Knit a Valentine’s Sachet: A Free PDF Pattern for a Small Knitted Heart Bag (13cm)

There is something quietly magical about making something by hand for the people you love. When Valentine’s Day approaches, the shops fill with mass-produced cards and foil-wrapped chocolates, but nothing quite carries the same warmth as a gift shaped by your own two hands. A small knitted heart bag is exactly the kind of project that bridges the gap between beautiful and useful — it is charming enough to sit on a dressing table, practical enough to hold dried lavender or a folded love note, and small enough to finish in an evening.

This blog post walks you through everything you need to know to knit your own Valentine’s sachet heart bag, measuring approximately 13cm at its widest point. You will find a full written pattern, tips on yarn and needle choices, finishing advice, and plenty of ideas for how to use and gift your finished heart. Whether you are a beginner looking for a rewarding first project or an experienced knitter wanting a quick seasonal make, this pattern is designed for you.

Why Knit a Heart Sachet for Valentine’s Day?

Handmade gifts carry a story. When you give someone a knitted heart, you are giving them hours of your attention, the warmth of your hands, and a skill passed down through generations. A small knitted sachet is one of the most versatile handmade gifts you can create. Fill it with dried lavender for a drawer freshener, tuck in a folded love note, nestle a small piece of jewellery inside, or use it as a decorative ornament hung from a ribbon. The heart shape speaks for itself.

Beyond the sentiment, knitting a small heart bag is genuinely satisfying from a craft perspective. The project is compact and portable. You do not need a large yarn stash or expensive tools. The shaping is achievable for anyone who has knitted a few rows and knows how to increase and decrease. And because it is small, any slight imperfections in your tension simply add to the handmade character of the piece.

Materials You Will Need

Before you cast on, gather your materials. This pattern is designed to be flexible, so do not worry if your yarn is not an exact match for what is listed here.

Yarn: A small amount of DK weight yarn (approximately 50 metres) in your chosen colour. For a classic Valentine’s look, a deep red or rose pink works beautifully. If you want a more contemporary feel, dusty rose, burgundy, or even a variegated yarn with warm tones will look stunning. You will need only a fraction of a standard 50g ball, which makes this a perfect project for using up leftovers.

Needles: 3.5mm to 4mm straight or double-pointed needles, depending on your preferred construction method. The pattern below is written for straight needles, knitting two flat pieces that are seamed together.

Additional materials: A tapestry needle for seaming and weaving in ends. A small amount of toy stuffing or dried lavender for filling. A length of ribbon or decorative cord, approximately 30cm, for hanging or tying the bag closed. Stitch markers and a row counter are helpful but not essential.

Finished size: Approximately 13cm at the widest point across the heart, and approximately 11cm tall from the point at the base to the top of the lobes. This is a generous sachet size — large enough to hold a meaningful quantity of dried lavender or a small folded note, but still compact and delicate-looking.

Tension and Gauge

With DK yarn and 3.75mm needles, a standard stocking stitch gauge is approximately 22 stitches and 28 rows to 10cm. However, tension is not critical for this project. The heart is knitted in two identical pieces that are seamed together, so as long as both pieces match each other, the finished size will be consistent. If your finished heart comes out slightly larger or smaller than 13cm, that is entirely fine for a sachet.

Understanding the Pattern Construction

The heart is worked as two identical flat pieces. Each piece begins at the bottom point of the heart, increases outward to the widest part, and then divides to form the two rounded lobes at the top. The pieces are then placed together with wrong sides facing and seamed around the edges, leaving a small opening at the top to insert your filling and ribbon.

This flat construction method is ideal for beginners because there is no complex shaping to manage all at once, and the seaming at the end gives the heart a neat, defined edge that actually enhances the finished look.

The Pattern: Small Knitted Heart Sachet (13cm)

Abbreviations used in this pattern:

CO: cast on | K: knit | P: purl | KFB: knit into front and back of stitch (increase) | K2tog: knit two stitches together (decrease) | SSK: slip, slip, knit (left-leaning decrease) | BO: bind off | RS: right side | WS: wrong side | St(s): stitch(es) | Rep: repeat

Make two identical pieces

Cast on and begin shaping the point:

CO 3 sts.

