizes for pencils or other supplies. It calls for DK weight yarn and has a zipper and a fabric lining. I love the little scalloped edging, too.  

And if you want to keep it simple with stockinette, there this bag from Songbird Handmade Shop, which is also lined with fabric and has a zipper. It says you can use a sewing machine for these steps but it’s also fine to sew them by hand. The pattern includes instructions for knitting a solid color, stripes and several colorwork designs, which are included as charts and written patterns. It uses DK weight yarn. 

Comments

  1. Such a lovely collection of pencil case patterns! I really like the variety—from simple zip pouches to fun themed designs like the sheep and pencil-shaped case. These projects are practical, stash-friendly, and perfect for back-to-school knitting. Thanks for sharing such inspiring ideas!

Have you read?

Knit Back at AI Patterns with the AIlephant

Lots of craft designers are understandably frustrated about the proliferation of AI “designed” patterns and photos of projects that have no basis in reality. People who don’t know how to tell if a project is AI are often also frustrated when they see a picture for something but there’s no pattern because it’s not real, or they buy a pattern that doesn’t actually explain how to make the thing or ends up looking totally different from the picture. 

Some designers have taken it upon themselves to try to make some of those AI patterns that we see online, often with hilarious results. 

Katherine Foster was inspired by a famous AI elephant to make what she calls “AIlephant,” which is now a free knitting pattern on Ravelry. 

Her prototype uses worsted weight yarn, but you can use whatever yarn you like to make different sizes of elephants. 

The elephant features a cable running down the trunk and a different cable pattern on the back. It’s worked in pieces that are joined and stuffed as you go. It uses German short row shaping on the body and includes written instructions as well as a chart for the cable patterns. 

Reading through the pattern, it sounds a little fiddly, which makes sense because it was designed to look like a pattern that isn’t real. But it’s doable, as evidenced by the handful of projects you can find on Ravelry. The ears on her version aren’t quite as big and round or maybe don’t sit in quite the same place as the AI version (which if you haven’t seen it there’s a photo of that on the projects page, too). But it’s a pretty honest replica of a dishonest photo, and a really cute elephant in its own right. 

If you make this one I would love to hear about it!

You can grab the free pattern on Ravelry. 

[Photo: Katherine Foster]