Last year I made felted heart pins of pretty purple yarns. Since then I’ve had requests for the pattern. I’m a bit slow sometimes, but now it’s finally done!
The heart pattern is based on my spiral pattern that you can see here. In this heart I’ve used front post stitches to accentuate the spiral, and a single crochet row to really make it pop out.
It takes minutes to crochet the heart. The felting takes longer. About 30 minutes of rubbing the wool and about two days to dry completely!
The yarn I’ve used is Lamb’s Pride worsted from Brown Sheep. It’s a blend of soft wool and mohair. My sister gave it to me, and I saved it for quite some time until I found a project worthy of it; a Granny Square Shrug that I made last fall. Read all about it here.
Now I’ve used the very last of the yarn for four Felted Swirly Heart pins. Two dark purple and two light purple. The pins are for sale on Etsy. (UPDATE! The pins are all sold out! )
Also in my Etsy store is a Swirly Heart pattern similar to, but still different from, the Felted Swirly Heart. It is made in another way to show the nice chain of the v-shaped top loops. The pattern has clear step-by-step photos! And it comes with both US and UK terminology!
Talking about hearts, Valentine’s Day is around the corner. Last year I wrote about some hearty ideas. Check it out here!
Happy Valentine’s Day!
~ Marina
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Felted Swirly Heart
(US terminology)
This pattern is translated to Finnish here.
YARN: Wool yarn that felts easily.
HOOK: Bigger than needed. Crochet loosely.
Abbreviations
st, sts stitch, stitches
CH chain
SC single crochet
HDC half double crochet
DC double crochet
TR treble crochet
SL ST slip stitch
FP front post
1) CH 2, make into first chain: SC, 2 HDC, 5 DC
2) 2 FP DC around each st, do not join (16 dc)
3) Do NOT turn!
1 FP DC and 1 FP TR around first fp dc.
2 FP TR around each of next two sts
1 FP TR and 1 FP DC around next st
2 FP DC around next st
2 FP HDC around next st
2 FP SC around next st
2 FP HDC and 1 FP DC (pointy tip) around next st
2 FP HDC around next st
2 FP SC around next st
2 FP HDC around next st
2 FP DC around next st
1 FP DC and 1 FP TR around next st
2 FP TR around next two sts
1 FP TR, 1 FP DC, CH 3, and SL ST around next st
CH 1, turn!
4) Make 3 SC around the ch3 space, SC in next 9 sts, SL ST in next 7 sts (make sure not to pull the sl sts too tight, you will need to crochet in them in the next step!), 3 SC in next ( the pointy tip), SL ST in next.
Cut yarn and fasten off.
Bring the starting yarn tail to the back, weave it in.
5) Attach yarn to the first sc around the ch3-space. CH 1, SC in next st, 1 HDC in next 18 sts, 3 SC in front loop of next (the tip), 1 HDC in next 17 sts (until you reach the stitches of the top swirl), 1 SC in each sts to the end (the actual beginning) of the top swirl (23 sc). Cut yarn and pull it to the backside. Weave in yarn tails.
Wet Felting process
Fill a bowl with hot water, add some soap. I use Castile soap.
Put on rubber gloves. They are not necessary, but they give more friction when rubbing the wool.
I also use an old washboard, but again, it is not necessary.
Dip the wool in the hot soapy water. Gently start rubbing it between your hands. Rubbing as in giving it a light massage with your fingertips. Start by rubbing the backside, then working the wide groove on the frontside and forming the outer ridge, shaping it up- and inwards. Every now and then work around the swirl to make sure it doesn’t get too flat. Pinch it while pulling it upwards.
Dip it in the hot soapy water when it starts to feel dry.
Continue until the stitches can no longer be seen, and there’s no holes between them. Then continue a bit longer until you feel it’s as dense as you want it. This process takes about 20 min.
Thoroughly rinse it in cold water to remove all soap. Gently press out excess water.
Shape it one more time, then leave it to dry on a towel. It needs plenty of time to dry completely!
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