Calamari Knit Valentine

Hi everyone! This is not really a Peace Corps update post, rather it is a crafty post (Pinterest and me are good pals right now).  Not much to update - we are still preparing to leave in March.  Right now we are busy wrapping up our business, packing, and getting ready to move out of our cozy home in Saint Paul.  We are VERY excited! To keep myself busy and distracted I have been knitting.  I decided to knit a heart pillow with old T-shirts.  Below are the steps to make it!

Here is the final product!

First you need to find a few old red and pink shirts.  I had 4 that were nice and worn, stained, and full of holes - perfect for this kind of project!

Second you need to cut the bodies of the shirts into rings (like calamari).  See photo below.  I do not use the neck or sleeves - they are too small for my liking, but you could use them.

Now you will have a nice pile of calamari loops that look like this:

Link the loops together in any combo you like.  I linked one of each color: red, magenta, dark pink, light pink...repeat until they are all linked. Then roll them up into a ball:

Now you are ready to knit with you chunky T-shirt yarn! Instructions are below:

Knitted Valentine Pillow Steps:

I used T-shirt calamari yarn and size 15 needles. Using different yarn weights and needles will produce results in a variety of sizes. The instructions use standard knitting abbreviations; refer to the key for clarification.
Abbreviation Key
St= Stitch
K= Knit
KFB= Knit into front and back of stitch (to make 2 stitches where there was 1)
P= Purl
K2Tog= Knit 2 stitches together
P2Tog= Purl 2 stitches together
BO= Bind off
Instructions to knit 1 heart:
Cast on 2 St.
Row 1: KFB, K to last St, KFB.
Row 2: P.
Repeat these 2 rows until there are 14 St (12 rows total).
Row 13: K2Tog, K5, and turn work; leave remaining 7 St on needle.
Row 14: Working with the 6 St closest to end of needle, P2Tog, P2, P2Tog.
Row 15: BO 4 Sts and cut yarn to start on other side.
Row 16: Working with reserved 7 St, K5, K2Tog.
Row 17: P2Tog, P2, P2Tog.
Row 18: BO 4.
To assemble 2 hearts:
1. Stack hearts with right sides out. Using a mattress stitch and a needle threaded with yarn, sew hearts together along perimeter, leaving a 1 or 2-inch gap on one side of the hearts.
2. As you stich around, tuck in loose ends.
4. Tuck stuffing inside heart. I used leftover shirt material.
5. Sew the gap closed, and weave yarn up inner side of heart. 

How cute! Good luck!

The original instructions and inspiration can be found here at Martha Stewart's site.