Welcome, once again, to”Dishcloth Remix”, where we’ve been looking at ways to re-purpose our popular 2014 dishcloth patterns in new ways just by changing up a few things to the original patterns. The dishcloth patterns will always be free on our site, but you can also buy a compilation of them in our new book, 52 Weeks of Dishcloths: A Knit Picks Kitchen Spectacular. It’s also available as an e-book! Sometimes it’s nice to have everything in one place, you know?

Last week we used my Emerald City Dishcloth pattern to make a Yellow Brick Road Rug, and the week previous, we made a trivet and coaster set with Stacey’s Orbital Dishcloth pattern. This week, we’ve taken Hannah’s A Chance of Rain Crochet dishcloth and made it into a fun and functional pencil case. The pattern is no harder than the one for the dishcloth, and you can download it HERE, for free!

In case you’re nervous about installing a zipper into the pencil case, we’ve taken some how-to photos to help you professionally finish off your project.

You’ll need: straight pins, a sewing needle, gray thread to match the pencil case, and a 9 inch gray zipper. If you crocheted the pencil case to gauge, this size zipper should fit exactly.

First align one side of the zipper to one side of the pencil case, pinning as you go.

Sew the zipper on one side, catching stitches from the pencil case and zipper in each stitch. The red lines indicate how your stitches might look.

Turn the pencil case and complete the other side, tucking the end of the zipper in at both sides.

You’ve done it! Now you have a fun place to hide your pens or pencils. This bag makes an adorable gift for a school-age child, too.

It’s also perfect for storing all those knitting accessories we’re always carrying around: needle tips, cables, stitch markers…the list is endless, right?

Next up: Dishcloth + Bread = Breadcloth