How to Crochet a Custom Phone Case With a Camera Opening

A crochet phone case looks simple at first, but getting a clean fit around the camera, charging port, and phone edges takes a little planning. In this tutorial, you’ll make a fitted two-color phone cover with a built-in camera opening and small crochet daisies for decoration.

The sample instructions use a phone measuring about 7.7 cm wide × 15.6 cm tall, but the most useful part of this project is that you can adapt it to another phone by measuring your own device first.

The sample uses 20 stitches across and 42 rows high, with a camera opening worked directly into the crochet fabric. Nothing is cut afterward.

What You’ll Need

For a firm phone cover, cotton yarn works better than a very soft or fuzzy yarn because it helps the edges hold their shape.

Use:

• DK / Light #3 cotton yarn
• 3.0 mm crochet hook
• Dusty teal yarn
• Light gray yarn
• White or cream yarn
• Yellow yarn
• Yarn needle
• Scissors
• Stitch markers
• Measuring tape
• Sewing pins

You will also need the phone you are making the cover for.

If you normally keep a thin protective case on your phone, take all measurements with that case attached.

US Crochet Abbreviations

ch — chain
sc — single crochet
dc — double crochet
sl st — slip stitch
MR — magic ring
BLO — back loop only
st / sts — stitch / stitches
RS — right side
WS — wrong side

Gauge

With DK cotton and a 3.0 mm hook, aim for approximately:

26 single crochet stitches × 27 rows = 10 × 10 cm

That equals roughly:

2.6 stitches per cm
2.7 rows per cm

A phone case should fit closely, so checking your gauge before making the entire panel can save a lot of adjusting later.

1. Crochet the Lower Back Panel

Begin with dusty teal yarn.

Row 1: Ch 21. Starting in the second chain from your hook, work 1 sc in every chain. [20 sc]

Rows 2–29: Ch 1, turn, sc across. [20 sc]

After Row 29, switch to light gray.

At this point, the panel should contain:

20 stitches × 29 teal rows

2. Start the Upper Section

With light gray:

Row 30: Ch 1, turn, work 1 sc in every stitch. [20 sc]

The camera opening will be created above this row.

For the sample phone, the width is divided into:

2 stitches + 11-stitch camera gap + 7 stitches

Check:

2 + 11 + 7 = 20

The narrow and wide sections are now worked separately.

3. Make the First Side of the Camera Opening

Work across the first 2 stitches.

Row 31: Ch 1, sc in the next 2 sts. Turn. [2 sc]

Rows 32–40: Ch 1, turn, sc across. [2 sc]

Fasten off.

You now have a narrow strip that is:

2 stitches wide × 10 rows high

4. Make the Other Side

Return to Row 30.

Skip the next 11 stitches. These stitches form the width of the camera opening.

Join the gray yarn in the next available stitch.

Seven stitches should remain.

Row 31: Ch 1, sc across the 7 remaining stitches. [7 sc]

Rows 32–40: Ch 1, turn, sc across. [7 sc]

Fasten off.

There should now be an open rectangular space between the two gray sections.

5. Close the Top of the Camera Opening

With the RS facing, join gray yarn to the narrow 2-stitch section.

Row 41

Work:

2 sc, ch 11, 7 sc

The 11 chains stretch across the camera opening and reconnect both sections.

Count:

2 + 11 + 7 = 20 positions

Row 42

Ch 1 and turn.

Work 1 sc into every stitch and chain across.

[20 sc]

Fasten off.

The main back panel is now complete.

It should contain:

20 stitches across × 42 rows high

6. Neaten the Camera Opening

Join gray yarn at one corner of the camera opening.

Work loose slip stitches evenly around the opening.

For the sample opening, the approximate edge count is:

11 bottom positions + 10 side rows + 11 top positions + 10 side rows = 42 positions

Work approximately 42 loose slip stitches around the opening.

The word loose matters here. Tight slip stitches can pull the camera opening inward.

If your opening starts to curl, loosen your tension rather than forcing the exact count.

7. Make the Daisy Centers

Make four flowers.

With yellow yarn:

Create a magic ring and work:

8 sc into the MR

Join with a slip stitch.

[8 sc]

Fasten off the yellow yarn.

8. Crochet the Petals

Join white or cream yarn to one of the 8 center stitches.

Into the same stitch, work:

sl st, ch 3, 2 dc, ch 3, sl st

Move to the next yellow stitch and repeat the same petal sequence.

Continue around the center.

At the end you should have:

8 petals

Because each petal contains 2 dc, each flower also contains:

16 dc total

Make 4 daisies.

9. Arrange the Flowers

Before sewing anything permanently, place all four daisies on the teal section and pin them in position.

For the sample panel, good starting locations are around:

• Row 8
• Row 16
• Row 23
• Row 25

Stagger the flowers rather than placing them in a perfectly straight line.

Sew around the lower part of each petal while leaving the outer tips slightly free. This creates a more dimensional flower instead of flattening every petal against the case.

10. Add the Border Around the Back Panel

The sample panel has:

• 42 row ends along one long side
• 20 stitches across one short side
• 42 row ends along the second long side
• 20 stitches across the opposite short side

The theoretical perimeter is:

42 + 20 + 42 + 20 = 124 stitches

Work single crochet evenly around the panel.

