Heart Cat Free Chart

A little cat with a big heart.

This loving little cat has a big heart.

You can work the chart either of two ways:
Crochet The Colors In As You Go
Cross-stitch the Design on a Crocheted Background

A few suggestions for ways to use this chart:

Mini Wall Ornament At left is shown the January cat (same size chart as this one) as a mini wall ornament. Gauge is not important for this project. Just to give you an idea of approximate finished size: Size 10 crochet thread with a size 8 steel hook will make an ornament about 3 1/2 inches wide. To make a mini wall ornament, crochet one piece. The chart is 34 stitches across and 34 rows high. Make a starting chain of 35 chains (for 34 single crochet). If crocheting a background in afghan stitch, starting chain is 34 chains (there is no turning chain in afghan stitch). Crochet 34 rows.

Use embroidery floss to do the cross-stitch. I use two strands of floss at a time (floss has 6 strands; separate 2 strands to thread onto your needle). When cross-stitching is completed, work a round of single crochet around the outside edges, with 3 sc in each corner stitch. End off. Weave in ends. Handsew a 4 inch length of 1/8 inch wide satin ribbon to each side of the top, to use for hanging. Do this in such a manner that the sewing thread will not show through to the front of the piece. I sewed each ribbon length on at a slight angle (angled inward), sewn to the back of the piece. I folded the ribbon end under about 1/8 inch, before sewing in place, so that it would not be leaving a raw edge. Tie a single knot in the two ribbon lengths, about 1 inch from the top.

Christmas Tree Ornament
Make a front piece the same as the Mini Wall Ornament. In addition, make a plain piece the same size for the back. When cross-stitching is completed on the front piece, place the two pieces, wrong side together and work a round of single crochet around three sides, working through both thicknesses, to join the two pieces (work 3 sc in each corner stitch, so corner will not curl). Do not end off. Stuff lightly. Now crochet across the fourth side to close. End off. Weave in ends. Sew a loop of ribbon to the center of the top, to use for hanging.

The color key above shows numbers corresponding to three brands of embroidery floss. When doing a cross-stitch of the chart on a thread crocheted background for the Mini Wall Ornament or the Christmas Tree Ornament, embroidery floss will be used. When making this design as a pillow or afghan square, use yarn in your choice of similar colors for the cross-stitch portion.

You could do an outlining, in black, on portions of the cat or hearts, if you wanted. The outlining is done in short, straight lines, after the rest of the cross-stitching is completed. On the ears, there are a few quarter stitches. These are simply one-fourth of an X (a diagonal line from one corner to the center of a square).

When using the method of crocheting the colors in, you'll need to do a whole stitch in one color where the chart indicates a quarter stitch. You could do a finishing straight stitch outlining in black to define each ear shape, if you wanted to (use a large-eye needle and yarn of the same weight that you used to crochet the square).

You can see on the chart, that I added some whiskers to the cat's face. This is done in a straight stitch, after the cross-stitching of the background heart in that area is completed.

Pillow
Crochet two pieces in the yarn weight of your choice. Do the cross-stitch with yarn of the same weight that you used to crochet the background. Follow same directions as for the Christmas tree ornament but stuff firmly, instead of lightly or stuff with a pillow form (also, omit the loop of ribbon at the end of the directions).

Afghan Square
Crochet with the yarn weight of your choice. Work one round of single crochet around the outside edges of the finished piece, working 3 sc or (sc, ch 1, sc) in each corner.

Copyright, Terms of Use: The chart and these instructions copyright 2001 by Sandi Marshall, licensed to About.com, Inc.
Chart is free for your own personal use only. For personal use only indicates that the pattern may be used only for non-commercial use (meaning that you may make items from the pattern for yourself or for gifts but that you may not sell items that include this design within the item). Selling would be a commercial use of the pattern, not a personal use. If others would like to have the pattern, per copyright law, do not give them reproduced copies, but instead, please give them the URL of the main page for this pattern (URL is on the chart), so that they may come here for themselves. Thank you. Copyright Myths Explained: www.templetons.com/brad/copymyths.html
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