Out with the old, in with the new! I must admit it...I'm ready to leave the tinsel and pine behind and to move on to hearts and roses! Do I sound a bit fickle? Not at all - I am simply anxious to get ready for Valentine's Day, and if you have a lot of people that you love, there's no time like the present to get started. I am on the move to making things cute, sweet, red and pink...all things "lover-ly"!
I remember seeing, some time ago, a cute little circle garland that had been crocheted out of baker's twine; I tucked the idea away, somewhere in the recesses of my mind...it randomly popped up again last week. I made my way to the hooks and knitting needles aisle of Joann's and picked up a small 2.75mm hook that I thought would work with the thin twine. Mind you, I haven't crocheted anything for about 30 years; but, ah...the wonderful Internet! It took me less than a minute to find a YouTube video of how to crochet a heart...thank you, Teresa, for the super easy instructions. (Since I am a total novice, I suggest you go check out Teresa's video!)
My first hearts were made with the Blossom and Pink Sorbet colored twine from The Twinery, along with some thinner twine I got from Crate and Barrel last Christmas. It only requires 2 or so yards of baker's twine. There are different ply sizes, but both twines works fine with the 2.75 hook.
Can you tell the difference? The Twinery on the left; Crate and Barrel on the right. My little pile of hearts is beginning to grow!
The paper is from Crate Paper, the alphabet letters from Jillibean Soup.
After I made a few hearts, I got out some DMC Perle Coton. It was a little slippery to work with, so it was a little harder to keep the shape of the heart, but I really like the finished look.
The paper is from the My Mind's Eye "Love Me" 6" X 6" mini pad...I know! I haven't done a mini Monday for ages, but I still love them, especially for my cards and tags. The kraft-colored paper is EcoCraft deli paper...a box of 500 was $4.61 at Costco Business - I'm sure that I'll find something to do with the rest of the box, maybe even food related.
Patterned papers are from October Afternoon; button and Memo Notebook Paper by Jenni Bowlin.
It takes a few minutes to make one of these hearts. It takes a little practice to keep the stitches even, which balances the sides. I like to practice a few times and toss my early attempts on something like this, but I only had to toss a couple; now that I've got the pattern down, I'll be able to do these while watching TV. I need to be careful or I'll have a big old jar full of them before I stop...actually, I think that might be a good thing!
