The start of February is coming up, but there is still lots of time to crochet this Valentine’s Day Countdown Calendar! The heart background and the pockets are done in c2c and work up quite quickly. I had the whole calendar finished in just a few days. Plus it really was a fun project that my kids are loving each year!
There are a few great ways to use this calendar to count down to Valentine’s Day. I thought it would be fun to use it as a kindness calendar with a little kindness activity to do each day, like help clean your room, share your toy with your little brother/sister, help shovel a neighbour’s sidewalk, make a card for Grandma, etc. I’ve included more kindness ideas at the end of this post. Another idea is to fill the pockets with a little treat or love note to open each day.
This Crochet Valentine’s Day Countdown Calendar is worked up in C2C. There are only 3 colors used so there aren’t a lot of ends to weave in. Most of the time you can just pick up each color where you left it off and continue on down the row. The little pockets are also worked up in C2C and then crocheted around in SC stitches.
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This pattern is available for FREE on this website. If you’d like an ad-free, printable PDF version, you may purchase it for a small fee from my Etsy or Ravelry shops. The ad-free, printable PDF version of this C2C Valentine’s Day Countdown Calendar also includes large printable graphs, written instructions for the graphs, AND the pattern (and tutorial) for the Easy Crochet Hearts! Thank you so much for supporting Loops & Love Crochet!
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Materials:
- Worsted weight yarn – You can use any worsted-weight yarn for this project. I used Bernat Super Value in Berry (Red), Winter White, and Baby Pink.
- 5mm crochet hook – I use (and love!) Clover Amour hooks.
- Yarn needle (for weaving in ends)
- Numbers 1-14 (I used number buttons, but you can use number stickers, or paint them on. I’ve added more details on this below!)
- Yarn needle (for weaving in ends)
- Wooden Dowel – about 20 inches long and 5/16” thick.
Finished Size
The finished size for the calendar is approx. 21” wide x 20” tall.
Stitches Used
- The heart background and pockets are worked up in C2C. If you are unfamiliar with this technique, it is a lot of fun and easy to pick up! There are many online tutorials and videos to check out. I really like the tutorial by Mikey at the Crochet Crowd or the one by the Purple Poncho here.
- Ch – chain
- Sl St – slip stitch
- SC – single crochet
- DC – double crochet
Making the Heart Background
First, you will start by making the heart background. The graph you will need for this part is below. I’d recommend printing this picture so that you can cross off boxes as you go. In the printable PDF version in my
Etsy or Ravelry shops, I have also included the written out the instructions for the grid in a table format, in case you prefer to use that instead of counting all the little boxes.
When you are finished making the heart background, next you will SC around the outside to give it a nicer finished edge. First, choose which side you like the best (that will be the front side). Then attach the pink yarn to one of the stitches on the outside of your project with a slip stitch. SC in each stitch around the outside. Work SC, Ch 2, SC in each of the 4 corners to prevent them from curling in.
Making the Pockets
Next you will need to make the pockets, which are also done in C2C. You will need 13 pockets of the smaller size and then one in the larger size for the 14th (to put something a little extra special in there on Valentine’s Day). For these pockets, I used the same white yarn that I used for the background. When you are finished the 14 pockets, weave in the ends. Then attach the pink yarn and single crochet around three of the sides (working 2 SC into the two corners at the bottom of each pocket). Fasten off leaving a long tail to sew the pockets onto the background.
Lay your pockets on your heart background. When you are happy with how they are placed, use your yarn needle to sew them on. Make sure you are only attaching 3 of the sides, leaving the top open to put things in the pockets. To help keep the pockets in place and lined up, you could pin them down before you sew them.
Adding Heart Appliques
To decorate the front a bit more, I made 4 heart appliques (2 pink, 2 red) and sewed them on the front of the calendar. I liked the look of them overlapping, but you can sew them on however you’d like. The pattern for the Easy Crochet Hearts is here. The only change I made was I used a 6mm crochet hook to make these hearts larger.
Getting Your Calendar Ready for Hanging
Now you willneed to work on the back of the calendar to get it ready for hanging. First, you will need to make 3 rectangularpieces to hold the dowel in place and then one hanger piece so you can hang yourproject. I did the rectangular pieces in white so it matches the background (thiswill hide the stitches on the front side when you attach the rectangles to theback). The hanger I did in pink so it matched the frame around the outside ofthe background.
Make 2shorter rectangles and 1 longer rectangle.
Shorter Rectangle (make 2):
Row 1: Chain17, DC in 3rd chain from hook and in each stitch across. Chain 2,turn. (15)
Row 2: DC ineach stitch across. (15)
Fasten off,leave a long tail for sewing on to back of project.
Longer Rectangle (make 1):
Row 1: Chain22, DC in 3rd chain from hook and in each stitch across. Chain 2,turn. (20)
Row 2: DC ineach stitch across. (20)
Fasten off,leave a long tail for sewing on to back of project.
Hanging Piece (make 1):
*Note: Leavea long tail before starting your chain. This will help you sew each end of thishanger on the dowel.
Row 1: Chain41, SC in 2nd chain from hook and in each stitch across. Chain 1,turn. (40)
Row 2: SC ineach stitch across. (40)
Fasten off, leave a long tail for sewing on to the dowel.
Use your yarn needle to sew each end of the hanging piecearound the dowel.
Then lay thedowel on the back of the project. Line it up just under the pink edge. Sew theshorter rectangles on the ends and the longer one in the middle. Make sure youare only making your stitches into the white area so they are invisible on thefront. The pink ends will be able to slide on the dowel to make room for thelonger rectangle to sewn in the middle. Weave in ends.
Adding Numbers to the Pockets
Now you will add your numbers to the pockets. I used number buttons designed for me by TheScarlettStudio. Some other ideas include, felt stick on numbers, number stickers for scrapbooking and crafts, or you could paint on your own numbers on using puffy paint.
For the finishing touches, I made a small heart for little ones to move from pocket to pocket, keeping track of the day. For this, I also used my Easy Crochet Heart pattern, but I used a 3.5mm crochet hook.
Finally, I added a couple heart buttons to the pocket on the 14th, just to make it a little extra special since it’s Valentine’s Day!
Now you are ready to hang your Valentine’s Day Countdown Calendar and decide what you want to put in the pockets. Some ideas are: little love notes, kindness activities, treats, etc. There are so many possibilities!
I decided to put kindness activities in my calendar. My daughters are 2 and 4, so I will be put a toddler/preschooler-friendly kindness activity to complete in each pocket.
Kindness Activity Ideas for Small Children
- Say hello to 5 different people today.
- Draw a picture for Grandma and Grandpa.
- Help shovel the neighbor’s side walk.
- Donate outgrown clothes.
- Share your toys with your sister.
- Help empty the dishwasher.
- Hold the door for people behind you.
- Give a compliment to someone you see today.
- Read a book with your sister.
- Bring dishes to the counter after meals.
- Donate some toys you haven’t used in awhile.
- Help put away the laundry.
- Make Valentines for friends and family to give out tomorrow
- Give hugs and Valentines to friends and family.
I hope you enjoyed making your Crochet Valentine’s Day Countdown Calendar!
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