The Hookers' Club

Meet my friend Amanda.  She and I have started our own Hookers' Club.  At least that's what my husband calls us.  We call our meetings craft dates.  Less room for misinterpretation that way.  Anyway, on Saturday we got out our crochet hooks and spent the afternoon making heart garlands for Valentines Day.  I don't remember where I saw the idea first, but I found an excellent how-to video at Little Birdie Secrets.  This was perfect since I'm a novice "hooker" and this was Amanda's first time!  {Insert joke here.}

 We pooled all of our yarn and made lots and lots of hearts!  I especially love the larger hearts made from chunky yarn.

 After crocheting all the hearts I did a google image search to see how other women strung them on their garlands.  I found a few different ways to do it.  I also found some larger, multi-color hearts that I loved.  Don't you just hate finding great ideas at the end of a project?  {sigh}

Here is my finished simple heart garland.

I threaded my hearts on a long chain of color changing yarn.  I'm quite pleased with how it turned out!

Now for a challenge.  I'm using what I know about crocheting to add different colors to make another garland with bigger hearts.  I'm sure there is a great tutorial out there somewhere, but I don't like to read directions if I don't have to.  

For the first heart (above right) I followed the original heart directions from Little Birdie Secrets.  Then instead of fastening off I changed yarn and did an additional round of DC, adding extra DC stitches around the top curves and bottom point to keep the fullness and shape.  Not bad.  Knowing I could do better I made another basic heart.  This time, using the same multicolor yarn I added a second and third round of SC stitches.  Again, I added a few SC stitches around the top curves and bottom point.  For the forth round I changed colors and SC all the way around.  Round five I did TR stitches on top (as picture below shows) then DC down to the point.  When I got to the point I did one CH, TR, CH (just like the point of the small heart) and then mirrored what I did up the other side.  Does that make sense? 

The third heart (below center) is just another modification to add variation to my second garland.

I wrote the directions as I went this time.
Start with a simple heart.
2nd round- SC around, increase/add 1SC at top curves, 3SC at bottom point
3rd round- ch 3, TR 3, 2TR in next stitch, DC 5, ch 1, TR 1, ch 1, DC 5, 2TR in next stitch, TR 3, ch 2, sl st, fasten off

Repeat any or all of the above, string together, and garland two is complete!