Procrastination Proof Crafts/The FOlio: The Best Valentine’s Day Gift I’ve Ever Made
Procrastination Proof Crafts is a series focusing on simple seasonal crafts that can be done in one or two days, for all of us who save a ton of holiday craft ideas … and then wait too long to start them. In the FOlio, I reflect on a finished knitting object and what the process of knitting it taught me. As you’ll see, this project is a little bit of both.
Pattern : Heart (free Knitty pattern)
Designer: Kristin Ledgett (Ravelry portfolio)
Yarn Used : Two colors of red wool/acrylic blend fingering from stash
Knit from : January 2010 (I don’t have the exact dates but it took about a week, for me that’s a quick knit)
The first time I saw the Heart pattern, in Knitty’s Winter 2008 issue, I thought it was fun and different – but I was decidedly single in the winter of 2008 and while I considered making one for myself anyway, I ultimately never got around to it. However, in summer 2009 I met Marc, the man who would become my husband, and as our first Valentine’s Day as a couple approached I found myself running short on time and ideas; Marc’s birthday is very close to Valentine’s Day and I’d already used my best gift idea on his birthday present. And then I remembered the knitted heart. To me it was the perfect “I really like you and want to give you something cool but not too serious/expensive,” gift you want for a boyfriend of (at the time) seven months.
As it happened, I had two different colors of red fingering weight yarn in my stash. The pattern was simple and quick and Marc absolutely adored it. But I didn’t know what I’d started until the following Valentine’s Day.
The following year, not being a knitter himself, Marc found an amazing wall art knitted heart as a Christmas gift, to “match.” (It came from an online artist’s shop called Heart Art Creations — they currently have some lovely pieces although none with the knitted texture like mine).
For Christmas the following year, I made him a felt heart ornament that still hangs on our tree.
When we moved in together a few years later, the hearts were collected together on a display shelf. My mother saw them when visiting. Some time later, she found a strangely heart shaped rock on a beach and brought it to us as a gift “since you guys really like hearts.”
When we got married, we decided to include in our marriage ceremony that we would say our vows while holding that rock as a symbol of our commitment to each other. And now all of those hearts, from the Knitty heart to the rock, are on display in our home.
I didn’t learn many new knitting skills from the process of knitting this heart, but I did learn that you never know where “giving someone your heart,” whether literal or figurative, will lead.
If you’re looking for a low stress last minute Valentine’s gift, consider popping over to Knitty to check out that pattern – or any of their other free and quick to knit hats/scarves/socks/toys. (And while you’re at it, if you have a few bucks to spare and like what they do, consider joining their Patreon!)