Finished Object: My Heart (for my Husband)

I simply haven't had as much knitting time lately, and this was extra true of the heart that I decided to knit for my husband for Valentine's day! When the Knitty surprises were released on January 28, I knew I had to make one and I figured I had plenty of time -- more than 2 weeks! The only catch was, I wanted it to be a surprise, so I was only able to knit it while he wasn't around. My commute provided some of the knitting time, but I often don't get a seat as the King streetcar is usually packed full by the time I get on it in the mornings. It isn't that long a ride, either.


So despite working on it daily and putting in a long stint at Drunken Knitting on Friday the 13th, my progress was slow, and I ended up finishing it on Valentine's day out of sight while Adam made our delicious meal.


Pattern & Modifications
Heart by Kristin Ledgett for Knitty.com.

A lovely pattern that I more or less followed. I was on the streetcar when it came time to split for the valves however, and so I kind of just figured out my own way without consulting the pattern. Which is why my second colour valve is the opposite of the original pattern's. I also left out the red stuffing for the exposed ventricles, because I think they look more realistic that way. I did sew in the ends through the bases to keep the regular stuffing from leaking out or showing. I'm very pleased with my results!


Yarn & Needles
I used a few leftover wedding rose yarns to make this -- some tencel threads, a mohair in a deep red, and a mysterious red fingering-weight yarn that someone contributed at the rose-knitting-shower. Held triple-stranded and knit on 2.75mm (US2) needles made for a glossy fabric that I stuffed loosely for maximum squishability.

Timeline
February 1st - 14th, two weeks of extremely intermittent knitting! Followed by 20 minutes of extremely goofy project photography time: