Last week, I posted on Instagram that I wanted to find a way to share more love in the world, to let people know that others are thinking good thoughts for them. (Who doesn’t need that?) After MedKNITating on it, an idea came.
I started crocheting little hearts that I give out to people, or leave in places that people can stumble across them. (The one above is the first to make an appearance in a New York City subway!) It’s my hope that whoever finds these little soldiers of love will know that someone is sending them good vibes. That the world is still a good and loving place, and that we can fill it with kindness.
This idea came to me after a particularly rough summer. I lost my biological father and a dear friend. Then I got sick for six weeks with an upper respiratory infection that still hasn’t really left me, try as I might to break up with it. This was an excellent time for me to practice Maitri, or kindness, and look for ways to share kindness and love in the world.
I found a pattern to make tiny crochet hearts, and I started doing a crochet meditation on love as I made each one. Crocheting hearts while meditating on love and kindness is probably my favorite new therapy. It makes me SO happy!
A lot of people really liked this idea and want to join in. If you’d like to make tiny hearts with a big mission of sharing love, here are some patterns:
Crochet: The original tiny heart pattern comes from Ahuyama Crochet, aka Crochet Lovers on YouTube. The tiny heart how-to video is here. Click on her info for small and medium-sized hearts.
Knitting: Some of you asked about a knitting pattern for hearts. I haven’t tried knitting these yet, but I found a few heart patterns online. For tiny-size knit hearts, there’s a free pattern by Elizabeth Murphy on Ravelry. For small (about palm size) hearts, there’s this video from LoveCrafts.
A few notes about making tiny hearts:
- Inexpensive yarn seems to work best to keep the hearts flat, rather than curling at the edges. Making tiny hearts is also a great use for leftover yarn that isn’t enough to make anything out of—that’s what my tiny hearts are made of!
- Leave the tail and end strand long for tying on to hats, packages, fences, doorknobs, bike handles, etc. Weave in tails and ends if you only want a heart shape, as when you’re pasting onto a card.
- Attach positive messages to the hearts. I write messages like You’re doing great and Thank you and You’re a channel of love on little slips of craft paper (in pink ink, of course) and attach them to the end strands of my tiny hearts. It shows people the heart is meant to give them a boost.
- Make large hearts and sew end to end for a heart scarf gift.
- Try making the hearts in different colors, just like there are different colors of heart emoji.
- Use them as a meditation, thinking thoughts of love as you make them. Those good vibes do carry forward.
If you make tiny hearts to share, please send me photos and let me know who you gave them to and where you left them. If you don’t knit or crochet, I’m working on a way people can sponsor some tiny hearts for charity. Please sign up for my newsletter on this page so I can keep you posted.
People who make things have the ability to share love through the things they make, from one hand to another. Creating more love in the world is a big mission, and one we can accomplish—with kindness.