We hope you enjoy this premiere guest post from friend of the Fibre Company + Kelbourne Woolens, Maura Kirk. Maura blogs about her many interests at The Projectory Handcrafts. You may also remember Maura from her contribution to our guest post on the Martha Stewart blog, and the accompanying cowl she designed out of Road to China Light.
A handmade gift is one of intention. It says to the recipient, you were on my mind when I chose this project, this yarn. When you hand someone a finished object, you’re handing over the tangible product of this thought and consideration.
I’ve never really thought much of Valentine’s Day. As a burgeoning teenage feminist, I bristled at this high holiday of happily-ever-after romantic fulfillment, and as an adult, I can’t figure out how you can reduce the complexity of love to a couple printed sentences on a greeting card or capture it underneath the cellophane enveloping a box of chocolates and a stuffed bear. In my own way, though, I have grown to appreciate a day set aside specifically for love, when so many other days just seem to slip by.
Just as important as romantic love are the friends and community that comprise the fabric of our lives: the person who will watch your dog when you’re out of town, lend you a shoulder to cry on or be genuinely happy to share in your triumphs. Sometime love is the very visceral red and pink colors of passion and intensity, but for me, love is sometimes the sparrow grey of my living room walls where my friends gather for a weekly movie night, the aqua of my bike’s handle bar tape when I’ve gotten up extra early to share my morning coffee, or the blue glow of my cell phone when I’ve gotten late night text with a little piece of news that just couldn’t wait. Love is the people that we can count on, that are there for us without motive, who know they can count on us in return. In reclaiming Valentine’s Day, these are the people in my life I want to honor, to take the time to think of and make sure that I’m not taking all this love for granted.
These mason jar cozies are my solution to try and “reclaim” Valentine’s day in a small way. They are a perfect little handmade gift, as they use a small amount of yarn and take no time at all to make. The possibilities for their use are endless: use a large jar to hold a bouquet of flowers, to store a handful of vintage buttons or knitting needles, or fill them with loose-leaf tea, hot cocoa mix, or another delicious treat to be given as a gift. If you find your stash of mason jars to be lacking, they can be found just about anywhere in any size and your hardware store is a good place to start. If you’re looking to add even more color to your project, the bright blue ones are vintage and are easily found for cheap at most antique stores.
The tutorial below is adaptable to any sized jar, so use it as a jumping off point for creating a beautiful last minute gift for someone you love.
Crocheted Mason Jar Cosies:
Materials:
Yarn: Organik in coral reef (color A), arctic tundra (color B), lichen (color C) and oahu (color D), 1 skein each.
*Note: One skein of each color made all five of these cozies and could easily make five more.
Hook: US I (5.5mm) crochet hook
Notions: Tapestry needle
Abbreviations:
sc: single crochet
dc: double crochet
trc: treble crochet
hdc: half double crochet
sl st: slip stitch
st: stitch
Special Techniques:
Double crochet foundation-less chain:
Chain 3, YO, insert hook into the first chain, pull up a loop, *chain 1, work a dc, insert the hook into the chain just made, pull up a loop. Repeat from * until the desired length is reached.
Small Heart:
Small heart: Chain 4. Working all stitches into the first chain, work 3 tc, 3 dc, ch 1, 1 tc, ch 1, 3 dc, 3 tc, ch 3, sl st into center. Fasten yarn and weave in ends.
Large heart:
Work a small heart without fastening off. Chain 3, 1 sc and 1 hdc into the first trc, 3 hdc into the next st, 2 hdc into the next stitch, 1 sc into the next 3 stitches, ch 1, 1 dc into the trc, ch 1, 1 sc into the next 3 stitches, 2 hdc into the next stitch, 3 hdc into the next stitch, 1 hdc and 1 sc to the next stitch, ch 3, sl st into center. Fasten off and weave in ends.
Directions:
1) Coral, Lichen + Arctic Tundra Stripes:
Work a double crochet foundation-less chain in color A to snugly fit around your jar. Slip stitch into the top of the first dc to join in the round. Fasten off. Weaving in ends as you go, work single rounds in dc in the following color sequence: color C, color B, color A. Repeat this sequence until cozy is the desired length. Work one round in sc in the last color used. Fasten off.
2) Arctic Tundra with Lichen Stripes:
Work a double crochet foundation-less chain in color B to snugly fit around your jar. Slip stitch into the top of the first dc to join in the round. Continue to work dc rounds in color B until the height of 4 dc remains from desired height. Fasten off. Weaving in ends as you go, *work one dc round in color C, fasten off, one dc round in color B, fasten off, repeat from * once more.
3) Oahu with Coral + Arctic Tundra:
Work a double crochet foundation-less chain in color D to snugly fit around your jar. Slip stitch into the top of the first dc to join in the round. Continue to work dc rounds in color D until approximately 1 inch from desired height. Fasten off. Work 1 sc round in color A. Fasten off. Work 3 sc rounds in color B. Fasten off.
4) Coral with Arctic Tundra Heart:
Work a double crochet foundation-less chain in color A to snugly fit around your jar. Slip stitch into the top of the first dc to join in the round. Continue to work dc rounds in color A until just shy of desired height. Work 1 sc round. Fasten off. Make 1 small heart in color B. Sew heart to front center of completed cozy.
5) Lichen with Oahu Heart:
Work a double crochet foundation-less chain in color C to snugly fit around your jar. Slip stitch into the top of the first dc to join in the round. Continue to work dc rounds in color C until just shy of desired height. Work 1 sc round. Make 1 large heart in color D. Work 1 additional sc round in color C. Fasten off. Sew heart to front center of completed cozy.
Finishing:
Wet block cozies and gently put on jars while damp. Allow to air dry.
Additional Notes:
To work up to a sloped neck, such as in the Oahu with Coral + Arctic Tundra cosy, working two evenly spaced decreases should tighten the top sufficiently to fit around the neck of your jar.