Row 1 (RS): K3.
Row 2 (WS): P3.
Row 3: KFB, K1, KFB. (5 sts)
Row 4: P5.
Row 5: KFB, K3, KFB. (7 sts)
Row 6: P7.
Row 7: KFB, K5, KFB. (9 sts)
Row 8: P9.
Row 9: KFB, K7, KFB. (11 sts)
Row 10: P11.
Row 11: KFB, K9, KFB. (13 sts)
Row 12: P13.
Row 13: KFB, K11, KFB. (15 sts)
Row 14: P15.
Row 15: KFB, K13, KFB. (17 sts)
Row 16: P17.
Row 17: KFB, K15, KFB. (19 sts)
Row 18: P19.
Row 19: KFB, K17, KFB. (21 sts)
Row 20: P21.
Row 21: KFB, K19, KFB. (23 sts)
Row 22: P23.
Row 23: KFB, K21, KFB. (25 sts)
Row 24: P25.
Row 25: KFB, K23, KFB. (27 sts)
Row 26: P27.

You now have 27 stitches. This is the widest point of the heart.

Work a few straight rows to establish the body:

Row 27: K27.
Row 28: P27.
Row 29: K27.
Row 30: P27.

Divide for the lobes:

You will now work each lobe separately. Place the first 13 stitches on a holder or spare needle, and work only the last 14 stitches for the right lobe. (The extra stitch will be decreased away in the first row.)

Right lobe:

Row 31 (RS): K2tog, K12. (13 sts)
Row 32 (WS): P13.
Row 33: K2tog, K9, K2tog. (11 sts)
Row 34: P11.
Row 35: K2tog, K7, K2tog. (9 sts)
Row 36: P9.
Row 37: K2tog, K5, K2tog. (7 sts)
Row 38: P7.
Row 39: K2tog, K3, K2tog. (5 sts)
Row 40: P5.
Row 41: K2tog, K1, K2tog. (3 sts)
Row 42: P3.
Row 43: SSK, K1. (2 sts)
Row 44: P2tog. (1 st)

Break yarn and pull through remaining stitch to fasten off.

Left lobe:

Rejoin yarn to the remaining 13 stitches with RS facing.

Row 31 (RS): K11, K2tog. (12 sts) — note: if you had 13 sts on the holder, begin with K2tog, K11 to reduce to 12, then work as follows:

Row 31 (RS): K12.
Row 32 (WS): P12.
Row 33: SSK, K8, K2tog. (10 sts)
Row 34: P10.
Row 35: SSK, K6, K2tog. (8 sts)
Row 36: P8.
Row 37: SSK, K4, K2tog. (6 sts)
Row 38: P6.
Row 39: SSK, K2, K2tog. (4 sts)
Row 40: P4.
Row 41: SSK, K2tog. (2 sts)
Row 42: P2tog. (1 st)

Break yarn and pull through remaining stitch to fasten off.

Make a second piece exactly the same.

Seaming and Finishing

Once you have both heart pieces, it is time to assemble your sachet. Lay both pieces flat with wrong sides together so that the right sides face outward. Thread your tapestry needle with a length of yarn in a matching or complementary colour.

Using mattress stitch or whip stitch, seam around the entire outer edge of the heart, beginning at one side of the top opening (between the two lobes) and working around the point and back up to the other side of the top opening. Leave the top opening — the space between the two lobes at the top of the heart — open for now.

Before you close the sachet completely, add your filling. A small handful of dried lavender will fill the bag beautifully and release a gentle scent for months. Alternatively, use a small amount of toy stuffing to give the heart a soft, plump appearance. If you are using the sachet as a gift bag for jewellery or a note, leave it unfilled for now.

Once you are satisfied with the filling, seam the remaining gap closed, or thread a length of ribbon through the stitches at the top opening and tie it into a bow. This creates a lovely closure that can be untied and retied, making the sachet useful as a reusable gift bag.

