Knitting Bag or Ear Bud Hole in Back Pack

I showed you some knitting and crocheting bags I made up awhile ago for my kids. The bags weren't expensive because I keep my eye open at second hand stores and yard sales for the right type of bag. When I first made them I tried several different types. I made mine out of a fake leather look with two side pockets and one on the front and it has been something I have enjoyed.

So, my sister just became the first grandparent of all my siblings. Congrats Grandma! Anyway, I think she believes that a grandma has to do needle work or something because she has taken to knitting. I have knit for 25 years after living in New Zealand for a year, I knit daily for a time. She on the other hand hadn't done much needle working.
She now has passed me like a jet passing a glider. I am so impressed with her. She has gone online and watched videos and has done cable knit and many different patters. She always has it near her now. So if knitting is any indication of what type of grandmother she will be, watch out. She is amazing.

So, I thought I would make her a knitting bag to keep all her supplies and latest projects handy. I also wanted to donate some yarn to the cause. So, I kept my eyes open for a bag like mine and last week I found the exact bag I have been looking for at a second had store.

The grommets were the most expensive part of the bag as those large metal grommets were about $2 each. Well, a few weeks ago while shopping at Walmart, they had lots of carts of clearance items and I found these little bags of yard fabric snap grommets for $1 a bag and they have 10 grommet sets in each bag. $.10 a grommet works for me.

I measured how far apart I wanted the holes and how many I wanted. I marked the spot and then used the tip of scissors to snip a hole in the fabric. I then cut in a star type pattern to make the hole big enough to fit the bottom of the grommet into it. I like to make it tight so that the fabric helps hold the grommet in place.

I then mark the fabric that is hanging over the grommet base so I can cut it off which will make it easier for the grommet to stay in place. As you can see, the left grommet is snapped on, the two in the middle need trimming and I had already trimmed the right hole as the fabric is cleared off that grommet base.

Once I have trimmed off any excess fabric from the base of the grommet, I used a rubber hammer to tap the top piece of the grommet onto the bottom one that is sticking through the fabric. It was so much easier that trying to tap the metal grommets on and sometimes when the metal ones are sealing they leave a rough edge which can catch on the yarn. I am SO happy with the way the plastic grommets went on. So much easier than needing the little tool, and centering it just right to get it evenly on. Sometimes I have had to remove one and start over.

I would suggest if you are going to make one of these or anything similar, go to the yard and garden center and buy plastic yard weed guard grommets that snap together. Better yet, wait until they go on clearance and stock up. I think I bought 5 packages.

I hope grandma likes her new bag and yarn color assortment. It was easy to make and didn't take much time. You could do the same thing for a favorite bag, home made bag or back pack that you wanted to add a hole for earphone jacks or ear buds for your ipod or phone.