Showcase Your Hipster Side With These Mason Jar Cozies
I don’t think I know anyone who doesn’t love mason jars. With the introduction of Pinterest, there have been hundreds of ideas swarming around the internet that utilize these containers for things other than their original purpose, housing jams and jellies and pickled vegetables. There are even jokes about how much people love mason jars — I recently heard someone say that the fastest way to summon a witch is to tell her that mason jars are on sale. I use them primarily for food receptacles, from overnight oats to homemade instant soups. I’ll link to some of those recipes down below because once you realize how incredibly versatile they are and how nice it is to have a cover separating the cool or hot glass from your hands, you’re going to want to try it all.
I love making overnight oats (especially since I hate hot oatmeal), which is easy and nutritious. However, the jars become so cold that I’m afraid they’re going to fall through my hands. This is where a a jar cozy comes in handy. The opposite issue I have is that when I’m prepping food right before going somewhere, sometimes the jar becomes too hot and I’m stuck trying to lift it with my sleeves wrapped around my hands or scrounging through the kitchen drawers for hot pads. This is also where a cover comes in handy.
It’s also nice to have a small project like this that can use up yarn remnants. I have about five partially-used yarn skeins that I need to do something with, and I think this project would not only be productive in getting rid of my stash, it will be practical when I need something to cover a mason jar later.
This project can be completed by any level of crocheter, as you can personalize this project to include any stitches you fancy. You can also use any color, and though the pattern recommends using worsted weight yarn, there’s nothing stopping you from using up that bulky you don’t know what to do with, as long as you have the correct size of crochet hook.
To follow the pattern, you’ll need some worsted weight yarn and two sizes of crochet hooks: size “G” and size “H”. You’ll also need to know the following stitches: the magic ring (find a video tutorial on YouTube if you haven’t used this stitch before), skip (sk), slip stitch (sl st), double crochet (dc), half double crochet (hdc), and chain (ch). Most, if not all of those, should be familiar to basically every level of crocheter. I personally love the half double crochet stitch as it’s easy to memorize and handle while working on a pattern.
The end result, of course, is a mason jar cozy for yourself or friends or family who love using jars for their cold morning coffee, hot soup, warm leftovers, salad, or pickled vegetables, in a bright array of colors. You can also accessorize them with ribbon (around the top), buttons, and beads.
Hankering after your own mason jar cozy? You can find the free pattern on Knitella. You can also find an overnight oats recipe here, and the instant soups here.
