One of my earliest and proudest DIY moments was back in junior high when I hand-sewed my own pencil case out of felt and then puffy-painted a bunch of Yellow No. 2 pencils all over it. These days, I collect cute pencil cases to use as crochet tool kits, so I really wanted to design a fun pencil case for this book. I polled friends and fans on social media to choose between a zippered pouch that looked like a watermelon or a taco, and tacos won by a landslide! This project is perfect not only for small school supplies or crochet tools, but also makeup or special little keepsakes. The crocheted pencil case is felted (or fulled) to close up the holes in the stitches and create more of a solid, strong fabric. This can sometimes be an intimidating process for a first-timer, but felting is an exciting transformation and I think you’ll have a lot of fun experimenting once you get going!

INGREDIENTS
worsted weight
Cascade Yarns 220, 100% Peruvian Highland Wool, 3.5 oz (100 g)/220 yds (200 m) per skein: 1 skein each #8686 Brown (A), #7828 Neon Yellow (B), #8903 Primavera (C), #8414 Bright Red (D); 12 yds (11 m) #7825 Orange Sherbet (E)
TOOLS
H/8 (5.00 mm) crochet hook
I/9 (5.50 mm) crochet hook
12” (30.5 cm) yellow zipper to match taco shell
tapestry needle
straight pins
sewing needle and thread to match taco shell, lettuce, tomato, and cheese
zippered pillow case (or regular pillow case and rubber band), old towels, and a dryer (for the dryer-method of felting)
plastic shopping bags (for blocking, if needed)

Gauges
14 sts x 17 rows in sc with larger hook = 4” (10 cm).
19 sts x 23 rows in sc with smaller hook = 4” (10 cm).
Take time to check gauge.

Finished Size
5.5” (14 cm) wide x 11.5” (29 cm) long x 2.5” (6.5 cm) deep, after felting

Notes: Pieces that will be felted should be worked loosely.
The felted parts of the taco are worked with a larger hook.