Crocheted Pixel & Lace Heart ~ Part 2

Today I’m releasing Part 2 of the crocheted pixel & lace heart pattern!  I really wanted to add more, but I felt like I should finish it off for now.  I hope to have a CAL in the future that will incorporate some of these techniques & more.  This pattern has a bit of free form surface crochet, which is not as hard as some may think!  The written pattern & graph for the heart is at the end of this post.  Let’s get crocheting!

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Note ~>  This pattern uses the corner to corner {C2C} method {great tutorial at Make and Do Crew}.  I’m using a triple crochet stitch for my C2C boxes instead of double crochet.  You can find Part 1 instructions here.  The written instructions assume the crocheter is familiar with C2C increases & decreases.

Corrected Stitches

In the first post, I claimed I used an E/4 {3.5mm} hook for the lacy border, which is what I thought I used.  Turns out, I picked up a larger hook with a similar colored handle!  I decided to redo the border with the smaller hook to make sure it works.  It does & here is the joining of the last loop in the first border.

These stitches look much tighter & hold the shape better with the smaller hook!

Once I fixed my “guffaw”, it was time to move on to phase two!

Surface Crochet & Second Border

This surface crochet technique is something I experimented with during my 100 day project last year.  It’s a free form sort of crochet, so this is just to show how I went about it.  I’m calling these “ripples” because of the way they look when finished.  There are illustrations to help out.  ; )

After joining with a slip stitch in the beginning sc, sl st into the base of the sc, yo & insert hook into base of first sc & pull up a loop.

Yo & insert the hook into a surface stitch going back to the left of the work.  Pull up a loop.

Continue – yo, insert into surface stitch, & pull up a loop – until you have the desired amount of loops.  This means you can make it as long as your hook will allow.

Now, yo & pull a loop through 2 stitches on the hook.  Keep doing this until 3 stitches are left.  Yo & pull through the last 3 stitches.  One ripple made!

To start the next ripple, sl st into the sc to the right of the first ripple, yo & insert hook into the base of the sc.  Pull up a loop.

Continue as before until the second ripple is complete.

Continue doing this until you have the desired number of ripples.  I made 3 in the center of the heart.  Sl st back into the first available sc to the left of the ripples.

Now start the second border – ch 3, sc into top of ch 3 loop below.  Continue all around, adding ripples where you like!

Adding Ripples Along the Border

I added ripples at every corner of the heart.  You can add them anywhere you like & continue on with the second border in between.

Sl st into the base of a sc to the left of the hook; yo & insert hook into base of first sc & pull up a loop.

Continue making ripple as before; sl st in sc to the right of the ripple, yo & insert hook into base of sc & pull up loop.

Once you’ve made all the ripples you want, connect back to the first sc to the left of the first ripple with a sl st.

Now ch 3 & sc into the top of the ch 3 loop below & continue until you decide to add another ripple.

Final Border

After you’ve made your way back to the center of the heart, sl st into the first sc to join.  Ch 3, skip first ch 3 loop below & sc into next ch 3 loop.  {I know this picture shows 5 ch but this was while I was “experimenting” & I forgot to take one with the ch 3}

Ch 3 & make a picot by sl stitching around the base of the sc.

Make sure to pull the thread end back across the front to keep it snug before making the stitch.  I also found it easier to do if I pushed the picot down while completing the sl st.

Keep repeating this pattern all around the heart.

Sl st back into the beginning sl st below & fasten off.

All finished!  If you find the stitches are pulling too tight at the corners, just add in another chain between the picots.

Close ups…

I really love the texture of the ripples!

I think I will be sewing mine onto a pillow cover!  : D

Pattern

This is broken down by each part of the heart.  I have noted that you will need to refer to this post for the surface crochet portion.  I feel it won’t make much sense without the pictures!  : )

Supplies Used

~> Lion Brand Homespun in Gemstone Stripes & a I-9{5.5 mm} hook for the main heart body

~> Knit Picks Comfy Sport in Whisker & a E/4 {3.5mm} hook for the lacy border

Pixel Heart

Use this graph to help see when to decrease & which C2C boxes to skip.

row 1 ~ ch 6; tr in 4th ch from hook & in next two ch

row 2 ~ ch 6 & turn; tr in 4th ch from hook & in next two ch; sl into ch 3 of first box; ch 3; 3 tr into ch 3 of first box

row 3-7 ~ Increase until you have 7 boxes.

row 8 ~ Decrease for one row to have 6 boxes.

row 9 ~ Turn, sl st into the ch 3 & 3 tr of the last box {4 sl st}, make two more boxes; sl st 3 times across the chain three on the side of the box.  {I found it worked best if I slip stitched around the chain, then into the chain for the next stitch.} Slip stitch up the side of the next box right into the top of the triple crochets & chain 3 {4 sl st}; make two more boxes.

row 10 ~ Turn, sl stitch into the ch 3 & 3 tr of the last box {4 sl st}, make one more box; sl st 8 times to the heart center, sl st 8 times back up the other side; make one more box

Fasten off or crochet over ends with border thread.

Lacy Border

row 11 ~ Join the yarn to the heart center & chain 1.  Put 2 sc into each stitch all the way around the heart, adding 2 sc at each corner.  This will be approximately 216 sc; sl st to the beginning sc.

row 12 ~ Sc in first stitch, ch 3, skip 1 sc, sc in next stitch.  Continue all around the heart & sl st to first sc.

Surface Crochet & 2nd border

The surface crochet is free form crochet, so please see instructions, with pictures, further up in the post for this portion of the pattern.  These are instructions for the 2nd border without the surface crochet.

row 13 ~ ch 3, sc into ch 3 loop below; Continue all around the heart & sl st to first sc.

Final Border

row 14 ~ ch 3, skip first ch 3 loop below, sc into next ch 3 loop; ch 3 & sl st around base of sc {1 picot made} repeat from * to * all around the heart & sl st to first sc.

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