Construction
My least favourite part of knitting is the sewing afterward and so I regularly seek out knitting patterns with a ‘join as you go’ construction – hence my desire to design a stuffed heart with minimal sewing. (There is a small hole to gather up between the heart bumps, but aside from also threading the yarn through the last few stitches, that is all the stitching involved. The stuffed heart is knitted upside down, from the top down in the round. The tops of the heart are worked separately and then joined together. It has two Judy Becker’s magic cast-ons at the top and is worked in the round using the magic loop method.
I've made a video tutorial of how to work Judy Becker's Magic Cast On for a giant rainbow-shaped bed pillow here - it also shows a few other things that I've made using it - besides just toe-up socks.
Materials
- Yarn. I used about 6g (20m) of sports weight/(UK baby weight) Millamia, Naturally Soft Cotton Yarn. Most yarns would be suitable, so this is a great stash buster project. Obviously, the chunkier the yarn, the larger the heart will be.
- 2 x Circular knitting needles or 1 circular needle and 2 double-pointed needles, 2 or 3 sizes smaller than recommended for your yarn.
- A large wool needle.
- Toy filling or stuffing.
A Word About Yarn Gauge
It isn’t essential to knit a tension square before you make the stuffed heart. I do think these stuffed hearts look better if they are knitted relatively tightly though. I used a sport weight yarn (UK baby weight yarn) and I knitted the hearts on 2.5mm needles, which is 3 needle sizes smaller than recommended for my yarn.
Special Techniques
Magic Loop: This marvelous technique allows you to work any number of stitches in the round, on circular needles without the need for 4 or more double-ended needles.
Judy Becker’s Magic Cast On: This clever cast on was first devised by Judy Becker for knitting toe-up socks with an invisible cast-on edge, but it is also perfect for knitting the tops of these little hearts as it creates an enclosed bottom edge, with no seaming required.
Abbreviations:
sts = Stitches
k = Knit
RLI = Right lifted increase. (With your right needle, pick up the stitch below the next stitch on your left needle, slip it onto your left needle and knit it.)
LLI = Left lifted increase,(With your left needle, pick up the stitch two stitches below the last worked stitch on your right needle and knit it.)
sl2, k1, p2sso = Slip two together, knit-wise, knit 1, pass the two slipped stitches over
If you prefer written instructions, I've given them immediately below. If you prefer graph instructions they begin here ***
Using size 2.5mm needles and sports weight yarn (UK 5ply or baby), cast on 8sts, 4 on each needle, using Judy Becker’s magic cast on.
Round 1: k8
Round 2: (k1, RLI k2, LLI, k1) x 2 (12sts)
Round 3: (k1, RLI k4, LLI, k1) x 2 (16sts)
Round 4: k16
Round 5: ( k1, RLI, k6, LLI, k1) x 2 (20sts)
Round 6: k20
Round 7: k20
Round 8: k1, RLI, k18, LLI, k1 (22sts)
Rounds 9-12: k22
Right heart top
Using size 2.5mm needles and sports weight yarn (UK 5ply or baby), cast on 8sts, 4 on each needle, using Judy Becker’s magic cast on.
Round 1: k8
Round 2: (k1, RLI k2, LLI, k1) x 2 (12sts)
Round 3: (k1, RLI k4, LLI, k1) x 2 (16sts)
Round 4: k16
Round 5: ( k1, RLI, k6, LLI, k1) x 2 (20sts)
Round 6: k20
Round 7: k20
Round 8: k1, RLI, k18, LLI, k1 (22sts)
Rounds 9-12: k22
Cut the yarn, leaving enough for threading onto a needle and working a few gathering stitches later.
Slip these 22sts onto a spare circular needle or 2 double-pointed needles and start the left heart top.
Using size 2.5mm needles and sports weight yarn (UK 5ply or baby), cast on 8sts, 4 on each needle, using Judy Becker’s magic cast on.
