A Knitter's Valentine's Day

     Yes, I am a fan of Valentine's Day. I know there are some of you out there that loathe this day to its' core and others that go way over board with preparations and gifts. I used to really hate Valentine's Day and thought of it as just a Hallmark Holiday. But, secretly ( like many ) wished I could find someone to share this day with and find a small way to enjoy this holiday. I am happy to say that a couple of years ago my opinion of this Holiday changed when my then boyfriend ( now my husband ) surprised me to the point that I actually cried. Ever since then his goal on gift giving occasions is to get me to cry. He is sneaky and usually succeeds. But I can't give him all of the credit for changing my opinion on Valentine's Day. My daughter has definitely made a huge impact on how I approach this holiday. Back when she was 20 months old and in daycare I received my first Valentine from her. I still have it, although it is buried away somewhere no doubt in the mountains of boxes yet to be opened from when we moved into our home last June.

     This year I decided that I wanted to do something special for Gwen. She loves handknit items and handmade things. So I knew I needed to knit her some hearts and figure out a way to make them wearable. And in a short period of time since I have design work to finish!

     So about two nights ago I decided I was going to make Gwen Valentine's Day bunting. I used hearts made from the pattern Valentine Hearts by Elizabeth Murphy of The Sitting Tree blog. After knitting about 6 of these hearts I realized that it would take another night of knitting to finish the bunting. Frankly, I don't have that kind of time for personal knitting right now so I improvised and made a Heart Headband/Tiara. It was a huge hit this morning and Gwen announced it was the best Valentine's Day present ever. 

     I did alter Elizabeth's pattern a bit to suit my knitting style. I worked the 2nd KF&B of each increase row one stitch early so that both edges looked clean. It worked well, but it looks the same as Elizabeth's samples on her blog. I then took a contrasting pink double stranded it and wove it through the top 1/3 of the hearts all of the way across. There was no exact spacing, I just went with it. I like the rustic look to it and how three totally different yarns worked together. I did use scrap yarns I had languishing in my scrap vase. ( Yes I keep a vase full of scraps! )

    I even turned the remaining hearts into a quilt block coaster. I just sewed the hearts with right sides facing and gently blocked it. So far it is working nicely and I think I may even make a few more. This "pattern" may even work for making shamrocks/clovers for St.Patrick's Day. Provided of course they are knit out of green colored yarn. Which I really have no shortage of since it is my all time favorite color. =D But I am getting a little ahead of myself here with thinking about St.Patty's Day. lol

     I am off to make my husband some heart shaped bacon as part of his Valentine's Day gift. ( instead of chocolate, I give him bacon every year ) Gotta love Pinterest for that one! I just know he is going to love it. 

     

     Wishing you all a Happy Valentine's Day!

Happy Knitting! 

Kate