Crocheting on a Zipper: The Easy Way

A few months ago, I came across this pattern for adorable bobble clutches from Liz Makes. They are so adorable and sweet looking that I had to make some. Plus I'd never crocheted along a zipper before so I thought it was a good opportunity to try something new. I love that you can crochet right along the zipper without needing to sew it on after, but man is it tough to get the yarn needle through the weave of a zipper! I think the first one took me an hour and left my arm aching from trying to force it. After some brainstorming with my mom, we came up with a really great solution that makes the whole process a breeze: hole punching the zipper! I used a 2mm hole punch which you should be able to find at most large craft stores with other punches. Here's how I did it:

Step 1: Gather your supplies. You'll need a zipper, 2mm hole punch, ruler, yarn needle, yarn and a washout marker or light pencil.

This is what the end of the punch looks like. It's a tiny dot, the perfect size for a yarn needle.

Step 2: Measure and mark your zipper. You can skip this step if you're able to make your punches evenly spaced without a ruler, but for those of us that need a little help, I marked mine every 1/4" starting and ending at the metal stoppers for the zipper. You'll want to do this on both sides.

Step 3: Punch the zipper along both sides.

Step 4: Start at an end and blanket stitch down the length of the zipper...

...Until it looks like this. Leave the tail long so you can weave it into your finished work.

Step 5: Start crocheting! I started with a single crochet stitch along the length of the zipper. One stitch per blanket stitch.

I hope this helps you crochet along a zipper with ease! I know it's help saved my hands and arms from the stress of forcing a needle!