Round 1: k8
Round 2: (k1, RLI k2, LLI, k1) x 2. (12sts)
Round 3: (k1, RLI k4, LLI, k1) x 2. (16sts)
Round 4: k16
Round 5: (k1, RLI, k6, LLI, k1) x 2 (20sts)
Round 6: k20
Round 7: k20
Round 8: k9, LLI, k1, k1, RLI, k9 (22sts)
Rounds 9-11: k22
Round 12: k10, LLI, k1, k1, RLI, k10 (24sts)
Round 13: k12 sts of the left heart top and 11sts of the right heart top, (making sure that you begin the right heart top from the side that hasn’t got the working yarn attached) turn and knit 11sts of the right heart top and 12sts of the left heart top. (46sts)
Continue to work the lower part of the heart in the round, using the magic loop method.
Rounds 14-17: k46
Round 18: (k10, sl2, k1, p2sso, k10) x 2 (42sts)
Round 19: k42
Left heart top
Using size 2.5mm needles and sports weight yarn (UK 5ply or baby), cast on 8sts, 4 on each needle, using Judy Becker’s magic cast on.
Round 1: k8
Round 2: (k1, RLI k2, LLI, k1) x 2. (12sts)
Round 3: (k1, RLI k4, LLI, k1) x 2. (16sts)
Round 4: k16
Round 5: (k1, RLI, k6, LLI, k1) x 2 (20sts)
Round 6: k20
Round 7: k20
Round 8: k9, LLI, k1, k1, RLI, k9 (22sts)
Rounds 9-11: k22
Round 12: k10, LLI, k1, k1, RLI, k10 (24sts)
Joining the two heart tops together
Round 13: k12 sts of the left heart top and 11sts of the right heart top, (making sure that you begin the right heart top from the side that hasn’t got the working yarn attached) turn and knit 11sts of the right heart top and 12sts of the left heart top. (46sts)
Rounds 14-17: k46
Round 18: (k10, sl2, k1, p2sso, k10) x 2 (42sts)
Round 19: k42
Round 20: (k9, sl2, k1, p2sso, k9) x 2 (38sts)
Now’s a good time to sew up the hole created between the two heart tops.
If you want to add a hanging ribbon to make a Christmas tree decoration, this can be threaded through the large hole and then knotted inside the heart before the hole is gathered up.
Slide all of the sts onto the circular needle cable. Using the yarn tail inside the heart and a large eye needle, stitch around the hole and gather the yarn to close the hole in the valley between the two heart tops.
Continue in magic loop.
Round 21: k38
Round 22: (k8, sl2, k1, p2sso, k8) x 2 (34sts)
Round 23: k34
Round 24: (k7, sl2, k1, p2sso, k7) x 2 (30sts)
Round 25: k30
Round 26: (k6, sl2, k1, p2sso, k6) x 2 (26sts)
Round 27: k26
Round 28: (k5, sl2, k1, p2sso, k5) x 2 (22sts)
Round 29: k22
Round 30: (k4, sl2, k1, p2sso, k4) x 2 (18sts)
Round 31: k18sts
Slide all of the sts onto the circular needle cable and stuff the heart.
Add plenty of stuffing, remembering that you’ll want to move some of it down into the bottom point of the heart. (You may prefer to do this after round 30 or earlier, depending on the size of the hole and your method of adding stuffing.)
Continue in magic loop.
Round 32: (k3, sl2, k1, p2sso, k3) x 2 (14sts)
Round 33: k14sts
Round 34: (k2, sl2, k1, p2sso, k2) x 2 (10sts)
Round 35: k10sts
Round 36: (k1, sl2, k1, p2sso, k1) x 2 (6sts)
Round 37: k6
Cut the yarn and, with a wool needle, thread it through the remaining 6sts and gather them up. Finish by inserting the yarn inside the heart and cutting. Squeeze and manipulate the stuffing in the heart to encourage some of it to fill the unstuffed point.
Now’s a good time to sew up the hole created between the two heart tops.
If you want to add a hanging ribbon to make a Christmas tree decoration, this can be threaded through the large hole and then knotted inside the heart before the hole is gathered up.
Slide all of the sts onto the circular needle cable. Using the yarn tail inside the heart and a large eye needle, stitch around the hole and gather the yarn to close the hole in the valley between the two heart tops.
