Valentine’s Day

Living in the USA for almost 8 years has been a wonderful experience. One of the things that I had no problem with to adept to al all, was the joy and exuberance with which holidays are being celebrated over there.

To me this meant having a zest for life, wanting to emphasize the positive, seize the day, celebrate whenever you can and I liked that.
Coming from a country where the most common saying is “doe maar gewoon, dan doe je al gek genoeg” (in short: “act normal”, explained in more detail: here), oh, yes, I liked the US-approach, a LOT!

So, with Valentine’s Day coming up, I couldn’t wait to start making some cute little presents – a variation on what I did last Christmas – and I thought I’d share this project here.

Valentine’s Jars – a diy:
Things you’ll need:
* empty jars with lids
* yarn
* crochet hook
* darning needle
* (excellent) glue
* beads

First you’ll want to crochet the cover for the lid(s) – in US terms:

Chain 2, in 2nd chain: 6 sc, close round with slip stitch;
Chain 3, this being your first dc; 2 dc in every sc from previous round, total stitches in this round: 12 – close with sl st in top chain of initial 3-chain that started this round;
Chain 3 (= first dc), *2 dc, 1 dc – repeat all around, total stitch count in this round: 18 dc’s;
This is the moment to see whether your crochet already fits the jar lid – you’ll want to crochet right up to the ridge of the lid. For some lids I crocheted another round in sc’s, for others one more round in dc’s was needed. If you need a fourth round, you’ll want to crochet this one as follows: chain 1 (for a round in sc’s, or 3 for a round in dc’s) *2 sc’s or dc’s, 1 sc/dc, 1 sc/dc, total stitches: 24.
As soon as the top circle fits the jar lid, you’re ready to crochet the side, by crocheting in the back loops only (thus creating a ridge) and by not increasing any more stitches. Depending on your jar lid, crochet 1 or 2 rounds in sc’s.

With an excellent glue (I used Pritt Power), you put glue on your jar lid (including the side), and very carefully glue your crocheted cover onto the lid, firmly pressing as soon as you’re satisfied with the position of the cover on the lid.

Now the real fun begins: prettifying your cover!
For this particular occasion, I’ve crocheted tiny, tiny hearts and simply glued them on my covers (and added some beads on some, just glued these on too).
                   

Tiny Hearts – pattern:
Chain 3, in 1st chain crochet: 2 dc’s, 2 hdc’s, 1 dc, 2 hdc’s, 2 dc’s, 2 chains, slip stitch in very 1st chain, darn in ends: ta-dah!

For a crafty friend you could fill your lovely Valentine’s Jar with buttons, spools, needles etc – how about a crafter’s “first aid kit” or some nail polish and make-up: possibilities are endless …..
I plan on baking some heart shaped cookies and fill mine with these!

Happy Making!
Love,
Marianne