With Valentine’s Day just around the corner, my thoughts always turn to how I can make extra special Valentine’s Day gifts for my loved ones!
When I used to be a classroom teacher, I would whip up a few of these super cute and fluffy heart plushies for the students in my homeroom class.
I loved that they can also serve as a stress reliever – in fact, several of my students kept the hearts in their pencil cases and would take them out for a quick squeeze when assignments were getting to them.
Variations
For today’s pattern, I’ll be using a super bulky fluffy yarn. However, don’t feel that you need to use a fluffy/bulky yarn!
These hearts can also be made using a smaller hook and smaller-sized yarn with a good result. I recommend a worsted weight yarn and a 5mm hook if you’d like to make them in a smaller size.
Some of the yarns that I’ve used for the smaller-sized hearts were Hobby Lobby’s “I Love This Yarn” in the colorway Pastels and Michael’s “Loops & Threads – Flecks” in both Sweet Pink and Seafoam.
I love the “Flecks” yarn especially because it creates a sort of sprinkle effect on the hearts.
You can send these smaller hearts to school to be Valentine’s for your children, pass them out to friends and family, or even create a heart garland out of them if you so choose!
If you’d like some more ideas on how to spice up and customize this project, check out my article on some common ways to alter a project.
Supplies
| Super Bulky Blanket Yarn (I used Bernat’s Baby Blanket in Baby Pink) |
| 10mm crochet hook |
| stuffing |
| tapestry needle for sewing |
| scissors |
| stitch marker |
Abbreviations & Notes
Some of these may not be used in the pattern – these are the stitches that I use most frequently!
If you see an abbreviation that you are unfamiliar with, please refer back to this chart.
This pattern is written in standard US terminology!
| ML | magic loop |
| R | row/round |
| st | stitch |
| slp st | slip stitch |
| ch | chain |
| sc | single crochet |
| hdc | half double crochet |
| dc | double crochet |
| tr | treble crochet |
| FLOsc | front loop only single crochet |
| FLOscdec | front loop only single crochet decrease |
| BLOsc | back loop only single crochet |
| BLOscdec | back loop only single crochet decrease |
| inc | increase |
| dec | decrease |
| * * | repeat |
| ( ) | number of sts in row or total rounds to crochet |
A brief note about stuffing this heart – you want to focus stuffing into the point of the heart and on the outer edges of the ventricles (right where they meet the body).
Blanket yarn can be rather stiff and somewhat uncooperative when shaping, so don’t be afraid to pull the ventricles apart from one another to get the best shape while stuffing!
That really helps create the rounded shape of the heart.
Getting Started
Begin with your yarn of choice (again, I’m using Bernat’s Baby Blanket in Baby Pink and a 10mm crochet hook).
R1: ML 6sc
R2: *sc, inc* 3 times around (9)
R3: *2sc, inc* 3 times around (12)
R4: *sc, inc* around (18)
At this point, we’ve formed the heart’s point.
I like to give the magic loop tail a quick tug before I go on any further, just to make sure the circle’s fully closed!
R5 – R8: sc around (4 rounds total!)
Creating the Ventricles – Right Ventricle
Next, we’ll need to divide the heart in half so that we can create each ventricle.
Fortunately, since we have 18 stitches total in each round, we get a clean and even 9 stitches for either ventricle.
To begin counting the stitches off for your left ventricle, position your heart so that the last stitch of R8 is directly in the center.
Then, going around the stitches of the heart clockwise, count out 9 stitches total (not including the last stitch of R8).
Using a stitch marker, pinch the first and the 9th stitch together to keep them separate from the side that we’ll continue working on.
To start the right ventricle, place a single crochet in the first stitch across that’s not in the stitch marker.
Important to note – you want to insert your crochet hook from the outside toward the inside of the work, as shown! It’s easy to insert the hook from the inside out, which will twist the stitch.
Continue single crocheting all the way around for one row – 9 stitches total.
To finish off this side, add a little stuffing.
Then *sc, dec* three times total. Slip stitch to the next stitch, then leave a long tail to use for sewing!
I also like to add a little more fluff to the top of the ventricle now, too.
Left Ventricle
Now that we’ve added the right, we’ll need to make the left ventricle. This is done almost exactly the same – the only difference is we need to re-attach the yarn to continue.
To do that, insert your hook into the stitch directly next to the stitch marker that’s holding the first stitch and the 9th stitch (from when we separated the sides).
Note: These two stitches are now stitches 2 and 3 of the left ventricle!
To tie the yarn on, insert your hook and draw up a loop.
Then, grab the tail end (not the working end that’s attached to your skein of yarn) and pull it through this loop you drew up.
This knots the yarn onto a stitch. You can now tuck in the tail end inside of the body of the heart!
To start this row, insert your hook into the same stitch we tied the yarn to. Chain 2 – this counts as your first stitch.
Next, place a single crochet into the next stitch.
Just like before, continue placing stitches all the way around the ventricle. Remember to insert the hook from the outside towards the inside when crossing over to the third stitch of this round:
Once you’ve worked all 9 stitches of this round, stuff the left ventricle and the body of the heart here.
We’ll finish this side off just the same as the other side by *sc, dec* three times for a total of 6 stitches. Slip stitch to the next stitch and cut a long tail to sew with.
Add a little more stuffing to the left ventricle here.
Finishing Off the Heart
To complete our heart, we have a little sewing to do!
Notice how both ventricles are open on top, and that there’s also a gap between them. We need to close all three of these off.
Start by threading your tapestry needle with one of the tail ends from one of the ventricles.
Sew through each of the remaining stitches of the ventricle, then pull the tail gently to close the ventricle.
Note: When working with blanket yarn, it breaks very easily. Be careful not to pull too tightly, or you’ll break your tail thread!
Once you’ve sewn through all of the stitches, tie a knot. Then, weave the tail down through the ventricle and to the front of the heart, right in front of the opening between the two ventricles.
We’ll sew a few straight stitches over the surface of the heart, front to back, whip stitching this opening closed:
Once you’ve whip stitched this gap closed, tie a knot.
Send the tail into the body of the heart and out, cutting the tail close to the body to weave in the tail end.
To finish, use the tail from the other ventricle to sew through each of the remaining 6 stitches. Pull the tail gently to close the ventricle.
Tie a knot, and weave in the tail end by sending it into the body of the heart and cutting it short.
That completes this heart plushie pattern!