Heart Cactus Free Crochet Pattern - Little World of Whimsy

This heart cactus—a heart succulent in a cute pot—is my newest free crochet pattern!

Read on to learn more about my design process and inspiration, or scroll to the end to get the free pattern. If you’re in a hurry and need to take this pattern offline, grab the beautifully formatted, ad-free, PDF pattern from Etsy here.

Table of Contents

The cutest succulent ever!

Amigurumi cacti are almost a tradition at this point. They’re a huge crowd favorite because of the recent house plant craze (thanks COVID) but also because they tend to be easy and beginner friendly projects!

This one might not be the best choice if you’ve never made an amigurumi before, but I think it’s a cute twist on all the traditional succulent patterns out there!

I don’t really have a green thumb (I recall killing a tiny cactus in a pot that looks like this one some years ago) but when visiting one of my friends I noticed the most adorable succulent that she informed me was a hoya kerii. Its leaves are heart shaped, and you can even find just one heart shaped leaf planted in a mini pot.

Previously, I had been a little reluctant to add to the already abundant cactus and succulent patterns out there, but once I caught sight of this adorable plant I jumped at the chance to immortalize it in crochet form.

It’s not strictly attested that this plant would have a bright red flower, but since I can claim total ignorance of horticulture, I decided to take some creative liberties and add a touch of color.

My first colorwork pattern!

One of my favorite parts of this little succulent is the earthenware-like colorwork pot. These have been all the rage on social media lately, and I love the look of the contrasting neutrals. I previously have been very nervous about attempting any colorwork in my designs because the math just boggles my mind, but I thought this would be a low stakes way to dip my toes in the water.

Here’s a great video on how to use this technique!

I love how the detailing on the rim turned out, and I think it adds an elegant and sophisticated touch! Of course, you can customize this detail to however you want (or even to match a real life pot you might have).

Another technique I opted for was to use the crab stitch around the rim. The crab stitch is essentially a reverse single crochet stitch that creates a cute and polished edge that’s often used for baskets. I love how it looks here and think it’s a great alternative to a normal single crochet border!

The Pattern

If you want to take this pattern offline, grab the beautifully formatted, ad-free, PDF pattern from Etsy here!
Pin this pattern to your Pinterest boards here:

Description

Do you love plants and succulents but hate taking care of them? Crochet this mini heart succulent (hoya kerii) and enjoy having a miniature plant without needing to water it! This cute desk plant can keep you company with its cheery smile and bright flower.

Yarn

WeCrochet Brava Sport
- (<1 skein) Green
- (<1 skein) Brown
- (<1 skein) Beige
- (<1 skein) Coral

Notions

3.25mm hook
4.0 mm safety eyes
tapestry needle
polyester fiberfill
stitch markers
black embroidery thread

Abbreviations (US)

Ch: chain
BLO: back loop only
MR: magic ring
Slst: slip stitch
Sc: single crochet
Inc: single crochet increase
Dec: single crochet decrease
FO: finish off
Sc x: single crochet x times

Special Stitches

Crab Stitch: Working counter-clock wise, insert your hook into the stitch directly to the right. Yarn over and pull up a loop. Yarn over again and pull through both loops. Continue working into the stitches to the right. For more help, refer to the video tutorial here.

Technical Notes

Crochet in continuous rounds unless otherwise specified
When filling with polyester stuffing, pull apart each large chunk into many smaller chunks. This ensures an even distribution of firmness.
To avoid large holes in the crochet fabric, increase tension until the holes cannot be seen, or choose a crochet hook a size down.
Stuff the head and the body firmly at the openings so that the neck is stable upon completion.

Final Size

2″ x 3″

TOP HALF (in green sport weight yarn, make two)

Round 1 sc6 in MR (6 sts)
Round 2 inc x6 (12 sts)
Round 3 (sc, inc) x6 (18 sts)
Round 4-6 (3 rnds) sc all around (18 sts)
Invisible finish off and weave in end. Make another identically, but do not finish off.

Connect to the second half and sc 16 all around, leaving 2 stitches unworked. Connect to the first half also leaving 2 stitches unworked and sc the remaining 16 stitches around. See video tutorial here. (32 sts total)

Using one of the tail ends of the top half, whip stitch the gap between the two halves closed. See video tutorial here.

BOTTOM HALF (in green sport weight yarn)

Round 1 sc all around (32 sts)
Round 2 (sc6, dec) x4 (28 sts)
Round 3 (sc5, dec) x4 (24 sts)
Round 4 (sc4, dec) x4 (20 sts)
Begin stuffing. Insert 4.0 mm safety eyes between rounds 1 and 2 of the bottom half, or between rounds 6 and 7 counting from the very top, 3 stitches apart.
Round 5 (sc3, dec) x4 (16 sts)
Round 6 (sc2, dec) x4 (12 sts)
Finish stuffing.
Round 7 (sc, dec) x4 (8 sts)
Cut the tail, cinch the last round closed, and finish off.

(I usually put my safety eyes in at the very end, but if you chose to follow the instructions, then you should have yours in already)

POT (in beige sport weight yarn, worked in joined rounds)

Round 1 sc6 in MR, slst (6 sts)
Round 2 ch, inc x6, slst (12 sts)
Round 3 ch, (sc, inc) x6, slst (18 sts)
Round 4 ch, (sc2, inc) x6, slst (24 sts)
Round 5 ch, (sc3, inc) x6, slst (30 sts)
Round 6 BLO ch, sc all around, slst (30 sts)
Round 7-9 (3 rnds) ch, sc all around, slst (30 sts)
Switch to brown sport weight yarn. (Here’s a blog post on how to change colors!)
Round 10 ch, sc all around, slst (30 sts)
Round 11 ch, (sc in brown, sc in beige) x15, slst (30 sts) Continue in brown sport weight yarn.
Round 12 ch, sc all around (30 sts)
Switch to beige sport weight yarn, working in the crab stitch.
Round 13 ch, crab stitch all around. For clarification, see the Special Stitches section or this video. (30 sts)
Invisible finish off, and weave in ends.

POT (in brown sport weight yarn)

Round 1 sc6 inMR (6 sts)

Round 2 inc x6 (12 sts)

Round 3 (sc, inc) x6 (18 sts)

Round 4 (sc2, inc) x6 (24 sts)

Round 5 (sc3, inc) x6 (30 sts)

Finish off, leaving a long tail for sewing.

FLOWER (in coral sport weight yarn)

Round 1 sc5 in MR (5 sts)
Round 2 (work a slst and dc2 all into the same stitch) x5 (10 sts)
Finish off, leaving a short tail for sewing.

ASSEMBLY

Sew the soil circle to the second round from the top in the pot, stuffing as you go.
If you haven’t already, attach 4.0 mm safety eyes to the heart, between rounds 6 and 7 (counting from the top), 3 stitches apart
Using black embroidery floss, sew a V shaped mouth with two stitches. The mouth will be located directly between the eyes, and one round lower.
Sew the flower to the right lobe of the heart, with the middle between rounds 5 and 6 (counting from the top).
Sew the heart to the middle of the soil.
You’re all done! Enjoy your new desk cactus 🙂

I hope you enjoyed making this Heart Cactus! If you run into any problems feel free to ask me a question in the comments section below or through email at littleworldofwhimsy@gmail.com.