Knit and Felt Hearts

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Knit and Felt Hearts

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This knit and felt project is an easy one. It's a relaxing craft as well. It can be used as a hand warmer, a muscle relaxer or just a decoration. This free knitting pattern is what you've been looking for. So go ahead and start crafting. This comes to us from Maddy Cranley at www.maddycraft.com

Materials:

  • Yarn (see, Felting Tips)
  • 8"/20cm length of ¼"/8mm wide ribbon
  • Sewing thread and needle
  • Length of yarn, in a contrast color for overcast edging, optional
  • A herbal tea bag, (cammomile, mint, fruit-flavored), optional
  • Rice (uncooked, long or short grain, white or brown)
    Pattern  Each grid square = 1"/2.5cm

 

Tips:

  • Always use a natural fiber yarn obtained from an animal source, most often wool.
  • Angora, alpaca, cashmere, mohair, and blends of these yarns are also suitable.
  • Do not use a wool yarn that is labelled Superwash.

 

Steps:

Knitting Instructions

 

  1. Felting will shrink a knitted piece by approximately 20%, although this can vary.
     
  2. After deciding the finished size of the grid from which to cut the heart shape, increase the size of the piece to knit, by 20% (e.g., to obtain a felted 5"/13cm square, the knitted size should be approximately 6"/15cm square before felting).
     
  3. Knit the square in stocking (stockinette) stitch and proceed with the felting instructions.

Felting Instructions

  1. The most efficient felting method is a full washing machine cycle set at “Hot” or “Whites”.
     
  2. Run through the normal washing cycle, including rinse and spin dry.
     
  3. It may require two or more washing cycles to obtain the felted finish.
     
  4. When the felting is held up to a strong light, the stitches and rows are barely visible.
     
  5. Allow the felted knitting to dry thoroughly before assembling the hearts.
     
  6. When dry, brush the felting for a smoother surface texture.
     
  7. Felted items can also be pressed lightly with a low-setting steam iron and a damp cloth.

Finishing

  1. Print out the heart pattern and cut two pieces from the felted knitting. With WS together, using needle and thread, join the two heart shapes by working a small overcast stitch around the edge, ensuring the seam is securely closed and leaving a small opening.
     
  2. Fill the heart with the rice and tea (if using) and sew the opening closed.
     
  3. With the contrast color yarn, work an overcast stitch around the edge of the heart.
     
  4. Tie an 8”/20cm length of ribbon into a bow and secure with a small sewing stitch.
     
  5. Do not use a metal safety pin to attach the ribbon.

Heating Instructions

  1. The felted hearts if made from the materials listed can be heated and used as a soothing wrist rest while computer mousing, a spot muscle relaxer, or a hand warmer.
     
  2. Place the felted heart in the microwave and heat in 30-second increments for NO MORE than one minute. With cloth or oven glove, remove from the microwave and enjoy!

 

 For more great knitting patterns be sure to check out our 24 Quick and Easy Knitting Patterns eBook!

 

 

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i love these but what do you knit - is it a square and if so how many stitches and rows please?

Where are the knitting instructions?

I wondered this also, but I figured out that you knit a square, felt it, then cut into a heart shape per the grid. I am concerned that it may unravel after cut. I too am looking for a heart pattern so the edges are encorporated in the pattern and do not need cutting. LC

perfect as a gift for anyone and makes a great gift for yourself

There is no mention of size of needles to use. I'm guessing 10 or smaller so it can shrink. I'm a newbie so I need to know the details that are probably obvious to others

You forgot to note the yarn HAS to be WOOL to shrink and be felted...just a thought for beginners...

I made a couple of these as Valentines gifts. They were very cute and I tried them in the microwave and they were warm and the herbal tea bags made them smell great. The problem came when I sent it to my daughter at college and she tried to microwave it for 1 minute. I guess the smoke was so bad that the fire alarm went off, her dorm was evacuated and the fire truck showed up. There was no damage but you can imagine she was more than a little embarrassed. I have made rice warmers before and never had a problem. I am wondering if the tea bag could be the problem. I removed the small metal "staple" from the tea bag before sealing it in the heart. Thought I'd give anyone looking at this pattern a heads up on the possible problem.

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