Weave in all ends neatly using your tapestry needle. If you like, block the finished heart lightly by misting it with water and pressing it gently into shape with your hands, then leaving it to dry flat.

Yarn Colour Combinations to Consider

Part of the joy of a project like this is choosing your colours. While red is the classic Valentine’s choice, do not feel constrained. Here are some combinations that look beautiful in this pattern.

Deep red with a cream ribbon creates a timeless, romantic look. Dusty rose with a gold satin ribbon feels luxurious and contemporary. Burgundy wine tones feel sophisticated and work well for gifting to a friend rather than a romantic partner — it signals warmth and care without the pressure of red. If you are knitting for a child, a bright coral or a cheerful hot pink with a white ribbon is playful and fun. For a more gender-neutral gift, a warm terracotta or a muted sage will look gorgeous.

You might also consider a two-colour approach, knitting each piece of the heart in a different shade and letting the seam create a subtle colour-block effect when the heart is viewed from different angles.

How to Use Your Finished Heart Sachet

The small knitted heart sachet is one of the most versatile items you can make. Here are some of the best ways to use or gift it.

As a lavender sachet, it can live in a sock drawer, a linen closet, or under a pillow. The scent from dried lavender in a knitted bag can last surprisingly long — months, in fact — and can be refreshed with a drop of essential oil. As a decorative ornament, it can be hung from a bedroom door handle, a lampshade hook, or the handle of a wardrobe with a length of ribbon. As a gift bag, it can hold a small piece of jewellery, a ring, a charm, or a folded note written in your best handwriting. As a pin cushion, a firmly stuffed heart makes a beautiful addition to a sewing kit.

You can also knit several hearts in graduating sizes and arrange them as a garland — thread them onto a length of twine and hang the garland above a fireplace or along a windowsill for a beautiful seasonal decoration.

Tips for Knitters of All Levels

If you are new to knitting and this is one of your first shaped projects, a few tips will help you feel confident. Work slowly through the increase rows at the beginning and count your stitches at the end of each row. It is very easy to accidentally knit into the bar between stitches and end up with extra stitches without realising it. Mark every tenth stitch with a stitch marker if it helps you keep track.

When you divide for the lobes, transfer the stitches you are not working to a piece of spare yarn rather than a stitch holder if you do not own one — thread a blunt needle with a contrast yarn and slip the stitches onto it, tying the ends together to keep them secure.

If you are more experienced and find the two-piece flat construction too simple, you can absolutely adapt this pattern to be knitted in the round using double-pointed needles or a short circular needle. Knitting the heart in the round produces a seamless finish and means you can skip the seaming step, though you will need to adapt the shaping rows accordingly.

Downloading the PDF Pattern

This pattern is available as a downloadable PDF, formatted for easy printing at home. The PDF version includes all the written instructions above, along with a schematic diagram of the heart shape and a quick-reference abbreviation guide. The file is sized to print clearly on standard A4 or US letter paper.

To download your free PDF pattern for this Valentine’s sachet small knitted heart bag, click the download button on this page. No email subscription is required — the pattern is free for personal and gift use. Please do not redistribute or sell the PDF itself, but you are warmly welcome to sell finished items made from this pattern.

A Few Final Thoughts

There is a reason knitters return to small heart projects again and again, season after season. The heart is one of those shapes that never feels over-done, never quite loses its power to communicate something true. When it is made by hand — uneven perhaps, slightly imperfect, knitted in a colour chosen specifically with someone in mind — it carries a meaning that no shop-bought card can replicate.

This small 13cm knitted heart sachet takes an evening to make. It uses yarn you probably already have. It requires only basic skills and a pair of needles. And yet the person who receives it will likely keep it for years, tucked into a drawer or sitting on a shelf, long after the Valentine’s Day chocolates are a memory.

Cast on three stitches. See where the rows take you.

Happy knitting, and happy Valentine’s Day. If you make this pattern, please share a photo — there is nothing more lovely than seeing a finished heart made with your hands.