Moss Diamond Star Jar Cover Free Crochet Pattern

Moss Diamond Star Jar Cover – Free Beginner Crochet Pattern

Introduction

This little moss-green jar cover is one of the friendliest first projects you can make: it is small, it works up in an evening or two, and it turns an ordinary mason jar into something that looks handmade and thoughtful. It is perfect for complete beginners who have just learned a few basic stitches and want a real, finished object to show for it. The finished piece has a flat circular top about 3¼ inches across, decorated with a six-point diamond openwork star that lets little slivers of light through, and a snug ribbed tube skirt that hugs the jar body. In matte cotton it feels soft but sturdy, with crisp stitch definition and a clean, minimalist look. Slip it over a jar of dried herbs, bath salts, or a candle, and you have a gift that looks like it came from a boutique.

Materials Needed

• Yarn: Worsted weight (category 4) cotton yarn, approximately 90–110 yards of moss green (a deep, muted moss/olive green). Cotton is recommended because it holds its shape and does not stretch out of fit.
• Hook: Size G/6 (4.0 mm) crochet hook, or the size needed to match gauge.
• Stitch marker: 1 removable stitch marker (or a scrap of contrasting yarn) to mark the first stitch of each round on the skirt.
• Tapestry needle: A blunt-tipped needle with a large eye for weaving in ends.
• Scissors: Any small, sharp pair.
• Finished size: Fits a standard 16 oz (1 pint) mason jar with a 2¾ inch (7 cm) mouth and a 3 inch (7.6 cm) body diameter. The finished top circle measures about 3¼ inches (8.3 cm) across; the skirt measures about 3 inches (7.6 cm) tall and stretches to fit the jar body snugly.

Abbreviations and Beginner Glossary

Every pattern is written in shorthand. Here is every abbreviation used in this pattern, explained as if you have never held a hook before. All terms are US crochet terms.

• ch – chain. Yarn over (wrap the yarn around your hook), then pull that loop through the loop already on your hook. This makes one chain stitch.
• sc – single crochet. Insert your hook into the next stitch, yarn over, pull up a loop (you now have 2 loops on the hook), yarn over again, and pull through both loops. One single crochet made.
• dc – double crochet. Yarn over, insert hook into the stitch, yarn over, pull up a loop (3 loops on hook), yarn over, pull through 2 loops, yarn over, pull through the last 2 loops. (Listed for reference; not used in this pattern.)
• sl st – slip stitch. Insert your hook into the stitch, yarn over, and pull the yarn through both the stitch and the loop on your hook in one motion. It makes a nearly invisible joining stitch.
• sc2tog – single crochet 2 together (a decrease). Insert hook into the next stitch, yarn over, pull up a loop (2 loops on hook). Insert hook into the following stitch, yarn over, pull up a loop (3 loops on hook). Yarn over and pull through all 3 loops. Two stitches become one.
• ch-2 sp – chain-2 space. The little gap made by working 2 chains and skipping stitches; you work into the gap itself, not into individual stitches.
• BLsc – back-loop single crochet. Work a normal single crochet, but insert your hook only under the back loop (the loop farthest from you) of the stitch instead of under both loops. This creates the stretchy ribbed texture.
• beg – beginning.
• rnd – round. One complete circle of stitches worked around.
• rep – repeat. Do the instructions between the asterisks again.
• magic ring – an adjustable loop of yarn you crochet into to start a circle with no hole in the middle. If you prefer, chain 4 and join with a sl st into a ring, then work Round 1 into the ring.
• sts – stitches.

Gauge

16 sc x 18 rounds = 4 inches (10 cm) in single crochet worked in the round.

Ribbed skirt: 18 stitches x 16 rounds = 4 inches in back-loop single crochet ribbing.

Gauge simply means how big your stitches turn out. If your stitches are bigger than the pattern's, the cover will be baggy; if smaller, it will not fit over the jar. To check, crochet a small square about 4 inches wide in single crochet worked in the round, lay it flat, and count the stitches across 4 inches and the rounds down 4 inches. If you have more stitches than 16, try a larger hook; if fewer, try a smaller hook. It is worth the ten minutes — a cover that fits is a cover you will actually use.

Beginner Tips Before You Start

• Use a stitch marker on the skirt. The skirt is worked in continuous rounds with no joining, so it spirals. Place a marker in the first stitch of each round and move it up as you go, or you will lose your place.
• Do not pull your yarn too tight. Beginners often tug each stitch snug, which makes the fabric stiff and hard to work into. Keep an even, relaxed tension so your hook slides in easily.
• Count every round. The stitch counts in parentheses are your safety net. If a count is off, fix it before moving on — one missing stitch now becomes a lopsided star later.
• Keep the chain-2 spaces loose. On the diamond star rounds, the chain-2 spaces are the openwork. If they are tight, the diamonds close up; if they are loose, the star shows clearly.
• Work the decreases gently. When you sc2tog, do not yank the yarn; a soft decrease keeps the diamond points smooth instead of puckered.
• Try the cover on the jar as you go. After a few skirt rounds, slip it over the jar. The ribbing stretches about 1 inch (2.5 cm), so it should feel snug but not strained.

Step-by-Step Instructions

Part 1: The Top (worked in joined rounds)

The top is a flat circle worked in joined rounds — each round ends by joining the last stitch to the first with a slip stitch, then you chain 1 to begin the next round. The chain-1 at the start of each round does not count as a stitch.

