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Hearts and Flowers

Happy February. In a spirit of joy and optimism and I am declaring this the month of crochet hearts and flowers!

This is the month when the garden slowly bursts back into life, with bulbs appearing and shoots making their way through the chilly soil to promise colour and joy all through summer! For me this is a month definied by friendship and (of course) love!

Over the years I have published a number of different versions of my crochet heart pattern, I love the simple construction and the way it cleverly uses increases and decreases to create a recognisable heart shape. The verys first version appeared in Issue 33 of Inside Crochet magazine. Later I published a smaller version in the same magazine as part of a feature on crocheting for celebrations. It has also found its way into other publications and most recently as a motif on an embellished cushion (pattern pdf coming soon!) I’m always surprised that more variations of this simple technique haven’t appeared on blogs or Pinterest. With a little imagination you could add embroidered embellishments, crochet frills and ruffles. I think stripes or textured yarn versions would be such fun to create!

The basic “recipe” is printed below, and you can find more detailed versions of the pattern, with abbreviations lists and yarn suggestions in my Ravelry or Love Crafts stores (see links below). If you do make a version of this, please share it on my Facebook or Instagram pages.

Another one of my “old favourites” is the heart shaped wreath, which usually hangs on my front door during February. I shall post a more detailed description of how I made this next week, but if you want to try making one yourself try this post.

Basic Heart Pop (this pattern uses UK crochet terms and abbreviations):

Make two the same for front and back.

With 3.5mm hook and dk yarn make 6ch.

Row 1: 1dc in second ch from hook, dc to end, mark centre stitch, turn. (5dc)

Row 2: 1ch, 2dc in first dc, dc to centre st, remove marker, 3dc in centre st, replace marker in centre st of 3dc, dc to last st, 2dc in last st, turn. (9dc)

Rows 3 (4): As Row 2. (17dc)

Row 5: 1ch, dc to centre st, remove marker, 3dc in centre st, replace marker in centre st of 3dc, dc to end, turn. (19dc)

Row 6: 1ch, dc2tog, dc to centre st, remove marker, 3dc in centre st, replace marker in centre st of 3dc, dc to last 2dc, dc2tog, turn. (19dc)

Row 7: 1ch, [dc2tog] twice, dc to centre st, remove marker, 3dc in centre st, replace marker in centre st of 3dc, dc to last 4dc, [dc2tog] twice, turn. (17dc)

Row 8: ch, dc to centre st, remove marker, 3dc in centre st, replace marker in centre st of 3dc, dc to end. (19dc)

Fasten off yarn and weave in ends.

Making Up:

With wrong sides together, sew a whip stitch or make a dc seam around the edge of the hearts leaving a gap for stuffing, stuff to make a plump heart and sew gap. Slip a cake pop stick through the reverse of each heart and tie a small ribbon bow. A tiny amount of glue can be used to secure the stick.

Alternatively, a piece of ribbon can be stitched to the top of the heart and they can be decorated with beads and buttons.

Happy making x

You can find some of my heart patterns for sale online:

Heart Pops on Love Crafts or Ravelry. You can find the free flower pattern I used to make my heart shaped wreath in this blog post. For versions in your back issues of Inside Crochet, take a look in issues 33, 64 and 111.

Heart Pops for Valentines

20leanne-dixon-high-res

Just in time for Valentine’s day I’ve released my little Heart Pops pattern. These simple little hearts are very quick to make and look fabulous strung as a garland or made into wall hangings. Some of you might recognise them as part of a feature I wrote for Issue 64 of Inside Crochet in 2015.

hearts

You can use any yarn for these. I’ve suggested double knitting, but you can use aran or chunky to make larger hearts, or 4 ply for tiny ones. Use a size smaller hook than usual to create a dense fabric (you don’t want the stuffing to show through).

Although it’s traditional to make your hearts in red or pink, I chose bold pastels for mine and they look very cheerful decorating a spring table.

You can find the pattern on Love Crochet or Ravelry.

Happy Crocheting xxx

Time to Celebrate

Issue 64 of Inside Crochet is now on sale, as always I cannot choose my favourite project from this issue, Claire Montgomerie’s Aster Wrap is beautiful (I’m loving the colour).

Aster Wrap, photo credit; Lucy Williams for Tailormade Publishing

Can’t you just imagine a summer evening, watching the sun go down with this elegant wrap covering your shoulders?

I’m also thrilled to say that I have a feature in this issue on the subject of crochet celebrations. The set has been beautifully photographed by Leanne Dixon and Claire (the editor) has styled it beautifully. Along with the patterns for garland, bunting and little heart shaped “cake pops”, you’ll find lots of advice for hosting your own crochet party and tips for getting everyone involved in making a truly handmade celebration. Here’s a few images to get your creative juices going. Look out for Issue 64 in the shops now.