Crocheting a Mini Heart
Make a slip knot and then use the crochet hook to chain four. Take your worsted weight yarn and create a slip knot to begin your heart. Insert your H-8 (5mm) crochet hook into the slip knot’s loop and pull to tighten the loop. Make sure to leave the loop large enough to slide the hook in and out easily.
Make 4 chain stitches and then connect the ends to make a loop. Cross your working yarn over to make a chain stitch. Repeat 3 more times. Slip stitch into the first chain stitch you made. Insert your hook into the first chain stitch. Yarn over and pull through. Pull the same loop through the second loop on your hook. This connects the ends of the chain to form the center ring of your heart. You can also begin your heart by making a Magic Ring. The Magic Ring can be pulled tight after you finish the heart.
Crochet 4 treble and 4 double stitches for the first half of your heart. Work 4 chain stitches. These 4 stitches are the same size as one treble crochet. Work a treble crochet stitch 4 times into the center of the ring. Make sure you are inserting the hook into the center of your ring, or the heart will not look even when you’re done. Work a double crochet stitch 4 times into the center ring. Chain 1 stitch, treble crochet 1 stitch, and then chain 1 stitch "You’ll want to hold the yarn tight enough to keep tension on the yarn but loose enough that it can still slide through your fingers while you crochet," DIY Specialist Sarah Stearns advises.
Crochet 4 double and 4 treble stitches for the second half of your heart. For the second half of your heart, you simply reverse the pattern you used to make the first half. Think of it as making the first half from the top down and the second half from the bottom up. Work 4 double crochet stitches into the center ring. Work 4 treble crochet stitches into the center ring and then chain 4. Slip stitch into the center ring and then cut the working yarn to finish off the crocheted heart. Weave in the ends with a yarn needle. Your finished heart will be roughly 2” x 2”. The size of your heart can vary depending on how tightly you make your stitches. Tighter stitches result in a smaller heart, while looser stitches make the heart larger.
Crocheting a Medium Heart
Make a mini heart but don’t cut the yarn or finish off. A larger heart is made by working additional rows around the outside of your mini heart. After you work the final slip stitch in the mini heart, continue working with the same yarn.
Work a second round of single crochet stitches to enlarge your heart. From the slip stitch you made to finish the mini heart, chain 5 stitches. Then work a single crochet stitch into the top of the first treble crochet from the previous round. Work 2 single crochet stitches into the top of the next stitch, 1 single crochet stitch into the following stitch, and 2 single crochet stitches into the one after that. Single crochet into the tops of the next 5 stitches. Work 2 single crochet stitches into the next stitch, then single crochet in the 5 stitches after that. Repeat. Work 2 single crochet stitches into the top of the next stitch and 1 single crochet stitch into the following stitch. Repeat. Chain 5 stitches and then slip stitch into the center ring and finish off. When finished, your heart will be about 2½” x 2½”. The final measurements will depend on how tight you keep the tension of your yarn while making the stitches.
Making a Stuffed Heart
Start by making 2 of the same-sized crocheted hearts. It doesn’t matter what size you make as long as both hearts are roughly the same. Don’t finish off the second heart. You will use the working yarn to stitch the two hearts together.
Prepare to stitch the hearts by fitting them together. Put the backs (or the wrong side) of the hearts together. This will be the inside. Make sure all the edges match.
Connect the 2 hearts with slip stitches around the outside. Insert your hook into the first full stitch (not a chain stitch) to the left. Then insert the hook through the matching stitch on the second heart. Grab the working loop and pull it through the stitches on both hearts. Chain 1. Insert your hook into the next set of stitches in the hearts. Yarn over and pull through both hearts and the existing loop on your hook to slip stitch. Chain 1. Continue making slip stitches through both hearts and then chain 1, working around the edge of the hearts. Stop several stitches from the end, leaving a hole where you can fill the heart with stuffing material.
Stuff the heart with polyester fiber stuffing. Put enough stuffing material into the heart to give it dimension without making it too firm. When you have stuffed the heart to your liking, finish stitching the heart together by slip-stitching together the open section of stitches. Finish off.
Customizing Your Heart
Make larger or smaller hearts by changing the hook size or yarn weight. Use different yarn weights and hook sizes. Using different yarns and hooks can alter the size and texture of your hearts. Bulkier yarn and larger hooks will produce larger hearts. For example, a heart made with fingering weight yarn and a C-2 (2.75mm) hook will be roughly half the size of a heart made with worsted weight yarn and an H-8 (5mm) hook. A heart made with super bulky yarn and an N/P-15 (10mm) hook would be roughly twice as large as the hearth made with worsted-weight yarn.
Add embellishments to personalize your hearts. After finishing off your heart, you can sew on beads or embroider designs onto its surface.
Use more than one yarn color to make each heart unique. You can change yarn colors at the beginning of a new row or for different groupings of stitches.
Crochet a decorative edging for a professional finish. Try crocheting a scalloped edge for a more feminine look. For a simpler border, work a triple picot border around your heart.
Add chain stitches to the top to make a hanging loop. When you complete the heart, don’t finish off. Chain stitch an even number of stitches to twice the length of the loop you want to add. Fold it in half and slip-stitch into the center divot at the top of the heart. Finish off.
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