Rnd 1: Make a magic ring. Ch 1. Work 6 sc into the ring. Join with sl st to first sc. (6 sc)

Rnd 2: Ch 1. Work 2 sc in each sc around. Join with sl st to first sc. (12 sc)

Rnd 3: Ch 1. *Sc in next sc, 2 sc in next sc; rep from * around. Join with sl st to first sc. (18 sc)

Rnd 4: Ch 1. *Sc in next 2 sc, 2 sc in next sc; rep from * around. Join with sl st to first sc. (24 sc)

Rnd 5: Ch 1. *Sc in next 3 sc, 2 sc in next sc; rep from * around. Join with sl st to first sc. (30 sc)

Rnd 6: Ch 1. *Sc in next 4 sc, 2 sc in next sc; rep from * around. Join with sl st to first sc. (36 sc)

Rnd 7: Ch 1. *Sc in next 5 sc, 2 sc in next sc; rep from * around. Join with sl st to first sc. (42 sc)

Rnd 8: Ch 1. *Sc in next 6 sc, 2 sc in next sc; rep from * around. Join with sl st to first sc. (48 sc)

Rnd 9: Ch 1. *Sc in next 7 sc, 2 sc in next sc; rep from * around. Join with sl st to first sc. (54 sc)

Rnd 10: Ch 1. *Sc in next 8 sc, 2 sc in next sc; rep from * around. Join with sl st to first sc. (60 sc)

Rnd 11: Ch 1. *Sc in next 9 sc, 2 sc in next sc; rep from * around. Join with sl st to first sc. (66 sc)

Rnd 12: Ch 1. *Sc in next 10 sc, 2 sc in next sc; rep from * around. Join with sl st to first sc. (72 sc)

The circle should now measure about 3¼ inches (8.3 cm) across. Do not fasten off.

Part 2: The Diamond Star Openwork Rounds

These rounds create the six-point star. Each point is a chain-2 space flanked by sc2tog decreases, so the diamonds narrow toward the center and widen toward the edge. Work the sequence once as written, then repeat the part between the asterisks five more times (six points in total).

Rnd 13: Ch 1. Sc in each of first 3 sc. *Ch 2, skip next 2 sc, sc in each of next 10 sc; rep from * around, ending with sc in each of last 7 sc. Join with sl st to first sc. (6 ch-2 spaces, 60 sc)

Rnd 14: Ch 1. Sc in each of first 2 sc, sc2tog over next 2 sc. *Ch 2, skip ch-2 sp, ch 2, skip next sc, sc2tog over next 2 sc, sc in each of next 6 sc, sc2tog over next 2 sc; rep from * around, ending with sc in each of last 4 sc. Join with sl st to first sc. (6 ch-2 spaces, 48 sc)

Rnd 15: Ch 1. Sc in next sc, sc2tog over next 2 sc. *Ch 2, skip ch-2 sp, ch 2, skip next sc, sc2tog over next 2 sc, sc in each of next 2 sc, sc2tog over next 2 sc; rep from * around, ending with sc in last sc. Join with sl st to first sc. (6 ch-2 spaces, 36 sc)

Rnd 16: Ch 1. Sc2tog over first 2 sc. *Ch 2, skip ch-2 sp, ch 2, skip next sc, sc2tog over next 2 sc; rep from * around, ending with sl st to first sc2tog. (6 ch-2 spaces, 12 sc)

Rnd 17 (edging): Ch 1. Work 1 sc in each sc and 2 sc in each ch-2 space around. Join with sl st to first sc. (36 sc)

Fasten off and weave in ends.

Part 3: The Ribbed Tube Skirt (worked in continuous rounds)

The skirt is worked in continuous rounds — you do not join at the end of each round. Instead you spiral upward, working back-loop single crochet (BLsc) into every stitch. This makes a stretchy vertical rib that grips the jar.

Join yarn with sl st to any sc of Rnd 17.

Rnd 1: Ch 1. BLsc in each sc around. Do not join; place stitch marker in first stitch and move it up each round. (36 BLsc)

Rnds 2–14: BLsc in each stitch around. (36 BLsc)

The skirt should measure about 3 inches (7.6 cm) from the top edge. The back-loop ribbing creates a stretchy, snug fit over the jar body.

Assembly and Finishing

This project is made in one piece, so there is no seaming — but the finishing still matters, and it is what makes the cover look polished.

• Fasten off: Cut the yarn leaving a 6-inch tail. Pull the tail through the last loop on your hook and tug gently to secure it.
• Close the gap: Thread the tail onto the tapestry needle and weave it through the last round of stitches, then draw it up gently to close any small gap at the bottom edge. Do not pull hard or the edge will pucker.
• Weave in ends: Turn the cover inside out. Thread each tail onto the tapestry needle and weave it in and out through the backs of several stitches, changing direction once, then trim close to the fabric. Weaving in two directions stops the end from working loose in the wash.
• Block: Lightly steam-block the top only — hold a steam iron an inch or two above the fabric (never press it down) so the diamond motif opens up and the circle lies flat. Let it dry completely before using.
• Fit it: Slip the cover over the jar, easing the ribbed skirt down over the body; the flat top rests over the jar mouth. The ribbing stretches about 1 inch (2.5 cm), so it should sit snugly without straining.

Pro Tips and Variations

• Change the color: Work the top in moss green and the skirt in a contrast color such as cream or charcoal for a two-tone look. Simply change yarn at the join before Round 1 of the skirt.
• Adjust the size: If your jar is wider or narrower, add or remove skirt rounds — the ribbing stretches about 1 inch (2.5 cm). For a much wider jar, add one more increase round to the top (Rnd 13 would become an increase round) and add matching stitches to the skirt.
• Substitute yarn: Any worsted weight (category 4) cotton works; avoid acrylic, which stretches out of shape over time. A cotton-linen blend gives a slightly rustic, textured finish.
• Make it a gift set: Crochet two or three covers in different greens and tie them onto jars of homemade preserves or bath salts with a length of twine.