Heart Decoration

I've been crocheting these gorgeous hearts for the big Creative Community project that I organise each year for the Yarndale festival*. They are easy to make, coming together in 8 simple rounds, and I've had fun trying out different ways to prettify the basic heart shape.

PATTERN 

This pattern is divided into two parts. First of all there is the basic heart shape (shown above) which is crocheted in five rounds, and then there is the pretty edging which is crocheted in three additional rounds. 

The above basic heart shape wasn't designed by me - it's the work of a really lovely and talented Dutch designer and blogger called Atty. You can find Atty's blog here >> {https://atty-s.blogspot.co.uk/}.  As soon as I saw this gorgeous plump heart shape I knew it was exactly what I'd been looking for, and after trying out Atty's free pattern I kind of felt like it was perfect for what I needed. I wrote to Atty and asked her if I could use her pattern, translating it into English and providing some additional photo images to help beginners. The edging bit of the heart is my design element, and I think the two combine really well.

The basic heart is a FREE PATTERN on ATTY's Blog. The original is written in US crochet terms, with an additional graphic chart too. Huge thanks to Atty for very kindly giving her permission for me to share it here.

YARN

You can pretty much use any odds and ends of DK weight yarn to make these hearts, it's a great little stash busting project. You need 4 different colours for the heart itself, plus other oddments for any additional flowers/applique decorations you might want to add.

For my hearts I've used my favourite Stylecraft Classique Cotton DK which is my go-to yarn for small decorative projects. This is a lovely matt yarn which gives a beautiful stitch definition and creates a nice neat, firm fabric when worked up. 

SIZE INFO

Hook size : I have used a 4.5mm hook as I crochet quite tightly, but you can use whichever hook size you are happy with for the yarn you are using - aim for quite a dense, neat finish so that your heart holds it's shape and doesn't flop around too much!

Heart size : my finished hearts measure approx. 14cm / 5.5 inches square.

PATTERN

I'm writing my pattern using UK crochet terms, as follows :

sl st [slip stitch] :: insert hook, yarn over, pull the loop back through the stitch, then through the loop on your hook.

dc [double crochet] :: insert hook, yarn over, pull the loop back through the stitch (two loops on hook), yarn over and pull through both loops on hook (note :: this is equivalent to the US sc stitch)

htr [half treble]:: yarn over, insert hook, yarn over, pull the loop back through the stitch (three loops on hook), yarn over and pull through all three loops on hook (note :: this is equivalent to the US hdc stitch)

tr [treble] :: yarn over, insert hook, yarn over, pull the loop back through the stitch (three loops on hook), yarn over and pull through two loops on hook (two loops left on hook), yarn over and pull through remaining two loops (note :: this is equivalent to the US dc stitch)

ROUND 1 :

Chain 4; sl st in first ch to form a ring.

Chain 2 (counts as 1 tr); 11 tr into the ring.

Sl st into 2nd chain of beginning ch-2 to close the round. Do not fasten off. [12 stitches]

ROUND 2 :

Chain 2 (counts as 1 tr); 1 tr into same beginning stitch (shown by my needle in the above photo)

*Work 2 tr in next stitch*

Repeat between ** 10 more times.

Sl st into 2nd chain of beginning ch-2 to close the round. Do not fasten off. [24 stitches]

ROUND 3 :

Chain 2 (counts as 1 tr).

2 tr into the next stitch (shown by my needle in the above picture).

*1 tr into next stitch; 2 tr into next st*

Repeat between ** 10 more times.

Sl st into 2nd chain of beginning ch-2 to close the round. Do not fasten off. [36 stitches]

ROUND 4 :

We are now going to start shaping the heart - here is the first half :

1 dc in next stitch

1 htr in next stitch ; 1 tr in same stitch

2 tr in each of next 5 stitches

1 tr in each of next 2 stitches

1 htr in each of next 2 stitches

1 dc in each of next 4 stitches

1 htr in next stitch

1 tr in next stitch

3 tr in next st (this is the bottom point of the heart).

