Little Green Hearts for Childline

The NSPCC launched their Still Here for Children appeal in response to COVID-19. This has enabled the charity to continue vital services like Childline so they can be there for young people that desperately need someone to talk to, especially when home isn’t a safe place. Although the charity has adapted, the NSPCC are still vulnerable and don’t know what challenges may come next.

Throughout July, The Knitting Network is raising money for the NSPCC’s Childline service through checkout donations when you purchase anything on the site. Along with Woman’s Weekly magazine, we're also giving away two free heart patterns so you can knit or crochet your own Little Green Hearts to help raise awareness of the vital work the NSPCC are doing.

Get your FREE Little Green Heart crochet pattern from Woman’s Weekly here. To knit a Little Green Heart, follow the pattern below, designed by Lynne Rowe.

By purchasing the yarn for an NSPCC Little Green Heart at The Knitting Network you can round up your order to the nearest £ and raise money to help the organisation continue to be here to support children.

PATTERN

Measurements

Approximately 8cm high.

Materials

Oddments of Green double knitting yarn. Pair of 3.75mm knitting needles; small amount of toy filling; wool/tapestry needle.

(Note that you could also use 3.5mm knitting needles as an alternative)

Abbreviations

K, knit; p, purl; k2tog, knit next 2 sts together as one stitch (to decrease 1 stitch); p2tog, purl next 2 sts together as one st (to decrease 1 stitch); skpo, slip 1 st, k 1 st, pass slipped st over the knitted st (to decrease 1 st); kfb, increase 1 st by knitting into the front of the stitch but don't remove it from the left-hand needle, knit into the back of the same st then remove st from left-hand needle (2 sts made from 1 st); pfb, increase 1 st by purling into the front of the stitch but don't remove it from the left-hand needle, purl into the back of the same st then remove st from left-hand needle (2 sts made from 1 st); st st, stocking stitch (knit on RS, purl on WS); st(s), stitch(es); WS = wrong side; RS, right side.

Tension

Is not critical for this project.

Notes

A slightly smaller needle size has been recommended to keep a tight stitch so that the toy filling doesn’t show through. Yarn amounts are based on average requirements and are therefore approximate.

Heart (make 2)

With 3.75mm needles and Green, cast on 3 sts, leaving a long tail end for sewing up later.

1st row (RS): K1, kfb, k1 – 4 sts.

2nd row: P to end.

3rd row: Kfb, k to end – 5 sts.

4th row: Pfb, p to end – 6 sts.

5th to 14th rows: Repeat the 3rd and 4th rows until you have 16 sts.

15th to 18th rows: Starting with a k row, st st 4 rows.

19th row: K8, turn and work on these sts only for first hump – 8 sts.

First hump

1st row: P2tog, p to end – 7 sts.

2nd row: K to end.

3rd row: P2tog, p to last 2 sts, p2tog – 5 sts.

4th row: K to end.

5th row: Skpo, k1, k2tog – 3 sts.

6th row: K to end.

Cast off on WS purlwise.

Next, with RS facing you, re-join Green and k across the remaining 8 sts to work second hump.

Second hump

1st row: P to last 2 sts, p2tog – 7 sts.

Now work from 2nd row of first hump, to end.

To make up

Place the two heart pieces together, with WS together and RS facing out. For best results, use whip stitch to join the pieces as as follows: work through the very end stitches of each row and pass your wool needle through the outer most loops of the stitches only (not through two loops). When you reach the cast off stitches at the top of each hump, work through the inner most loops of these stitches. Alternatively, you could use mattress stitch to sew your heart together. Sew until approximately 3cm of the seam remains open. Fill with toy filling, then sew the remaining seam closed. Tie off yarn ends and weave ends into the heart.

Once you’ve completed your little green heart, why not gift it to a loved one, friend or neighbour who has done something amazing for children?

Share pictures of your green hearts on social media with #stillhereforchildren, #nspcc and #childlinegreenheart and we can enjoy all the Little Green Hearts you have created.

Terms and conditions: Little Green Heart crochet pattern by Woman’s Weekly is available to download for free until 23:59pm 31 July 2020.