Valentines' Garland

These crocheted and embroidered hearts are low on sugar but high on sweet! Our Valentine's Garland is a charming way to show your affection for your best friends and favorite people.  Celebrate your loved ones with a single heart or a whole string of them!

The pretty nursery decorations in Helen Ardley's Cute Crochet for Tiny Tots provided the inspiration for this project.  You can find lots of great motifs - not just hearts - for crocheted garlands, sachets, and decorations (as well as technical help) among our selection of crochet books.  For beginners, we recommend How to Crochet and The Crocheter's Companion.

We chose a cheerful batch of pinks and reds in a variety of beautiful fibers, from top left to bottom right: hand-painted Koigu Kersti Merino Crepe, in color k2120;  Blue Sky Alpacas 100% Sport Weight Alpaca, in Red 23; hand-dyed Farmhouse Yarns Andy's Merino, in Red, Red, Red; hand-dyed Farmhouse Yarns Andy's Merino, in Magenta; Tilli Tomas Simply Heaven hand-dyed 100% silk in Coral Sap; Blue Sky Alpacas 100% Sport Weight Alpaca, in Petal Pink.

We embroidered the hearts using chain stitch to create freehand letters. 

 

You can use the leftovers of your yarn and a tapestry needle, which should pass easily through the crocheted fabric. Spell out your sweetheart's name, a special message, or something as simple as L-O-V-E. 

Comments

[Kathy Merrick]

Just plain lovely. I am, once again, in awe of your style and beautiful choices.

[sunshine]

Very sweet.

[purl bee]

Thanks Kathy! I look forward to meeting you at Purl. Your Babette Blanket will make a great class! It definitely inspired me to explore crochet.
Isabelle

[Suzy]

Your projects are all so inspiring. This one looks so pretty and fun.

[julie]

so sweet! I love the cursive l-o-v-e. just perfect.

[Courtney]

Absolutely adorable! Do you have instructions on how to make this? I am a beginner crocheter.

[purl bee]

Courtney,
The pattern for this heart and other crochet heart motifs can be found in the books mentioned above, all of which are suitable for new crocheters. It is a very flexible pattern that can certainly be improvised.

As for the embroidered letters, we are working on a little embroidery tutorial that will be up this weekend.

[Khadija]

Great mix of colors for the garland. I liked
the idea adding letters to the hearts.
Just beautiful!