For the lower teal area:

29 + 20 + 29 = 78 sc

For the gray upper area:

13 + 20 + 13 = 46 sc

Total:

78 + 46 = 124 sc

Keep checking the panel while working around the corners. The crochet should stay flat rather than ruffling or pulling inward.

11. Leave Space for the Charging Port

Find the 20 border stitches along the bottom of the phone.

Mark the center 8 stitches.

Do not crochet the side wall across these stitches.

This creates a charging opening roughly:

8 ÷ 2.6 = 3.1 cm

Before continuing, place the crochet against your actual phone.

If the charging port is not centered on your device, move the skipped stitches to match its real position.

12. Build the Side Wall

The full sample border has 124 stitches.

Removing the 8 charging-port stitches leaves:

124 − 8 = 116 stitches

Join teal yarn beside one side of the charging gap.

Side Wall Row 1

Work in the back loop only.

Sc around the usable border until you reach the other side of the charging gap.

[116 sc]

Turn.

Side Wall Row 2

Ch 1, sc across.

[116 sc]

Side Wall Row 3

Ch 1, sc across.

[116 sc]

The three rows create approximately 1 cm of side depth at the sample gauge.

Now test the cover on your phone.

This fitting check is more important than blindly adding another row.

13. Finish the Front Edge

Turn and work a loose slip stitch across the side-wall stitches.

[116 sl sts]

Fasten off.

The slip-stitch edge adds a little firmness around the front of the cover.

It should still stretch enough to fit over the corners of the phone.

14. Test the Finished Case

Insert the upper part of the phone first and align the camera with the opening.

Then gently stretch the lower corners of the crochet around the phone.

Check four things:

• The camera is completely uncovered.
• The charging cable can reach the port.
• The back lies flat.
• The front edge does not slide off easily.

If the case feels loose, changing the back-panel size is usually better than trying to fix everything with a very tight final border.

How to Resize the Case for Another Phone

This is where the project becomes much more useful than a fixed-size phone pattern.

Start by measuring your phone.

Record:

• Width
• Height
• Thickness
• Camera width
• Camera height
• Camera distance from the side edge
• Camera distance from the top
• Charging-port width
• Charging-port position

Calculate Your Starting Width

At the sample gauge:

2.6 stitches = approximately 1 cm

Use:

phone width in cm × 2.6

Example:

7.7 × 2.6 = 20.02

Round to:

20 sc

Because Row 1 begins in the second chain:

20 sc requires ch 21

Always crochet a small test section before committing to the full panel.

Calculate the Height

Use:

phone height in cm × 2.7

For example:

15.6 × 2.7 = 42.12

That gives approximately:

42 rows

How to Measure the Camera Opening

Do not measure only the lenses.

Measure the entire area that needs to remain uncovered.

For the width:

camera opening width in cm × 2.6 = opening stitches

For the height:

camera opening height in cm × 2.7 = opening rows

A small amount of clearance around the camera module is usually better than an opening that touches the lenses.

Camera Position Matters Too

A common mistake when adapting a crochet phone case is measuring the camera opening correctly but placing it in the wrong location.

You also need to measure the distance from the phone edge to the camera module.

Convert the horizontal distance using:

distance in cm × 2.6 = stitches

Your final width must still satisfy:

side section + camera opening + opposite section = total panel stitches

For the sample:

2 + 11 + 7 = 20

Do the same vertically.

Use:

distance in cm × 2.7 = rows

This tells you which row should begin the camera opening.

Adjust the Side Wall for Phone Thickness

Three side-wall rows work for the sample, but they will not be perfect for every device.

After two or three rows, hold the crochet against the phone.

If the edge does not reach far enough around the sides, add another row.

If too much crochet reaches over the screen, stop earlier.

Physical test fitting is more reliable than using one fixed row count for every phone.

Optional Side-Button Opening

If you want the volume or power buttons completely exposed, mark their positions while the case is against the phone.

For a 4-stitch opening, for example:

ch 4, skip 4 sts

Continue crocheting after the skipped section.

Because 4 stitches are replaced with 4 chains, the total number of stitch positions stays unchanged.

Troubleshooting

My phone case is loose

Your stitches may be larger than the sample gauge.

Check your gauge before changing the border.

A smaller hook or slightly fewer starting stitches may give a better fit.

The camera opening is too small

First check the slip-stitch border. Tight slip stitches can reduce the opening considerably.

If necessary, increase the original opening width or height.

The camera is not centered

Recalculate its position from the phone edges instead of copying the sample's 2 + 11 + 7 layout.

The border is curling

The edging may be too tight or the stitches may not be distributed evenly around the row ends.

The charging cable doesn't fit

Increase the number of skipped bottom stitches or move the opening to match the actual location of the port.

The side wall is too short

Add another single crochet row before making the final rim.

Make It Your Own

Once you have the basic measurements correct, there are many ways to change the look of this phone case.

Try another color combination, use smaller flowers, replace the daisies with hearts or stars, or leave the back plain for a minimalist version.

The construction remains the same: measure first, crochet the back panel, build the camera opening into the fabric, add the edge and side wall, then test the fit on the actual phone.

For the sample used in this tutorial, the main numbers are:

20 stitches wide
42 rows high
11 × 10 camera opening
124 border stitches
8-stitch charging gap
116 side-wall stitches
4 eight-petal daisies