I'm very fond of hooking up these little hearts. They look super cute and don't take too long to finish, not quite instant gratification but close!
This isn't a beginner pattern I'm afraid, you'll need to know about magic loops, hooking in spirals rather than rows and there is a teeny bit of tricksy joining (but I've added some photos to help you out with that bit). When you get the hang of these techniques they'll be flying off your hook!
I use stylecraft special dk and a 3mm hook, but you can scale up the yarn and hook for bigger (or scale down for smaller) hearts.
I usually stuff the hearts, lightly - not to bursting! It gives them a lovely 3D effect. However if you don't stuff them, they do make a lovely flat heart that holds its shape well and makes a very cute brooch, if you sew a brooch back onto it.
So the pattern:
There is no need to slip stitch rows together because it's all done in a spiral, rather than rows. I do find it helpful to use a stitch marker to show me when I've finished a round though.
I'm using American crochet terms (I know, really! Shocking!) because they make more sense to me...
Make two 'bowls':
sc 6 into magic circle then pull tight (6)
sc 2 into each sc (12)
sc around (12)
sc around (12)
break yarn
Now you you have two teeny little bowl shapes, they are going to make the top of your heart. While they are still easy to get to, sew that magic circle tail into the middle firmly, you don't need to worry about trimming it...all the ends will get caught up in the middle of the heart - yay! You need to secure your tails where you broke your yarn as well. Again leave 'em as long as you want, just make sure they're firmly secured.
Join your bowl shapes together by either slip stitching or good old needle and thread stitching, it really doesn't matter! Here I've shown, in contrasting yellow, how to join the top two sections of the heart by stitching.
This photo shows them pulled tightly together ready to start stitching around the edge. I'm only using yellow to highlight how to join, obviously you're going to need to use the same coloured yarn as you are making your heart with! Heh!
join bowls by sewing 3 stitches from each bowl together so your stitch count around the edge of your shape is now 18 sc.
Now sc around, completely missing out those stitches you've just sewed together (18)
Here's what it will look like after that first 18 stitch round, hopefully it's clear how I've missed those stitches I joined together with the yellow yarn above.
Here's what it should look like on the outside, you can see your little heart shape beginning to form!
sc around again (18)
now you are going to start reducing your stitches to make the bottom section of your heart, it's sort of cone shaped.
now you are going to start reducing your stitches to make the bottom section of your heart, it's sort of cone shaped.
then *3sc and sc2tog* until you only have ten sc left, (10)
(if you're going to stuff your heart, now is the time to do it!)
now *sc2tog, 1sc* until you have closed the pointy bit at the bottom of your heart.
break yarn
secure your heart's little tail and you are done!
Or you can attach your heart to a bamboo skewer for a pretty balloon type effect:
I have a little garland of these and matching pom poms across my mantelpiece. Very cute.
Have fun with your teeny hearts and let me know how you get on with the pattern. I'm very much a novice at pattern writing and feedback would be appreciated!
Here's the pattern on it's own, minus my chuntering:
Make two 'bowls':
sc 6 into magic circle then pull tight (6)
sc 2 into each sc (12)
sc around (12)
sc around (12)
break yarn
join bowls by sewing 3 stitches from each bowl together so your stitch count around the edge of your shape is now 18 sc.
sc around, completely missing out those stitches you've just sewed together (18)
sc around again (18)
*3sc and sc2tog* until you only have ten sc left, (10)
(if you're going to stuff your heart, now is the time to do it!)
*sc2tog, 1sc* until you have closed the pointy bit at the bottom of your heart.
break yarn
secure your heart's little tail and you are done!
