Paper Hearts was inspired by the handmade paper Valentines that many of us made as children. Hearts made of paper with interesting reliefs cut into them to mimic lace are often used in a multitude of ways to decorate for Valentine’s Day. Items such as cards, bunting and doilies just to name a few. Depending on the weight of yarn and hook used this simple pattern can be used to create a lot of the same items as traditional paper hearts. Unlike conventional paper hearts, which tear easily; this pattern can be used to make jewelry, hair accessories, and appliques. Its uses are only limited by one’s imagination!
Special techniques and stitches-
Magic Circle: Wrap the yarn around 2 fingers and hold the point where the loop overlaps between the index finger and thumb, leave a generous amount of yarn tail to sinch the ring later. Insert hook into the loop, from the front to the back, and pull up a loop, yarn over, and pull through the loop on hook creating the chain needed to raise the working yarn to the correct stitch height. Work the stitches into the magic ring, over both the loop itself and the tail end. When all the stitches have been worked into the ring, pull the tail end to close the ring.
Picot: chain 2 and slip stitch into the second chain from hook.
Treble V Stitch (tr v-st): Yarn over two times (3 loops on hook), insert hook into same stitch as previous stitch, yarn over and draw through stitch (4 loops on hook), yarn over and pull through two loops on hook (3 loops on hook), yarn over and draw through two loops on hook a second time (2 loops on hook), yarn over two times (four loops on hook), skip a stitch and insert hook into the next stitch, yarn over and draw through the stitch (5 loops on hook), yarn over and pull through two stitches on hook (4 loops on hook), yarn over and pull through two loops on hook a second time (3 loops on hook), yarn over and pull through all remaining loops on hook. Two treble stitches decreased to one with a skipped stitch between them.
Double Crochet to Treble V Stitch (dc/tr v-st): Yarn over (2 loops on hook), insert hook into same stitch as previous stitch, yarn over and draw through the stitch (3 loops on hook), yarn over and pull through two loops on hook (2 loops on hook), yarn over two times (4 loops on hook), skip stitch, and insert hook into the next stitch, yarn over and draw through the stitch (5 loops on hook), yarn over and pull through two loops on hook (4 loops on hook), yarn over and pull through two loops on hook a second time (3 loops on hook), yarn over and pull through all remaining loops on hook. Double crochet stitch and treble stitch decreased to one with a skipped stitch between them.
Treble Crochet to Double Crochet V Stitch (tr/dc v-st): Yarn over two times (3 loops on hook), insert hook into same stitch as previous stitch, yarn over and draw through stitch (4 loops on hook), yarn over and pull though two loops on hook (3 loops on hook), yarn over and pull through two loops on hook a second time (2 loops on hook), yarn over (3 loops on hook), skip stitch, and insert hook into next stitch, yarn over and draw through (4 loops on hook), yarn over and pull through two loops on hook (3 loops on hook), yarn over and pull though all remaining loops on hook. Treble stitch and double crochet stitch decreased to one with a skipped stitch between them.
V Stitch (v-st): Yarn over (2 loops on hook), insert hook
into same stitch as previous stitch, yarn over and draw through stitch (3 loops on hook), yarn over and pull through two loops on hook (2 loops on hook), yarn over (3 loops on hook), skip stitch, insert hook into next stitch, yarn over and draw through (4 loops on hook), yarn over and pull through two loops on hook (3 loops on hook), yarn over and pull through all remaining loops on hook. Double crochet stitches decreased with a skipped stitch between them.
Pattern
Paper heart is crochet continuously in the round without turning.
Rnd 1: work 10 sc into magic circle and pull tight (10 sts)
Rnd 2: Sl st into first sc of Rnd 1 (this counts as the first st), (sc, hdc, dc) into next sc, (dc, hdc, sc) into next sc, sc, (sc, dc) into next sc, ch2, (dc, sc) into next sc , sc, (sc, hdc, dc) into next sc, (sc, hdc, dc) into next sc, sl st into last sc, sl st into magic circle (23 sts)
Rnd 3: Sl st into first sl st of previous rnd, sl st into the next 9 sts, sl st into each ch of the ch2 from previous rnd, sl st into next 10 (this includes the sl st before the sl st done into the magic circle), sl st into the magic circle. (23 sts)
Stop here for a basic heart shape, BO, break yarn and weave in ends.
Rnd 4: sl st into first sl st from rnd 3, sl st into st from rnd 2 leaving sl st from rnd 3 unworked, (picot, sl st into next 2 sts from rnd 2 leaving sl sts from rnd 3 unworked) four times, sl st into ch from rnd 2 leaving sl st from rnd 3 unworked, picot, sl st into 2nd ch from rnd 2 leaving sl st from rnd 3 unworked, (sl st into next 2 sts from rnd 2 leaving sl sts from rnd 3 unworked, Picot) four times, sl st into next st from rnd 2 leaving sl st from rnd 3 unworked, sl st into sl st from rnd 3 before magic circle sl st, sl st into magic circle. (9 picots made)
Stop here for a heart with picot “lace,” BO, break yarn and weave in ends.
Rnd 5: (ch3, sl st into picot) nine times, ch3, sl st into last sl st made into the magic circle.
Rnd 6: 2sc into first ch3 sp, (4 sc into ch 3 sp) eight times, 2 sc into last ch 3 sp, sl st into the last sl st that was used at the end of rnd 5.
· Stop here for a simple heart with a boarder, BO, break yarn and weave in ends.
Rnd 7: ch2, sk 2 sts , tr, ch 1, tr v-st with the first leg in the same st as the tr, (tr v-st, ch 2) two times, tr/dc v-st, ch2, (v-st, ch2) four times, tr in same st as the 2nd leg of the last v-st, ch2, v-st with the first leg in the same st as the tr and previous v-st, ch2, (v-st, ch2) three times, dc/tr v-st, ch2, (tr v-st, ch2) two times, tr v-st, ch 1, tr in same st as 2nd leg of the last tr v-st, ch2, sl st in the same space as the last sl st of the previous 2 rows.
Rnd 8: 2 sc in ch2 sp, sc, sc in ch 1 sp, (sc, 3 sc in ch2 sp) three times, (sc, 2 sc in ch 2 sp) ten times, sc, (3 sc in ch 2 sp, sc) three times, sc, sc in ch1 sp, sc, 2 sc in ch 2 sp, sl st into first sc of this rnd.
Stop here for Heart with out finishing Picot rnd, BO, break yarn, and weave in ends.
Rnd 9: sl st in next 3 sts, (ch1, picot, ch 1, sk st, sl st in next 2 sts) nineteen times, sl st in next 3 sts, BO, break yarn and weave in ends.
NOTE: Hearts made for incorperation in jewelry and do not contain wire or tinsel will need a stiffener such as a non=water soluable Mod-Podge applied to them during the blocking process for them to hold their shape indefinitely.
