Make It ! A Big Heart Hanging Pouch !!!

…Ok ! Ok ! Ok! Today is Saint Valentine's Day and I decided to challenge myself with a crocheted heart ( I wrote a couple of easy knitted patterns - here and here - a while ago !), just for fun!

I was browsing on Pinterest for some inspiration, I just typed cross stitch hearts and thousands of hearts came out! My original idea was to make something pixelated….

...Well, more or less!!!

This is what I was able to create/craft….

… a big (37x30cm, more or less) heart hanging pouch, to fill with lovely notes or cards !!!!!

I apologise for the quality of my pics (all taken with my smartphone!), but the weather has not been so sunny the last couple of days!!!! ;((

Anyway, if you are interested to crochet something similar, you just need :

• a hook (mine was a 3mm)
• some colourful yarns (mine : 100%acrylic from Moda Vera Marvel 8 ply)
• a pair of scissors
• a pair of scissors with round blades
• stitch marker (optional)
• yarn needle
• some pins
• cotton thread
• ribbon
• buttons
• needle to fit the button's holes

Instead to crochet some mini granny squares (as I did for my fox apron), I decided to crochet some (total : 91) basic double crochet circles (please note that I follow the US crochet terminology!), each made of one round of 16 DCs !!!

The pattern for the basic DC circle is the following :

make a slip knot on your hook and chain 5, then insert the hook in the first chain to make a ring.
Chain 1 and work 16 double crochets into the ring and make a slip stitch in the top of the first DC, then cut the yarn and fasten off. Trim in the ends.

At the beginning of my "crochet brainstorming" I didn't know if to crochet the circles singularly or to join them together with the join as you go method….. I decided to go for vertical strips : 5 strips of 9 circles each, 2 strips of 8 circles each, 2 strips of 7 circles each, 2 strips of 5 circles each and 2 strips of 3 circles each !!!

So, practically, I joined each circle just at the top of the previous one, with a little overlapping (next time I have to try the crocodile stitch for a more satisfying 3D effect !) …. How I did that?
As I told you, each circle is made of 16 DC, so after completing the 7th DC, I started the 8th one, just half of it. Then I inserted the point of the hook in the last stitch done of the prior circle, wrapped the yarn around the hook and pulled the hook back trough the circle and the 2 loops on the hook : 8th DC completed, as you can see in the following pics :

…and after that, you crochet the remanent 8 DC to complete your circle and fasten off!!!

Some photos taken during the making …

At a certain point all the strips were done, so I started to arrange them on the table to have an idea of the final shape of the heart …

5 vertical strips of 9 circles...

2 vertical strips of 8 circles …

2 vertical strips of 7 circles …

2 vertical strips of 5 circles …

… and eventually, 2 vertical strips of 3 circles ….

My first idea was simple : sew all the circle on the tea towel and then hang it somewhere in the house, but it didn't go in that way !
I collected some colourful yarns, cut lengths out of them and I began to knot the circles together…

…. almost there …

…. heart done …. !!!! ….

Then I collected a thick (3mm) piece of felt (45x30cm), where I outstretched my heart on and fixed it with the help of some pins …

… and with the help of a yarn needle and some matching yarn (blue as the felt), I started to sew the heart on ...

You can see the back of the sewing …

…. and the points where I started and ended the stitching … there is an opening left in the top of the heart ...

From my sewing basket, I collected a pair of scissors with rounded blades to cut out the heart from the piece of felt …

… and you will have something like this …

Choose a nice ribbon, some buttons and a colourful cotton thread to sew on the back of your heart…

Your heart is ready to be displayed somewhere in the house where your lovelies can see it and leave in some sweet notes or cards for you and the other members of the family …

My Ravelry notes can be found HERE !!!

Happy Saint Valentine's Day !!!!

xxxx, Alessandra

Today links : Link your Stuff and Craft Schooling Sunday !!!! Don't forget Busy Fingers Showing Off #80! !!!! ;oD

Please, show me your makes on IG using the following hashtag : #homemadeatmyplaceoriginals or  tagging me @alessandrapoggiagliolmi .

Text, Design and Photography : Alessandra Poggiagliolmi

All Rights Reserved. No part of this pattern may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, without the prior written permission of the copyright holder.