Knitting Patterns that are Full of Heart

January 31, 2024 by Sarah White Leave a Comment

I’ve been writing here at Craft Gossip for a long time (something like 16 years!) and probably every year I’ve done at least one post related to Valentine’s Day knitting patterns. But every year it seems like there’s more to share. Hearts are such a fun and easy motif for knitting, and they’re great to use on projects for Valentine’s Day or anything else.

Here are a few of the latest heart themed knitting patterns I could find that you can stitch up for a loved one or yourself. (And if you need more check out this post all about hats with hearts, or this one that’s all heart knitting patterns.)

If you have a new baby in your life, this heart-topped baby hat from Melody’s Makings on Etsy is adorable. It’s so cute on a newborn but is sized up to a three-year-old if your kiddo is bigger.

And if that kid has a favorite bear who wants to get in on the Valentine’s Day fun, stitch up the heart dress for teddy bear or bunny from Greene Crafts Store. They have patterns for stuffed animals the dress will fit, or you can take the measurements of a stuffed toy your child already has to see if this will fit. It’s made with worsted weight yarn so you could possibly adjust the size by changing the yarn weight.

Hearts on headbands are super cute, and Jessica Pelon has a pretty pattern for a two-color heart covered headband worked in worsted weight yarn that you can find on Ravelry. Or if you’d rather have a hat, try the Valentine Fair Isle Hat from Julie Smith, which uses two colors of super bulky and relies on the stitch shape to make a heart design. You can also find this one on Ravelry.

Vanessa Ewing has a pretty pair of heart-covered mittens you can download from Ravelry. They’re worked in two colors of DK weight yarn and the colorwork pattern differs on the front and back of the hand.

The fun thing about hearts is you can make them in colorwork or in cables. If you’d rather have some cabled hearts on your project, try the Double Heart Cowl from Etsy seller Jacki Bean. This pretty pattern uses super bulky yarn and has a little twist inside the heart shape.

Girly Knits has super cute leg warmers with hearts running down the leg. They’re available in five sizes for girls through adults and the pattern includes a one-size pair of fingerless gloves with the same design.

If you’d rather wear your heart on your socks, grab the All Things Held Dear pattern from Artesanitarium Designs on Ravelry. These toe-up, DK weight socks feature delicate hearts on a reverse stockinette background.

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Book Review: Brooklyn Tweed’s Knit & Crochet Blankets

Blankets are a great blank slate project that you can change up in a million different ways. From color to stitch pattern to size, the possibilities are almost endless.

Jared Flood, the designer behind Brooklyn Tweed, was inspired by a log cabin quilt his mother made in 1995 to re-create that design in knitting, which led to more blankets and ultimate Brooklyn Tweed’s Knit and Crochet Blankets, which includes 25 patterns from an array of designers using different skills and techniques to make cozy, pretty blankets.

The patterns are divided into three aesthetic themes: traditions, minimalism and colorplay. The patterns are rated on a scale of one to five, with one being the easiest, and there aren’t any pieces rated five. Two blankets are rated one, 14 are two, eight are three and one is four.

In addition, three of the 25 patterns are crocheted, but they either use single crochet or granny stitch, so they are pretty easy even if you don’t do a lot of crochet. You can see all the patterns on Ravelry.

Some of my favorites include Rattan by Rastus Hsu, a chunky blanket worked in knits and purls with simple crossing stitches to make a raised woven look; Homewood by Seth Richardson, covers in dramatic, loopy cables; Ainur Berkimbayeva’s Tessellate, one of the beginner projects that doesn’t really look beginner but is totally worked in knit and purl stitches; Warp + Weft by Aist? Butkevi?ien?, which is mostly knits and purls but makes a fun woven look fabric that blew my mind a little bit; and the same designer’s Canyonland, a multicolored blanket with wavy stripes.

The patterns tell you how to resize them for different dimensions and include information on pattern repeats where it is possible to make a totally custom size.

Many different techniques are included here such as cables, lace, shadow knitting, intarsia and other colorwork techniques, as well as modular knitting and lots of sewing pieces together. The patterns are all presented with charts, but there are line by line written instructions available on the Brooklyn Tweed website if you need them.

The book ends with a deep dive into log cabin knitting, telling the story of the quilt Jared’s mom made and how he made it in knitting, as well as the multitude of variations you can make if you want your own log cabin style design.

The back of the book includes a little written information about some of the special techniques needed, but there are no photos.

This is a lovely book full of inspiration for knitting and crochet blankets for any skill level. If you like to make blankets as gifts or aspire to have a handmade blanket in every room of the house, these designs would be a great place to start.

About the book: 192 pages, paperback, 25 patterns. Published 2024 by Abrams Books, suggested retail price $24.99.

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