Verb: pootle
poo-t(u)l To move in a leisurely unhurried way,
with no real purpose


Tuesday 21 October 2014

I ♥ Hearts ...

 When I get near to completing a blanket I like to add one last finishing touch to personalise it, especially if it's a gift for someone, and it's usually either a little tag or a ribbon.
 I've sometimes added little crochet hearts but so far these have only been flat ones. 
As I was getting near to completing Immi's Uni blanket a couple of weeks ago,
 I decided that I wanted to try something a bit different,
so I set about looking for a pattern for a 3D heart.
This is maybe rather a grand way of putting it as it sounds as though,
in true fairy tale style,
I set off on an adventure to seek out the long forgotten crochet pattern Queen,
hidden away in a dark cave somewhere far, far away over the crystal mountains.
In reality all I actually did was Google '3D crochet heart pattern'
- and up it came !
 
 
 
Ta-dah !
So, you might think that this is the end of my tale ....
But No !
Because once you start making these teeny little shapes of 3D gorgeousness
you just won't be able to stop.
 
 
Before you know it you'll be rummaging through all those ends of balls of yarn and
hearts of all colours will appear.
Apart from adding them to crochet blankets the possibilities are endless ...
 
 
from little tiny key-rings for daughters at home,


to key-rings packed up and posted off to daughters at Uni,
 
 
 
 
and that's before you've even started on the heart bunting !
 

There's bedroom heart bunting,

 
and hall mirror heart bunting.
 
 
 And are they easy ?
Soooooo easy !
 
They're the perfect little half hour fillers when you're waiting for the
dinner to cook
or for that last crochet hit of the day.
Here's how ......
 
To start off I watched this video from YouTube
 (How to Crochet a Valentine Puffy Heart - Small Crochet Geek ).  
I watched it a couple of times and then wrote the pattern down, as I found this was
much easier to refer back to than hunting through the video for the right bit.
The pattern works up to make a small, chunky heart and whilst this is very gorgeous I added a few tweaks to the pattern to make a slightly more shaped heart that tapers down towards the bottom.
 
Here are the notes I wrote down from the video, with my very little additions:
 
 
Chain 3.
Join with a slip stitch.
Chain 1.
Work 9 DC in to the ring.

 
Round 2: 2 DC in each stitch, 18 stitches.
Round 3: DC in each stitch, 18 stitches.
Round 4: DC in each stitch, 18 stitches.
Slip stitch in to the first stitch, cast off.

 
Make a second circle.
 

 
Join the 2 circles together across 5 stitches. 
( You now have a teeny, tiny Madonna bra ! )

 
 I found I needed to watch this bit a few times on the video as it took me a
 couple of attempts to get it right as the joining stitches form a kind of seam
and this needs to be on the inside of the finished heart.


Once you get the hang of it though it all makes perfect sense,
 

 
and you should end up with a little seam of 5 stitches on the inside

 
and a neat little indent between the two circles on the outside.


That's definitely the trickiest bit out of the way - its plain sailing from
here and you'll be finished in no time now !

 
Round 5: DC all the way around the heart, with the round being completed when you get
 back to the central point where you started.
Round 6: DC all the way around, decreasing at each side.
 
 
(If you watch this bit on the video its basically just crocheting 3 stitches together.)
Round 7: DC all the way around, decreasing at each side.


 
After I've done Round 7 I find this is a good time to turn the heart inside
 out and finish off the ends.


I use the two starting ends to carefully pull up and close any little gap that there may be
and I also thread it into a needle and do a couple of running stitches around the top
 circle of stitches and again gently pull to close up.
 

 
 
I use the finishing end from the first circle to thread through the centre of the
 5 stitch seam to make a little hanging loop.
 

Pick up the last stitch from Round 7 and continue.
 


 
Round 8, 9 and 10: DC all the way round, decreasing at the sides.
 

 
After Round 10 I stuff  each side of the heart carefully.
 
 
Round 11: DC all the way round, decreasing at each side,
AND also in the centre front and centre back.
( This is my adaptation to get a more tapering shape to the finished heart. )


 
Rounds 12 and 13: DC all the way round, continuing to decrease at the sides
and the centre front and back.
 
You will soon get to the point where you can join the last stitches together to make
 the finishing point of the heart, just remember to put the last remaining stuffing
 in before the hole gets too small.
 

 
Cast off, and using a needle thread the last end off .
Don't you love it !
 
 
Beth is very happy with her bedroom bunting
 

and I am completely in love with my hall mirror bunting,
with a little extra addition of some jingly bells.

 
Happy hearting everyone.

