Issue 26, doing the 21 Day Project

and an online freeform class is scheduled

hey everybody,

The 21 Day Project started this week! After I decided not to do my own personal short version of the 100 Day Project earlier this month because the energy of the large group online would be missing, the 100DP people announced they were launching one for everybody. What perfect timing. It came along just when I needed something to get me moving on something different from most of the things I’ve made in the past couple of years.

My most recent freeform pieces have had a section of plain knitting or crochet paired with freeform, one of my favorite ways to make and wear freeform. Typically, for this kind of project, the plain part is worked first, and it dictates the measurements and shaping of the freeform part. That process works well for me since I’m a girl who really likes having a template to fill and a plan to follow. But for this new project I want to start with the freeform, to give it the priority this time. So there’s no plan here, no templates, no limits, except for the yarn palette, which has already been curated. My intention is to have fun making little bits of freeform fabric. Thinking about the actual shape and how the pieces will go together can wait until later.

On day 1 of The Project (see the photo above), I started with a spiral, my very favorite motif. Each of the three arms is worked in a different yarn and stitch or stitch pattern. There are graduated stitches, puff stitches, and some Romanian point lace cord. Slip stitch surface embellishment highlights the spiral construction, and some rows of slip stitch were added to the extended purple arm.

The next day, I just made some simple small circles and joined them randomly.

On day 3, I added in a few bits of favorite borders to build on the small circles. The yellow-green bubble lace is based on a technique from a Youtuber named Olga Poltava in one of my favorite videos to recommend. I love adding little dashes of this lace into freeform fabrics.

For day 4, more borders were added to the circles, including more of the ever delightful bubble lace.

It’s another spiral for Day 5. This one has linked stitches (in light green), graduated stitches, some granny stitch, and slip stitch surface embellishment.

On Day 6, I changed gears and did a little knitted garter stitch piece embellished with random spike stitches. The embroidered effect from the spike stitches is really fun, and I would have enjoyed doing more of it, but all that texture adds bulk. I’ll use this stitch sparingly.

On day 7, I built on to the previous day’s piece with some random mesh and bubble lace

Day 8 started with a leaf spiral, followed by bits of linen stitch, granny stitch, and some random texture stitches. If you are interested in trying a spiral leaf for yourself, the instructions are in Issue 20.

Day 9’s piece is a wonky spiral with a few block stitches towards the outer edge.

Almost to the halfway point on day 10(!), this piece was built around the little swoosh of knitted brioche.

Beginning freeformers, you can probably see from these photos that I’m using a handful of favorite motifs and stitches fairly consistently while adding in others here and there as they occur to me. Repeating favorite elements will give the piece a sense of cohesion, and the sporadic new elements will add to the overall interest of the fabric.

a freeform online class is scheduled

Some of the techniques that I used in the photos above (plain spirals, circles, puff stitches, graduated stitches, joining motifs together) will be covered in a freeform class scheduled for Sunday afternoon, October, 20th, from 2:00 - 4:30pm, EDT. This class will be online on Zoom, and it will be suitable for people who already know how to crochet. You don’t need to be an expert, but you should know the basic stitches like single, half double, and double crochets.

The class will be based on my Freefrom Favorite design, a small shawl that has a band of freeform crochet trimming a traditionally crocheted asymmetrical triangle (photo below). The freeform section of this flexible design is absolutely approachable for crocheters who can follow a pattern but have never tried freeform before.

Freeform Favorite shawlette, photographed on a Patrick Dougherty stick sculpture in Pinehurst, NC

To sign up for the class, please visit the Classes tab on my Substack website and follow the instructions there. The registration process is a bit primitive, but it should get the job done.

Coming soon: an online freeform class on a weekday evening.

a couple more things you might like

This textile jewelry by Lisa Klakulak is just amazing.

Fans of the aurora borealis and its color inspiration will want to explore the University of Alaska Fairbanks’ Geophysical Institute website. The link goes directly to the aurora page, which includes tracking info, FAQs, and live cameras.

That’s it for today, thanks for reading!

Lisa

PS: if you are doing a 21 Day Project and you’d like some traffic on your social media posts, you are more than welcome to leave a comment on this post with your hashtag or your username.