Stuffed
Published On: February 7, 2018

We’re having a KAL for Palpitation, and I’d be delighted if you joined us!  I find I want to knit a few more of these, but it feels like some sort of breach of etiquette to knit in my own KAL.  So I’m going to pretend that what I’m doing is using a few more hearts as a way to talk about some finer points of making these.  But we all know what I’m really doing is indulging myself and making a few more.  But don’t tell anyone, ok?

[pexcirclecta pex_attr_small_title=”knitalong” pex_attr_title=”PALPITATION” pex_attr_button_text=”Join Us!” pex_attr_button_link=”https://www.ravelry.com/discuss/pantsville-press/topics/3737683″ pex_attr_button_link_open=”new” pex_attr_button_color=””][/pexcirclecta]

So once you’ve knit a heart (or two…or a dozen) you’ll probably want to stuff them.  Now you don’t have to…I’ve heard from a few folks planning to use theirs as coasters, which is totally a great idea.  But I suspect most folks want to put something in there.  And you’ve got lots of choices.

I went with wool for mine.  I had a few ounces of a mystery fiber from a long ago fiber festival in the bottom of a stash bin.  That filled the first few (I think two ounces of fiber filled six hearts).  Then I kept making more and realized I needed more stuffing, so I got this and used it for the rest (you can see it behind the pink heart above).  It doesn’t take much (I’ve filled six more hearts and am nowhere near out).  I like that the gray doesn’t show through as much as white stuffing would.  You could also use polyester stuffing if you prefer, I’m just a sucker for wool.

If you want your hearts to smell good, you can also put stuff in them for that.  I put lavender in a bunch of mine (at least a teaspoon each…more is better, it’s just a little tedious to fill them.  Chamomile would also be good, and I’ve heard from folks using rose petals or cedar chips too! Anything that smells good to you, fits in the heart, and is shelf stable should work!

And then…then there is the cat toy option.  The Kitten Overlords made it clear that they needed a heart of their own (by stealing one of mine, the little beasts).  So I made them one, complete with an extra strand of silk/mohair (their favorite yarn to steal out of my knitting basket…ask me how I know) held along with the background yarn.  Not the prettiest or most subtle of the hearts, but the goal is tempting to kittens!

I stuffed it with a bit of wool, a lot of catnip, and some little rattle inserts.  It seems to have been a success!

You could also use dried rice or beans to make microwaveable hand warmers.  You’ll want to use a bit of common sense (start by microwaving them for a short time, like 30 seconds, and check to make sure they’re not super hot), but wool is actually a really great fabric for something like this as it’s a good insulator and way less likely to melt or catch fire than a synthetic fabric.

You’re really only limited by your imagination here…I have a feeling you’ve got suitable supplies on hand and can totally come up with something clever!

Mailing List

Want to hear when a new pattern comes out or something fun is going on? Sign up below!

Patreon

Want to support the content I create, get nifty bonus material for some of my favorite patterns, or get every new release delivered right to your inbox? Head over to patreon and sign up!

Search
Archives