41 comments:

  1. Hi Kate, oh my days they are super cute. Ha ha and in the process you do indeed crochet mini Madonna bra.
    I can see they will be addictive makes, the key-ring is a fabby accessory too.
    thank you for the pattern, I will give them a try at the weekend.
    Have a lovely week, hope it is not too windy with you...I just took 3 leaves out of my hair walking to the house!
    Helen

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    1. Sooo windy here today Helen ! Got blown around the fields with the dogs, it was exhilarating if nothing else !! K x

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  2. They are such sweet little chunky hearts and look lovely made up into bunting! Thanks for sharing the pattern, and well done you cos I think I would get stuck at the Madonna bra bit - looks a bit too fiddly for me, and I can remember struggling with a similar heart pattern last summer and it turned out pants!
    Gill xx

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    1. Thank you Gill - go on, give it another go ! K x

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  3. Hi Kate,

    Lovely little hearts and such a nice finishing touch to your blankets. They also look great as bunting. The Keyrings are a great idea may have to try one for daughter.

    It's been very windy here too the last couple of days and made very interesting driving this morning.

    Mitzi

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    1. Hold on tight to that steering wheel Mitzi, hopefully it's blowing itself away now ! K x

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  4. Will be forwarding to the daughters who crochet better than me Kate, they would make a lovely addition to the growing pile of dare I say it 'Christmas decorations' It's definitely a day here in Yorkshire to be inside, sky going black again. L Anne xx

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    1. Yes, I thought a little strip of Christmassy hearts would look very pretty wouldn't it ? K x

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  5. Thankyou so much for putting the pattern on your blog. Just love the heart bunting - I have a "thing" for both hears and bunting! Will definitely be giving them a go!

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  6. The hearts are so sweet, Kate. I especially love that you've sent them to your daughters at school. You really seem to know exactly what young girls like. I always think that when I visit you here. Thanks for the tutorial and pattern, they're really cute.

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    1. I hope you get to give them a try Jennifer, K x

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  7. Anything that half made looks like Madonna's bra has such a high fun factor it has to be good ;)

    Seriously, they are so versatile ... love the keychains.

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    1. Its sad isn't Annie - but it makes me chuckle every time I get to the Madonna bra bit ! K x

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  8. They're brilliant, I can see why you made lots. The bunting is wonderful. You've made them and strung them together so beautifully, as always. CJ xx

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  9. They're so sweet, thank you for sharing the pattern Kate. Love the keyring idea, they will make great stocking fillers for my girls and also love the bunting, will definitely give them a try. Have a great week.
    Jane xx

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  10. Ooooh how Darling are those?!?!fabby find and so kind of you to share your tweaks!! X

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    1. Glad you like them Helen, hope you get to have a go, K x

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  11. You are a gem, thank you for sharing this and making life brighter! Chrissie xxx

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  12. That's lovely Kate, thank you for sharing! Sarah xo

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  13. Have seen a written pattern for hearts but wasn't aware of youtube! Need to practice before Valentine's Day:) Thanks for sharing Kate! Love your ideas!

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    1. Youtube is brilliant - its how I taught myself to crochet a couple of years ago. Thanks for dropping by, K x

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  14. They are gorgeous Kate!! I love how you have made so many different versions for different places and uses too! xx

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    1. Thank you Amy, they are a lot of fun to make, K x

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  15. These are adorable. I bet they feel really squishy and nice in the hand, don't they? I love the little garlands they make. They'd make fab Christmas tree decorations too! x

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    1. You're so right Gillian, there's something very squishy and comforting when you hold one ! Hadn't thought about putting them on a Christmas tree but that is SUCH a good idea, K x

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  16. Hi Kate, those are cute! I have knitted puffy hearts in fuzzy wool they make you smile. I like your garland and key chains. :)

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  17. Oh these hearts are so cute. I can see how one quickly became many... the keychain is adorable.
    x

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    1. I promise you won't be able to stop once you start ! K x

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  18. What a clever girl they look really really gorgeous hung like that and thank you for taking the time to share the pattern with us! xoxo

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    1. Thank you Hannapat, they are a lot of fun to make, K xx

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  19. Hi, I made my first heart yesterday-I've been looking for a 3d pattern for ages! I've struggled with the mid seam but today after a few goes I managed to get it just right, I'm thinking I'll probably be making quite a few more!
    Thank you!!

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    1. Hi Cleo Bonbon, I'm so pleased that you are enjoying making the little hearts, and that's so cool that with a couple of extra tries you have got the hang of the middle seam - its so satisfying when you crack something isn't it ? Thank you for dropping by, K x

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    2. I've only spotted you commented on my blog when I linked to you, thanks for taking the time x

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  20. Love the look of these hearts! You're such a sweet Mum - I bet your daughters loved their key rings. I'm quite tempted to make something similar *whispers* to pop in a stocking. ;-)

    Heather xx

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