Make an E-Reader Pillow (Works for a Phone or Tablet, too)
Last Updated on August 2, 2017 by lydiaf1963
This E-Reader Pillow from Laws of Gravity is a fun project and a great stash buster. You’ll only need a skein of worsted weight yarn and when the project is finished you’ll have something to hold your phone, tablet or e-reader upright while you use it.
I love to read in bed but carpal tunnel prevents me from gripping or holding the e-reader for any length of time. I used to use a pillow to prop it up, but I find the pyramid shape is comfortable to hold, and I can easily advance the pages.
When I’m knitting or cooking I can prop up my phone or Kindle so I can easily read the page while I’m working. It’s great for holding the stenographer’s pad I use when I’m developing a recipe, too.
You’ll need a little bit of experience to make this, but the skill set is in the advanced beginner/intermediate range. This project helped me figure out how to pick up and knit stitches from the edges of the piece. I used to struggle with that skill. I’d get frustrated trying to evenly space the stitches along the edge but with this I didn’t have any trouble.
I used circular needles and stitch markers to construct my sides. If you use double pointed needles, use one needle per side and you won’t need to use the markers. After the sides have been built up to 5 inches or so, the stuffing is put into place and topped off before closing the top. Bobble stitches are used to hold the e-reader in place.
It’s a lot of fun to watch the shape come together as you knit and you start to get an inkling of possibilities for other knitted shapes as well as dolls and animals. My only regret is I wish I’d added more stuffing but I didn’t want to stretch the piece too much out of shape. Well, now that I’ve used it and handled it frequently it’s kind of lumpy, but still functions.
You’ll find the pattern on the Laws of Gravity blog or you can purchase an updated version with different sizes. Depending on the size of your tablet you may need to use a heavier material for the filling, but I don’t have any problems with my kindle or phone. Some of the comments I read suggested cutting a triangular piece of cardboard for the bottom and adding a sandwich bag full of dried beans or rice to help weigh down the bottom…something to think about if you want to use this for propping up anything heavier than a Kindle.
