I had seen pictures of knit or crocheted covers, but it wasn't till I saw a pic of a cabled tablet cover made from cotton yarn that I thought - this is it. Cotton yarn is soft, so no scratching, and cables are thick and more cushiony. And I happened to have some aran weight cotton yarn that I got at a fabric/yarn sale that I went to at a Church that was fundraising for a charity. It was green, and I got 10 balls for $5.00! The only thing was that is green I like, but not one that I wear, so I wasn't sure what I'd make out of it. This was the perfect project.
Naturally the patterns are never exactly what I want, and my tablet was not the same size as the tablets the pattern were designed for, so I wound up making my own pattern to fit my tablet, and to match the gauge of my yarn, which wasn't the same as the yarn the pattern called for.
I also found the perfect buttons in my button stash. And it took less than one 50 gm ball of the yarn (Willow Yarns - Meadow). There is definitely something to be said for making your own design. Especially for something small and square or rectangular. It's an easy way to try out designing for yourself.
I still have several balls left but have started knitting kitchen hand towels out of leftover cotton yarn, and I will use the rest for that.