How to Knit a Heart (Easy Garter Stitch Heart Pattern)

Steps

1. 1. Cast On 7 Stitches for the Knitted Heart

   Cast on 7 stitches with your favorite method. Brittany uses double pointed needles because they are easy to film, but straight or circular needles work the same.

   Tip: Leave a tail of about 6 inches. You will weave it in or use it to sew the heart on later.

   

2. 2. Increase With a Knit Front and Back on the Knitted Heart

   Row 2 adds a stitch at each end with a KFB. Insert the needle knitwise, wrap the yarn and pull it through as if you were knitting, but do not slide the old stitch off.

   Tip: The KFB leaves a little bar under the new stitch. That is normal.

   

3. 3. Repeat the Increases to Shape the Knitted Heart's First Curve

   Work rows 2 and 3 three more times. Each repeat adds two stitches, so you end with 15.

   Tip: Count your stitches after each repeat. It is much easier to fix now than later.

   

4. 4. Start the Dip of the Knitted Heart With an SSK Decrease

   On row 16, start with an SSK. Slip the first two stitches knitwise, one at a time, to the right needle.

   Tip: Your plain knit rows always run from the point toward the top. Use that to find your place.

   

5. 5. Check the Knitted Heart at the Halfway Point

   Repeat rows 16 and 17 three more times. Your count stays at 18 the whole way, because you take one stitch away at the top and add one at the point.

   Tip: Tally marks on a printed pattern help you track these repeats.

   

6. 6. Shape the Second Half of the Knitted Heart With K2tog

   On row 24, KFB in the first stitch to start the second hump. Knit to the last two stitches and knit them together.

   Tip: The count stays at 18 through this repeat too.

   

7. 7. Knit the Second Hump of the Knitted Heart

   Now the point starts to shrink. On row 32, knit to the last two stitches and K2tog, bringing you to 17 stitches.

   Tip: If one hump looks bigger, count the rows on each side before you go on.

   

8. 8. Decrease at Both Ends to Close the Knitted Heart

   Row 38 decreases at both ends. Start with an SSK, knit across to the last two stitches, and finish with a K2tog.

   Tip: Matching 7 stitches at each side keeps the two humps the same size.

   

9. 9. Bind Off the Last Stitches of the Knitted Heart

   Knit the first two stitches. Use the left needle to lift the first loop over the second and off the needle.

   Tip: Bind off loosely. A tight bind off pulls the edge of the hump flat.

   

10. 10. Smooth the Knitted Heart's Edge With the Yarn Tail

    The bind-off edge is boxier than the cast-on side. To soften it, thread the tail on a yarn needle and run it along that edge.

    Tip: Steam the heart lightly with an iron held above it to help it lie flat.