Mason Jar Cosy

Crochet a cute mason jar cosy so you can serve hot drinks in fashionable jars this winter. This will protect your hands and keep your drink warmer for longer.

For this instructable a basic knowledge of crochet is advisable as I am an extreme beginner myself and I only know 4 stitches.

Materials:
4 strand yarn in any colour(s)
4mm crochet hook
Scissors
Mason jar (any size)

Crochet techniques:
Chain stitch
Single crochet
Add stitch
Reduce stitch
Finishing stitch

Start by making a slip knot and looping it on to your crochet hook.

Then chain three stitches onto your hook.

Hook the first stitch you made onto the hook then do a single crochet to form a small circle.

(At this stage if you are able to do a magic circle instead please do so. I can't do it yet -_- )

Continue working in a circle using single crochet stitches but to keep your circle flat increase by one single crochet every second stitch.

For example:
Pick up 1 loop, single crochet.
Pick up next loop, single crochet, then do another single crochet in the same loop.
Pick up 1 loop, single crochet.
Pick up next loop, single crochet, then do another single crochet in the same loop.

Keep crocheting and increasing every other loop until you get to the part on your mason jar where it starts to curve.

At this point only add a stitch every 4th loop.

Keep measuring your work against your jar to make sure it isn't getting to big. You want your cosy to be slightly too tight on your jar so it doesn't slip off.

Keep measuring your work by placing it on the jar.

Just before you get to the widest part of the jar stop increasing your stitches and just crochet one stitch per loop.

Keep working round and round to make your cosy longer.

Remember, you want to have to stretch your cosy slightly to fit it on the jar.

If you want to change colours on your cosy or add designs that's up to you.

I chose to add a stripe of blue one third of the way up my jar.

In my pictures you can see the place where I changed colour. When I changed back to pink I made sure it was in line with the first change. That will be the back of my jar cosy.

Just before you get to the shoulders of your jar start to reduce by one stitch every 4 stitches remembering to make sure you keep your cosy nice and tight around your jar. If you think you need to reduce your stitches faster that's fine.

Remember to keep checking you are not reducing by so much that you can't get your cosy on and off of the jar!

Once you have crocheted all the way up to the neck of the jar and you have tested to make sure it is a good fit. Finish your work off using a nice strong knot.

Now you have your completed mason jar cosy it will work and look just fine as it is.

However you can use your crafty superpowers to make your cosy look as awesome as you want. I went for a little crocheted daisy. However you don't even have to stick with crochet.

You could:
Fabric pen your name on it.
Crochet some mug handles for it (reinforce with some wire).
Decorate with colourful buttons.
Sew some scrap fabric or trim onto it (come on you know your have some lying around :-P).
Make a coordinated set in different colours so guests can identify their own jar.