The mason jar – gotta love it for carrying coffee, tea, ice-water – you name it.  Since it’s glass, a mason jar is non-reactive (unlike plastic water bottles).  The screw-top lid keeps drinks from spilling in the car/in my backpack. And they’re super convenient (I’ve got stacks of them in my cupboards).
I used to tie a dishtowel around my jar to catch condensation (on iced drinks) or help insulate (hot drinks). I figured a knitted cozy would work much better than a towel, and, yes, there are knitted jar cozies you can purchase online.  But buying one would take all the fun out of working out a pattern myself and doing some stash-busting/saving some pennies at the same time!
I wanted the cozy to 1) be made of wool to wick water and insulate well, 2) fit snugly, so it wouldn’t slouch and slump down, and 3)have a handle for carrying or attaching to a carabiner.
So, here’s the finished pattern to share with you (In two sizes – quart wide-mouth, and pint wide-mouth)! You know the drill -please, don’t reproduce the pattern or use it for profit without my express permission, but feel free to knit oodles for yourself and as gifts (they are quick to make, taking less than a day!).
Larksong’s MASON JAR COZY PATTERN
copyright 2010 by Angela Baker
For the Quart Jar: Brown Sheep Lamb’s Pride Worsted, content: 85% wool, 15% mohair; 190yd/173m per 113g skein; Color: Aqua Waves; #: half a skein or less
Set of US #6/4.0mm double-point needles
Quart wide-mouthed canning jar
Tapestry needle
2 stitch holders
Gauge
19 sts/30 rows = 4 inches stockinette stitch before blocking
Pattern
For the Quart Jar (with optional handle)
CO 8 sts Divide amongst 3 needles
Join sts, being careful not to twist.
Base –
Round 1- (k1, kfb) repeat around. You will have 12 sts.
Round 2- (knit 2, kfb) repeat around. 16 sts.
Round 3 and all subsequent odd rounds – k around.
Round 4- (knit 3, kfb) repeat- 20 sts.
Round 6- (knit 4, kfb) repeat- 24 sts.
Round 8- (knit 5, kfb) repeat- 28 sts.
Round 10 (knit 6, kfb) repeat- 32 sts.
Round 12 (knit 7, kfb) repeat- 36 sts.
Round 14 (knit 8, kfb) repeat- 40 sts.
Round 16: (knit 9, kfb) repeat. 44 sts
Round 18: (knit 10, kfb) repeat, 48 sts
Round 20: (knit 11, kfb) repeat, 52 sts
Body and Neck–
knit around for 30 rounds
[If you want to add a handle – Divide for handle starting here –
work in (k2,p2) rib all around, on sts 21-26 k1fb of each st, placing each increased st (the one knit into the back) on a stitch holder to the inside of the work. (You will have 6 sts on a stitch holder).
Continue in k2, p2 pattern, repeating the increase/stitch holder portion for sts 47-52 (putting 6 more sts on a 2nd stitch holder.).
You should now have the original 52 sts on double points, and 6 sts on each of two stitch holders.
(k2, p2) repeat for 7 more rounds (8 rounds total)]
(If you do NOT want a handle, simply (k2,p2) repeat for 8 rounds instead.)
K around for 4 rounds
Loosely BO.
Optional Handles –
With two dpns, work 6 stitches (from one holder) in I-cord for ten inches.
K1, k2tog, k2 tog, k1 (4 sts)
CO and weave in ends.
Repeat with 6 sts on other holder.
Finishing
If making a handle – tie ends of I-cords together in a knot to form the handle.
Block finished cozy on the jar (taking care, Lamb’s Pride felts easily.)
Materials:
For the Pint Jar: Scraps of any heavy worsted weight wool yarn – a great way to showcase small skeins of handspun! – about 70 yds total.
MC: Lamb’s Pride Worsted. Content: 85% wool, 15% mohair; 190yd/173m per 113g skein; Color: Winter Blue
CC: any handspun or remnants of any (Pint shows some spindle-spun 100% merino)
# set(s) US #6/4.0mm double-point needles
Pint wide-mouthed canning jar
Tapestry needle
2 stitch holders
Gauge
19 sts/30 rows = 4 inches in stockinette stitch before blocking
Pattern
For the Pint Jar (with optional handle)
With MC, CO 8 sts Divide amongst 3 needles
Join sts, being careful not to twist.
Base –
Round 1- (k1, kfb) repeat around. You will have12 sts.
