Intermediate
What the pattern's own author called it. Nothing here is graded again.
Sweaters 12 Laid out for paper No account, no download
Heart motif crochet sweater pattern for beginners
Pullover with heart panels, 4-round ribbed cuffs and mesh sleeves. 5.5mm body hook, 6.0mm sleeve hook.
- Skill
- Intermediate
- Time
- 4-6 hours
- Yarn weight
- Worsted
- Hook
- 5.5 mm
- Rounds
- 12
Worsted
What the sample was worked in. Any weight works; the size moves with it.
12
Each one is typed out whole and gets its own line.
This pullover is built from two identical front and back panels, each carrying an intarsia heart worked in a contrast color against the main shade, then joined with a ribbed hem, a mesh sleeve, and a shoulder closure. Panels start from a 61-chain foundation worked flat in hdc, so the heart shaping sits in the body of the fabric rather than added after. Before picking up the hook, have both colors wound and ready, a 5.5 mm hook for the panels and ribbing, a 6.0 mm hook for the sleeves, and stitch markers on hand for the armhole and neck measurements.
Common mistakes and their fixes
- Twisting the yarn carries during color changes
- Keep the dropped color on one consistent side of the work through Rows 10 to 29 so the strands don't cross and pull tight on the wrong side.
- Losing the 60-stitch count in early rows
- Count stitches after Row 1 and again before Row 10 begins; a drifted count will shift the heart off-center by the time the color splits at 29/2/29.
- Mixing up FPDC and BPDC placement in ribbing
- Work the repeat in its stated order of 3 FPDC then 3 BPDC (or 2 and 2 in the cuff) and check the previous round's stitch type before placing each post stitch, since a missed swap flattens the rib.
The materials list
- Medium weight yarn size 4 in two colors (main and contrast)
- 5.5 mm hook for body panels
- 6.0 mm hook for sleeves
- Darning needle, scissors, stitch markers
Listed by the pattern's own author, in their words.
Key to this pattern, 7 short forms
Sweater Panels Make 2
Make a slip knot and chain 61
Round 1
skip first chain and work 1 hdc in each back bump across 60 hdc
Round 2
to 9 ch 1 turn work hdc in each stitch across Creating the Heart Motif Use intarsia color change technique switch colors on final yarn over
Round 10
work 29 hdc in MC change to CC work 2 hdc change to MC work 29 hdc
Round 11
to 29 increase CC stitches and decrease MC based on pattern countsRow 30 form top of heart with 8 CC 4 MC 8 CC Row 31 6 CC 6 MC 6 CC Row 32 4 CC 8 MC 4 CC
Sleeve Cuff Ribbing
Round 1
work sc into dc stitches skipping chain spacesRow 2 sc2tog around to reduce
Round 3
work sc around fasten MC join CC
Round 4
ch 2 work dc around 24 dc join
Round 5
to 11 repeat 2 FPDC and 2 BPDC around for 7 rib rows Fasten off and weave endsCrochet Heart Sweater
Sleeves Make 2
Switch to 6 mm hook Join MC at underarm work sc around join
Round 2
to 25 ch 4 dc ch1 repeat around for mesh stitch join each round
Top Body Section
Round 33
to 46 ch 1 turn work 14 rows of hdc all MC
Round 47
ch 2 skip 1 stitch repeat ch1 skip1 hdc
Round 48
to 50 ch 1 turn work 3 rows sc across
Assembly, in order
Step 1Place both panels wrong side facing out
Step 2Measure 8 inches for armhole seam slip stitch sides until mark
Step 3Slip stitch 12 stitches across each shoulder for neck opening
Check these before you start
- Keep tension even across the FPDC and BPDC repeats in the ribbing sections; uneven post stitches here show clearly once the rib is stretched around a wrist or hem.
On one line
| Rounds | 12 |
|---|---|
| Parts | 4 |
| Level | Intermediate |
| Time | 4-6 hours |
| Hook | 5.5 mm |
| Yarn | Worsted |
Set-up
- Chain 61 and check the row 1 hdc count lands at 60 stitches across before continuing into the repeat rows.
- Place a stitch marker at the center of Row 10's color change (after the 29th MC hdc) so later increase and decrease rows have a fixed reference point.
- Have a separate set of markers ready for the 8-inch armhole measurement and the 12-stitch shoulder slip stitch, since both rely on counted placement rather than a shaped edge.
Finishing
- Weave in all ends from the color changes along the heart motif first, since these are the most numerous and the easiest to lose track of once the panels are joined.
- both panels wrong side out, slip stitch the sides together up to the 8-inch armhole mark, then slip stitch 12 stitches across each shoulder to close the neck opening.
- Block the finished sweater flat, easing the ribbed cuffs and hem into shape and smoothing the mesh sleeve panels so the ch-4 spaces sit evenly before the final press.
Construction
The heart motif is built through a gradual stitch-count shift: Row 10 splits the row into 29 MC hdc, 2 CC hdc, and 29 MC hdc, then Rows 11 to 29 increase the CC count and decrease the MC count each row, which is what grows the motif's width as the panel climbs.
The panels are worked flat rather than in the round because the intarsia technique requires turning at the end of each row to carry both yarns correctly on the wrong side; the mesh sleeves and ribbing, by contrast, are joined rounds since no color carrying is needed there.
Time per section
| Sweater Panels (Make 2) | about 2 to 3 hours per panel because of the 29-row length and the intarsia color tracking through the heart shaping |
|---|---|
| Sleeve Cuff Ribbing and Sleeves (Make 2) | about 45 minutes per sleeve because the cuff's 11 rows are short but the mesh body runs 24 rounds |
| Top Body Section and assembly | about 1 hour because the 3 rounds are quick, but the armhole and shoulder seaming need careful measuring to the 8-inch and 12-stitch marks |
Photographs of this one
Every one was taken by whoever published the pattern, in the order the source listed them.
Common questions
These answers came from whoever first published the pattern, kept word for word.