Wooly Christmas Heart
“Julehjerter”
Christmas hearts were originally done in paper, and supposedly conceived by Hans Christian Anderson, thus they have been around since 1860 ish. They are a traditional Danish holiday ornament. A woolen julehjerter will last much longer than a paper heart! This heart is knitted in two colors and then felted.
Materials: *One skein each Paton’s Wool in red and white will make lots of hearts
*knitting needles to get a gauge of 4 ½ stitches per inch
With white yarn, cast on 16 stitches.
Row 1: Adding red color in this row: knit 4 white, 4 red, 4 white, 4 white. You can strand the colors in the back, but don't go crazy as they will felt in
Row 2: Purl back, keeping colors as set.
Row 3: Knit, keeping colors as set.
Row 4: Purl, keeping colors as set.
Rows 5-8: reverse the colors
Rows 9-12: return to original color pattern
Rows 13-16: repeat rows 5-8. You have a sort of square grid of red and white squares.
Next, form one side of top of heart in white
Rows: 17-20: Cut off Red yarn then knit 4 rows of white in stockinette stitch, knitting in red yarn end on the first row.
Row 21: k1, sl1, k1, psso, knit to last 3 stitches, k2tog, k1 (14 sts)
Row 22: Purl
Rows 23 and 25: Repeat row 21
Rows 24 and 26: Repeat row 22. (10 sts)
Row 28: k1, (sl1, K1, psso) x2, knit to last 5 stitches, k2tog x 2, k1 (6 sts)
Row 29: purl back
Row 30: k1, sl1, k1, psso, k2tog, k1 (4 sts)
Cut yarn and slip end through remaining stitches, pull tight
With red yarn, pickup and knit 16 stitches on the opposite side of the top
Purl one row, knit one row, purl one row.
Follow directions for rows 21 through 30, to make right side of top of heart in red.
Next, make another heart as above, but REVERSE the colors.
When you have both sides made, pickup 3 stitches in red at the middle part of one heart. Knit in “idiot cord” for 6 inches:
Knit 3, slip stitches back onto left needle, knit 3, slip back onto left needle, continue.
When you have 6 inches, cut yarn and pull the end through the 3 stitches, but use the end to sew in place at top center of the other heart.
Place hearts wrong side together and sew together at the bottom.
Secure all ends by sewing in.
FELTING
I felted my heart in the washer. I did 3 washes on a warm cycle, checking size each time. You can try washing on hot but be careful if you are unsure whether your red yarn will bleed in hot. Once it is a size that you like, dry flat.
My heart is 4 " by 6 ".