Round 2- (knit 2, kfb) repeat around. 16 sts.
Round 3 and all subsequent odd rounds – k around.
Round 4- (knit 3, kfb) repeat- 20 sts.
Round 6- (knit 4, kfb) repeat- 24 sts.
Round 8- (knit 5, kfb) repeat- 28 sts.
Round 10 (knit 6, kfb) repeat- 32 sts.
Round 12 (knit 7, kfb) repeat- 36 sts.
Round 14 (knit 8, kfb) repeat- 40 sts.
Round 16: (knit 9, kfb) repeat. 44 sts
Round 18: (knit 10, kfb) repeat, 48 sts
Body and Neck–
knit around for 12 rounds
[If you want to add a handle – Divide for handle starting here –
With CC, work in (k2,p2) rib all around, on st 21-26 k1fb of each st, placing each increased st (the one knit into the back) on a stitch holder to the inside of the work. (You will have 6 sts on a stitch holder).
Continue in k2, p2 pattern, repeating the increase/stitch holder portion for st 47-52 (putting 6 more sts on a 2nd stitch holder.).
You should now have the original 48 sts on double points, and 6 sts on each of two stitch holders.
(k2, p2) repeat for 7 more rounds (8 rounds total of ribbing)]
(If you do NOT want a handle, simply (k2,p2) repeat for 8 rounds instead.)
K around for 4 rounds
Loosely BO.
Optional Handles –
With two dpns in CC, work 6 stitches (from one holder) in I-cord for ten inches.
K1, k2tog, k2 tog, k1 (4 sts)
CO and weave in ends.
Repeat with 6 sts on other holder.
Finishing
If making a handle – tie ends of I-cords together in a knot to form the handle.
Block finished cozy on the jar (taking care, Lamb’s Pride felts easily.)
This is a great idea – thanks for sharing! I think this would be a wonderful way to make hanging lanterns too – the handles might have to be longer (or possibly made of something not flammable) but wouldn’t it be pretty to have the light shining through the wool?!
So handy and cute! Lovely to meet you.
I love this idea but I can only crochet. Do you have a pattern for crocheting?
thank you
These are so cute! I would love to find a way to work these up in crochet as I am not quite comfortable doing more than a cast on in my knitting yet. (currently working on gloves from a not pattern just doing them amigurumi style.)
I actually tracked you down for another question… found a comment on a “nosty” link (learning how to use one for my crocheting) about knitting & walking… I want to know what you mean when you “loop your ball onto a holder, then on to your belt loop” – Do you actually have a holder going thru the ball (like a HUGE caribeaner?)
I walk & crochet all the time, but I am tired of holding the ball in the crook of my arm & I have not yet found a good long handled bag to put the yarn at waist height.
THANKS!!!
Amanda – I’m not a crocheter, so sorry I can’t help much with that…
as for knitting and walking – I wind the yarn into a self- pulling ball, and put a leather strap (or a big caribeaner or a loop of cotton yarn would work, too), and tie it to my beltloop. Or, I made several small drawstring bags, which I can put the ball/skein of yarn into, and tie it to my belt loop, a strap on a Ergo, etc, and knit and walk.
Thanks for your comment!
Here’s a crochet pattern, that’s all I can do as well 🙂
http://www.designspongeonline.com/2009/11/we-like-it-wild-the-hanging-gardens-of-bernal-heights.html
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I wish my wrist would let me knit still! Dratted tendonitis.
Have you considered making these out of wool, a bit too large, and then machine felting them? Just curious. I have a coffee-cup cozy that someone did that with, and it’s quite cool. And it would be really good for insulating cool or hot stuff, as it’s so tightly felted.
Very cool. 🙂
Lisa – Thank for commenting! I have found that the Lamb’s Pride is so prone to felting, that just using it on the jar, holding it, etc, will result in it felting a fair amount and fitting tighter on the jars (esp if using cold drinks that sweat, since the wool wicks water off the jar and then handling it makes it felt.)
Honestly, I never worked up a felted pattern b/c I have a Cabrio washer (a top-loader with NO agitator) and while it washes my clothes great, it can’t felt anything worth a darn! 🙂
One question… what is knit 1 KFB? What is the KFB part?
Thanks,
Debby
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Just curious – is there anywhere I can purchase a finished product? I am not crafty in the slightest, but have switched over to a mason jar for my travel cup and would love to have a handled cozy. These are exactly what I’ve been looking for!