Now for the second half...

1 tr in next stitch

1 htr in next stitch

1 dc in each of next 4 stitches

1 htr in each of next 2 stitches

1 tr in each of next 2 stitches

2 tr in each of next 5 stitches

1 htr in next stitch ; 1 tr in same stitch

1 dc in next stitch

sl st in final stitch to close round (shown by my needle in above picture). Do not fasten off.

ROUND 5 :

First half - 

1 dc in next stitch

1 htr in next stitch; 1 tr in same stitch

1 htr in next stitch

2 tr in each of next 6 stitches

1 tr in each of next 3 stitches

1 htr in each of next 2 stitches

1 dc in each of next 9 stitches

 

3 dc in next st (this is the bottom point of the heart). Make sure the point is crocheted into the centre tr stitch at the bottom point of the previous round.

Second Half - 

1 dc in each of next 9 stitches

1 htr in each of next 2 stitches

1 tr in each of next 3 stitches

1 htr in next stitch

2 tr in each of next 6 stitches

1 htr in next stitch

1 htr in next stitch; 1 tr in same stitch

1 dc in next stitch

Sl st into the sl st that closed the last round (where my needle is pointing in the above picture). Fasten off.

And that's your beautiful heart shape - many thanks again to Atty for this gorgeous pattern. Remember, if you like to have a graphic chart to refer to instead of (or as well as) a written pattern, there is one on Atty's blog HERE.

I'm going to add three extra decorative rounds now, so choose three yummy colours......

ROUND 6 :

Insert hook under the slip stitch that closed the last round. Pull through a loop of new colour yarn and chain 1.

1 dc in each of the next 3 stitches ; 2 dc in next stitch (as shown above)

*1 dc in each of the next 2 stitches ; 2 dc in next stitch*

Repeat between ** (as shown above)

1 dc in each of the next 21 stitches - you should now be down at the centre point.

3 dc in next stitch (this is the bottom point of the heart). Make sure your 3 dc's are crocheted into the centre dc stitch at the bottom point of the previous round (as shown above)

1 dc in each of the next 21 stitches.

You should now have 10 stitches remaining.

*2 dc in next st ; 1 dc in each of the next 2 stitches*

Repeat between ** one more time.

2 dc in next stitch ; 1 dc in each of the next 3 stitches.

Slip stitch into beginning chain-1 to close round. Fasten off.

Your heart should now have a lovely neat edging.

ROUND 7 :

Insert your hook into the first stitch of the previous round and pull through a loop of new colour.

Chain 3 (counts as 1 dc, plus chain-1)

Skip 1 stitch; dc in next stitch (shown where my needle is in above picture)

Skip 1 stitch; chain 1

*1 dc in next stitch; skip 1 stitch; chain 1*

Repeat between ** all the way around the heart.

NOTE : keep your tension quite loose and don't pull the stitches too tight - you want to keep your heart shape laying nice and flat. You can always switch to a slightly bigger hook size if your stitches are pulling too tight.

When you get back to the beginning, slip stitch into the very base of the beginning chain-3 (shown by my needle in the above picture). Fasten off.

Looking good! Now just the final round to go........

ROUND 8 :

Insert your hook into the base of the slip stitch which closed the previous round (shown by my needle in the above picture).

Pull through a loop of the new colour.

Chain 2.

1 dc into the next ch-1 space; chain 2

*1 dc into the next ch-1 space; chain 2*

Repeat between ** until you reach the bottom point of the heart.

3 dc in the ch-1 space at the bottom point of the heart; chain 2

*1 dc into the next ch-1 space; chain 2*

Repeat between ** until you get back to the beginning.

Slip stitch into the base of the beginning chain-2 to close the round (shown by my needle in the above picture). 

Fasten off, and darn the end back through the base of the slip stitch to the reverse, pulling tight to neaten the finish.

YAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Your heart should be looking mighty fine, and sitting nice and flat. However, cotton yarn responds very well to steam pressing, so use an iron on a cool setting, and steam gently on the reverse of the heart to give a lovely neat finish.

Now it's time to think of adding a little bit of extra prettiness to your heart.......

DECORATING

Flowers are always my first choice, and there are a good many small flower patterns on my blog to choose from.

You could add a rose, a triple layer flower, a double layer flower, or some teeny tiny flowers. Or how about a Flora flower?

There are also a huge number of two dimensional little crochet patterns online - I made myself a strawberry (pattern on my blog HERE) to add to one of my hearts and I think it looks sooo cute!

HANGING LOOP

You need to crochet and attach a small hanging loop using yarn that is the same colour as your final edging round. Leave a 15cm tail end for stitching and make a slip knot, then chain 8. Fasten off, leaving another 15cm tail end.

Thread the tail ends onto a darning needle and attach the chain loop to each side of the heart top, making sure it is positioned centrally.  Stitch securely and darn in ends neatly on the reverse.

I think these are such cute little hanging decorations to brighten up a small corner of your home, much in the same way that you might display crochet potholders (see here and here and here). Also, it occurred to me that they would be lovely to give as gifts too, just to spread a little yarny love.

One final finishing touch - I like to add a little bit of stiffness to my heart decorations so that when they are hung up on a wall they don't flop forward. It's very easy to do, and I've gotten the best results by applying a light coating of white PVA craft glue using a stiff craft brush.

The glue shouldn't be applied too thickly - don't let it seep between the stitches but rather sit on the surface of the crochet (on the reverse side of the heart remember!). This glue will harden and turn clear once it's dry - leave it for 24 hours so that the glue dries completely and all the stickiness disappears. Your crochet heart should now be nice and stiff and ready to hang.

I really hope that you enjoy making some hearts to decorate your home or give away as gifts.

If you would like to make a heart for the Yarndale* Creative Community project, you can find all the details {HERE}. The closing date for this project is Friday 15th September 2017.

There is also more hearty inspiration and pattern links on my blog {HERE}.

❤ ❤❤ Have fun! ❤❤❤

*Yarndale is a creative yarn festival held in North Yorkshire, UK. It is a for-profit organisation, and I am one of the five organisers. You can find more details on the Yarndale website.

 

 

Comments

[Sheryl Botulenko]

I do not understand why the 2 rounds that make the heart are not symmetrical. And I cannot seem to get the decorative edge correct...it continues to have an extra stitch...am I missing something? Not a beginner here.

[Elaine]

Just finished my first heart ever. So cute and can’t wait to create a garland for valentines.

[Ashley Broke]

You make the best tutorials, so easy for me to understand your tutorials help me a lot in my work

[Teresa]

Thank you so much Lucy! I love this! Is it missing "1 htr in next stitch" after "2 tr in each of next 6 stitches" in the first half of the 5th round? To make it symmetrical with the 2nd half?

[Sarah Lally]

I am sure I saw the pattern written out without the pictures. Has it been removed?

[Barbara]

Lucy your attention to details is amazing. Thank you for being so careful in how you put out your instruction. These things take time and effort. Have been following you for eons. Thank you again for the pleasure you put out Barbara x

[Donna Fredette]

When you change colors and you say to pull up a loop and chain 2, do you mean that you literally pull up a loop or do you start with a slip stich?

[Mitzi Trenz-Christian]

Thank you so very much Lucy. You make the best tutorials, so easy for me to understand. Hope y'all enjoy the rest of the summer. Mitzi

[Gillian McM]

Link to double layer flower is broken. This is it:

http://attic24.typepad.com/weblog/crochet-flowers-and-leaves.html

[Louise]

Awesome! Have been looking forward to this tutorial. Thanks Lucy!

[Gillian McM]

Just a reminder that when Atty says "dc" she means the US double crochet; when Lucy says "dc" she means the UK dc, which is the US single crochet!

[Lisa]

do you have a you tube channel? ...I would love to see you do these in a video