issue 23, getting things done

and some freeform inspiration from improv quilters

hey everybody,

Summer is in full bloom in my part of the world, and so is the summer heat. What better time to stay inside in the air conditioning with a fiber project? I’ve been chipping away at my list of WIPs (works in progress), with more success than usual. Most of the time, my good intentions about finishing projects seem to fall by the wayside after finishing only one item. Then, something shiny and new catches my eye, and it’s time to start yet another new project. This time around, though, I’m enjoying the momentum of finishing (or frogging) all but the last three WIPs on my Ravelry page. It’s been years since there were so few projects on my page!

Most recently, I completed the capelet cowl (see photo above). I started this piece without knowing what it would turn out to be, using the yarns that I’d taken to New Mexico last year for the On Higher Ground retreat. As the freeform fabric grew, I decided that it would be another large cowl with a knitted section and a freeform panel. The knitted section makes up most of the cowl, but the freeform panel provides all the interest.

I used three yarns from the freeform palette to work up the plain knit section. My original intention was to do one row stripes in Stockinette Stitch to mix up the colors, but as things progressed, the knit side of the looked more stripey than I’d hoped, definitely too busy to work next to the freeform panel. The purl side looked great, though.

knit side on the left, purl side on the right

The purl side of a striped Stockinette fabric really does a good job of mixing and blending everything together, especially if you do one row stripes in three colors. It’s a great effect, and I love it in the newly finished cowl.

One of my remaining Ravelry WIPs is a River Run Shawl (see photo below), a freestyle knitting design by Christie Furber. I’m adding a little Tunisian crochet here and there. You can see it the thin, wavy strip that looks woven close to the middle of the photo below and in the wider patch in the upper right corner.

River Run Shawl

My first stab at the River Run included some freeform motifs and borders. I really liked the combination of the knitting, the Tunisian crochet, and the freeform crochet. But I realized that the shawl was feeling too bulky, that it would probably be uncomfortable to wear since I’m so warm natured. After much careful consideration, starting over without the freeform crochet elements seemed like the right decision. Combining knitting with sporadic bits of Tunisian simple stitch will keep the piece from being too heavy, hopefully, and it will satisfy my urge to combine fiber techniques in my projects.

This next WIP, for instance, is giving me an opportunity to combine rug hooking with crochet.

It’s a kit from the Deanne Fitzpatrick Rug Hooking Studio in Nova Scotia, and it came with a rug hook, the linen with the design drawn on, enough yarns and fabric strips to complete the project, and instructions on how to do the hooking. I’m adding in some yarns from my stash and some techniques inspired by this book:

Rug hooking has interested me for a very long time, but I tend to resist taking up a new hobby that requires materials (strips of wool fabric in this case) that I don’t already have on hand. My yarn stash is…...ahem……substantial, so my preference is to stick with the yarny fiber arts. When I found out that some rug hookers use yarn, I cheerfully ordered my kit.

Since I’m already taking liberties with rug hooking traditions, the possibilities feel wide open for this little project. Most of the contemporary techniques in the book shown above do actually call for wool fabric strips, but I’m taking my favorites and adapting them to yarn and crochet and possibly a little embroidery. Why not combine everything with everything else? The worst that can happen is that I’ll end up with a crazy looking rug that I can hang in my fiber studio.

artists for inspiration

For a while now, I’ve enjoyed learning about improv quilts and quilters. My quilting experience is limited to very simple, traditional quilts. But one day I may try doing some improv quilting, and when that day comes, it’s likely I’ll be using Sherri Lynn Wood’s book, The Improv Handbook for Modern Quilters.

Sherri Lynn’s method of taking standard quilting techniques and altering them for improvisation really resonates with me. Traditional quilting seems to require lots of precision and perfectionism, and it’s intimidating. The improv quilting techniques in this book appeal to my freeform sensibilities, and one of these days, it’s going to be too much to resist.

Until then, I will continue to explore the work of improv quilters. There is lots of overlap in the mindset for quilters and crocheters when it comes to working improvisationally. My current obsession is with Irene Roderick, a quilter in Texas, who wrote this book about her method:

Irene’s style is quite different from Sherri Lynn’s, and so is her no-planning-ahead-allowed approach. While Sherri Lynn likes to set up some ideas and gather materials before beginning her improv process, quilt designing for Irene is very spur of the moment, including color choices. Hearing her talk about her design process in episode 55 of the Quilt Buzz podcast is absolutely fascinating.

I’ll leave you to listen to the entire episode if you’re so inclined, but there is one part that I just have to share. Early in the episode, one of the hosts asks Irene about what she does when she gets stuck and can’t decide what to do next. Irene responds, “I don’t have creative blocks, I never get stuck, I just keep moving forward….. I don’t ever not think of something. I will just start playing……. Each step leads to the next.” My first reaction is to be absolutely stunned by those words. I mean, who doesn’t get stuck every now and then?! But in the next moment, those words inspire me to try to let each step lead to the next without getting bogged down and overthinking it. I do tend to get stuck, and I do tend to have difficulty deciding what to do next…..quite often. During my next freeform project, I want keep Irene’s words in mind and try to playfully keep it moving forward.

something else you might like

If you enjoy the interview with Irene Roderick on the Quilt Buzz podcast, you might like to listen to this interview with Sherri Lynn Wood from Craft Sanity.

That’s it for today, thanks for reading!

Lisa

PS: Have any of you tried any non-traditional rug hooking or some improv quilting? I’d love to hear about it in the comments.