Everything's cuter in miniature, right? My
crochet heart pillow had me longing for a mini version. It took some playing, as you well know if you follow me on
Instagram, but I finally nailed down a pattern for y'all. A number of you mentioned that you had tried to make small hearts but were unsuccessful, so before I get into the pattern, let's talk about the basics of making a crochet heart...
If you've made a heart pillow from my pattern, this will likely sound familiar to you. You are essentially making two "humps" that you will join by completing a continuous round of stitches on both humps as if they were one piece. From there you will start your gradual decreases. That step requires some math... Here is how you can figure out the math ahead of time: the max number of stitches in each hump x 2, then plus 2 will give you the number of stitches in the first joined row. To figure out your decreases, you will need to think about the multiples of that number. For example, if each hump has 12 stitches, your first joined row will be (12x2) + 2 = 26. 26 is an awkward number to start with, with only 2 and 13 as it's divisors. To get down to an easier number (like 24, for example), you'll need to get rid of 2 stitches. To get rid of 2 stitches, you'll need to do 2 single (or double) crochet decreases. To figure out that math, you'll divide the number you want, 24, by the number of decreases you need, 2, for a total of 12. This means that you will do 11 stitches followed by 1 decrease, and 11 more stitches followed by 1 decrease for a total of 24. A number like 24 is easier to work with, because it has plenty of divisors (2, 3, 4, 6, 8, 12). You can then decrease gradually by multiples of 4, for example, using the same formula. Each row would have 4 less stitches, meaning each row would contain 4 decreases.
Okay, okay. I apologize for all that mumbo jumbo if you weren't interested. A good friend once told me that she tried to learn crochet, but it was secretly so mathy... I laughed, but she's totally right. Crochet like this definitely requires a brush-up on your multiplication and addition skills, right?
All that said, I made up most of the hearts pictured here on the fly, using all those mathy basics. I did, however, write up a concrete pattern for you to follow if you don't feel like calculating your stitches. ;)
Stuff You'll Need:
medium weight cotton yarn (I used Sugar & Cream), size H crochet hook, yarn needle, scissors, fiberfill (optional)
*Note, I am using US crochet terms.
Abbreviations: st = stitch, sc = single crochet, slpst = slip stitch, invdec = invisible decrease
*If you aren't familiar with the invisible decrease, you can easily substitute with a regular decrease/2 single crochets together.
This pattern is worked in continuous rounds without joining or turning.
Rnd 1 - Make a magic ring, 5 sc in ring, pull ring tight and sew closed = 5 sc
Rnd 2 - 2 sc in each st around = 10 sc
Rnd 3 - 1 sc in each st around = 10 sc
Rnd 4 - *4 sc, 2 sc in next st,* rep from * around = 12 sc
With your first hump, cut your yarn as shown above and thread your yarn needle. Insert your needle through the next st, then back through the current st. Leave the tail for sewing later.
Make a second hump (rounds 1 - 4), but do not cut the yarn. Instead you will begin round 5 in the first st of round 4 on the first hump. See the photos for details.
Rnd 5 - sc in first st of rnd 4 on first hump, sc around first hump, sc again in first st of rnd, sc in same st as final st of rnd 4 on second hump, sc around second hump = 26 sc
Rnd 6 - *11 sc, invdec* repeat from * around = 24 sc
Use yarn tail from first hump to sew hole between humps together. Tie off and weave in end.
Rnd 7 - *6 sc, invdec* repeat from * around = 21 sc
Rnd 8 - *5 sc, invdec* repeat from * around = 18 sc
Rnd 9 - *4 sc, invdec* repeat from * around = 15 sc
Rnd 10 - *sc, invdec* repeat from * around = 10 sc
Rnd 11 - invdec around, fasten off without joining = 5 sc
Use yarn tail to sew end closed.
Like I said, I mostly made up these hearts as I went along, and you can easily tweak it to your liking. I went back and forth with the humps, some have 4 rounds while others have 5. For a deeper "v" in the center, add a fifth round with 12 stitches. You can also stuff the hearts if you like, though I personally like how they look unstuffed. If you'd like to stuff them, add fiberfill after round 9 or 10 at the latest. You can also use a G hook instead of an H for tighter stitches -- the white, pink (not purple), and orange heart is worked with a G hook.
Wouldn't these make the sweetest little Valentine's? Little handmade, crochet hearts with a sweet note attached? What do you think, friends? Will you be hooking up some little hearts this week?