Continue in magic loop.
Round 21: k38
Round 22: (k8, sl2, k1, p2sso, k8) x 2 (34sts)
Round 23: k34
Round 24: (k7, sl2, k1, p2sso, k7) x 2 (30sts)
Round 25: k30
Round 26: (k6, sl2, k1, p2sso, k6) x 2 (26sts)
Round 27: k26
Round 28: (k5, sl2, k1, p2sso, k5) x 2 (22sts)
Round 29: k22
Round 30: (k4, sl2, k1, p2sso, k4) x 2 (18sts)
Round 31: k18sts
Slide all of the sts onto the circular needle cable and stuff the heart.
Add plenty of stuffing, remembering that you’ll want to move some of it down into the bottom point of the heart. (You may prefer to do this after round 30 or earlier, depending on the size of the hole and your method of adding stuffing.)
Continue in magic loop.
Round 32: (k3, sl2, k1, p2sso, k3) x 2 (14sts)
Round 33: k14sts
Round 34: (k2, sl2, k1, p2sso, k2) x 2 (10sts)
Round 35: k10sts
Round 36: (k1, sl2, k1, p2sso, k1) x 2 (6sts)
Round 37: k6
Cut the yarn and, with a wool needle, thread it through the remaining 6sts and gather them up. Finish by inserting the yarn inside the heart and cutting. Squeeze and manipulate the stuffing in the heart to encourage some of it to fill the unstuffed point.
***
Using size 2.5mm needles and sports weight yarn (UK 5ply or baby), cast on 8sts, 4 on each needle, using Judy Becker’s magic cast on.
Round 13: k12 sts of the left heart top and 11sts of the right heart top, turn and knit 11sts of the right
heart top and 12sts of the left heart top. (46sts)
Continue to work the lower part of the heart in the round, using the magic loop method.
Virtually No Sew Heart Graph instructions
Right heart top
Right heart top
Using size 2.5mm needles and sports weight yarn (UK 5ply or baby), cast on 8sts, 4 on each needle, using Judy Becker’s magic cast on.
Cut the yarn, leaving enough for threading onto a needle and working a few gathering stitches later.
Slip these 22sts onto a spare circular needle and start the left heart top.
Using size 2.5mm needles and sports weight yarn (UK 5ply or baby), cast on 8sts, 4 on each needle, using Judy Becker’s magic cast on.
Left heart top
Using size 2.5mm needles and sports weight yarn (UK 5ply or baby), cast on 8sts, 4 on each needle, using Judy Becker’s magic cast on.
Joining the two heart tops together
Round 13: k12 sts of the left heart top and 11sts of the right heart top, turn and knit 11sts of the right
heart top and 12sts of the left heart top. (46sts)
Continue to work the lower part of the heart in the round, using the magic loop method.
Cut the yarn and, with a wool needle, thread it through the remaining 6sts and gather them up. Finish by inserting the yarn inside the heart and cutting. Squeeze and manipulate the stuffing in the heart to encourage some of it to fill the unstuffed point.
If you have found this post useful, please pin it to Pinterest as it makes a big difference to me and helps other knitters find it too.
I went on to make several rainbow coloured hearts as colour swatches, but these would also look cute clustered together in a hanging arrangement.
Out of curiosity, I made a mammoth one from the same pattern using one ball of Cascade Yarns Lana Grande Super Bulky yarn and 8mm needles. I love it and it's going to make a great lap pillow for sitting my support spindle bowl on while I spin.
Copyright - I have provided the free pattern for personal use. Make them for yourself or give them as gifts, sell them to raise funds for charity but please do not sell them for profit.
If you post images of your own versions on the internet, please link back to this page.
Thank you.
Some of my other knitting blog posts
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| Giant Rainbow Pillow Knitting Pattern |
 |
| Bohemian Wreath Knitting Instructions |
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Amazed to find no comments on this really nifty pattern. It's a very clever pattern indeed and just what I was looking for. Perhaps it's the use of the magic cast on that has flummoxed knitters. The double BO in the centre is very stylish. You are to be commended – thanks.
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