Sunday, March 17, 2013

Small Mason Jar Cozy Pattern

I thought that it was about time to add the to Mason Jar Cozy family.   For Free!! I love free things. Check out the other Mason Jar Cozy!!  It's free too!




This pattern is for an 8 ounce jar.  Such a cute little guy!

Materials: 
H Hook
Medium Weight Acrylic yarn. I used Red Heart With Love in Aran

CH: Chain
SC: Single Crochet
HDC: Half Double Crochet
SS: Slip Stitch

Cozy bottom.  This never fails to make me laugh. 

Chain 2.
Row 1:  In first chain, do 12 DC.  SS to first DC.  (12)
Row 2: CH 3 (does NOT count as a DC here and throughout pattern), 2 DC in same stitch, and 2 DC in each stitch around.  SS to first DC. (24)

Cozy Side.  Don't worry if it looks too small.  It will stretch, the fit should be tight.

Row  3: CH 1, SC in same stitch.  SC in BACK  loop all the way around.  SS to first SC.  This creates your ridge at the bottom.  (24)

You will now be creating the upper part of the cozy, using HDC.  This part is crocheted around, there is no joining from row to row.  I went until I thought it was tall enough.  It ended up being about 8 rows, or 192 stitches.  

Row 4-10: ch 1, HDC around until round 10 or until your cozy is the height you want it.  Sometimes it's handy to keep the jar nearby so you can try it on.  SS to next stitch.

Row 11: Easy Border.  *Chain 3,  Skip next stitch.  SS in next Stitch* around. 

Ta da!!  How cute is this little guy? 

And there you have it!   You can make it short or tall, put appliques or flowers on it.  Sky's the limit!  If you find that your cozy is too big or too small, a simple hook size up or down will solve that problem. I have learned to try the cozy on the jar before I'm all the way finished.  Just to be safe.

© KamiCrochets 2012

Monday, January 28, 2013

Quick Hat Review

It's pretty dang cold round these parts as of late. The bitter frosty weather makes it essential to bundle up and then add 2-3 more layers on top of that. I've been loving my hats, scarves, gloves, and the approximately dozen coats I've purchased this year alone. Oh and SOCKS! Man, I love socks. So before Christmas I told my husband I'd be happy to make him a hat in his school colors, but not until after Christmas. Imagine my delight when I went to Joanns and saw this:my hats, scarves, gloves, and the approximately dozen coats I've purchased this year alone. Oh and SOCKS! Man, I love socks. So before Christmas I told my husband I'd be happy to make him a hat in his school colors, but not until after Christmas. Imagine my delight when I went to Joanns and saw this:
Navy/Grey
And it was on SALE! I also found some in Navy and White that I plan on using to make something fun for me. Hooray! I love the new blue and grey colors Utah State is rockin this season so I new it was fate I got some. (Consequently this is how most of my yarn purchases go. "It's so cute!! It's fate I own this.")

For once in my lifetime of crocheting I actually did a project in the same year I promised I would. I went on the hunt for a good men's beanie pattern. See, I wanted something visually interesting but not in a girly kind of way. Most men's patterns are snoozeville boring. I found this fun one on Ravelry and decided to give it a go. I mean look how happy this dude is!

Brain Waves Beanie by Liz McQueen
Of course I was thrilled my yarn changed colors on its own so I didn't do any color changes. No none at all. I think mine turned out quite nicely letting it do its own thang. This puppy worked up quick; just a couple hours on a Sunday morning. Once I did the first few rows of the wave pattern, it was the same thing over and over again. I love those patterns because I can watch TV and truck along like I'm really good at crocheting or something.

The only critique I have is with sizing. The hat seemed a titch too big around which I couldn't judge before I got about halfway through. So it's a little looser on his head than I'd like. And my husband has a larger head than some. So it's not like this is a normal issue when finding beanies for him. The other thing was the length. The pattern says to stop at row 10 or row 13 when you have your desired length. Neither of those rows was my desired length. Those three rows in the middle make a big difference between it looking geeky short or verging on covering his eyes. I went the long route hoping if I wash it, it'll tighten up a tad. I am sure doing more of these I could tweak the pattern to fit my needs, but it would have been awesome to have some more guidance for sizing on the pattern itself...says the girl who doesn't write patterns herself for fear she won't get in enough detail to make it work perfect for everyone and their dog.

Overall this was a great pattern. Really easy, really quick, and fun to look at! Our guys need a little visual interest too ya know? So here is the picture of the one I worked up. You'll see some of the waves are split in half with different colors because that's just where the yarn happened to change color. Personally I don't mind, I still think it looks cool. We're on the lookout for a USU patch or something to sew on so I'll update the pic when we get one. Hook one up and tell us what you think!
Go Aggies!!