Issue 3, almost time for fiber fest
and the invisible join, plus stashing yarns for freeform
hey everybody,
I’ve been a busy bee the past few weeks getting class materials ready for the Carolina Fiber Fest, but I’m mostly ready now. In the last newsletter, I told you about my Freeform Favorite Shawlette class (in the class schedule, it’s called Combining Traditional and Freeform Crochet) on March 11 from 11-2pm. I’m also teaching the Freeform Denim Tote class on March 8 from 12-3pm. While these classes are not aimed at crochet beginners, you don’t have to be advanced, either. If you can crochet a granny square, you can crochet the components of these designs. Bring your favorite crochet stitch guide along if you think it would be helpful. Register for either or both classes online at www.carolinafiberfest.org.
tutorial: the invisible join
Here’s a nifty way to finish off a circular motif that eliminates the little bump (see the red arrow below) that comes from doing a slip stitch and fastening off.
If you’re adding your motif to a scrumble, the little bump might not show up, but sometimes it does, and it can be distracting. So, even though this technique takes an extra minute, I think it’s worth it. Unless you look closely for the turning chain, it will be impossible to tell where you ended the motif.
When you’re ready to finish off a circular motif, cut the yarn and don’t fasten off (1st photo below). Instead, just pull up on the last loop with the hook (2nd photo below shows the hook starting to pull up on the loop ). I call this a simple finish. It looks strange to see the tail coming up out of the top of the last stitch in your motif (3rd photo below shows the loop having been pulled all the way up, leaving the tail coming out of the top of the stitch), but the invisible join will fix it right up.
Thread the tail on to a tapestry needle and put the needle underneath both strands of the top of the first stitch of the round, skipping over the turning chain (1st photo below). Pull the yarn through (2nd photo below). Put the needle into the top of the last stitch worked, it should go into the very same spot that the tail is coming out of (3rd photo below). Let the needle come out on the wrong side.
Pull the yarn through and snug up the yarn so that it matches the tension of the other stitches. You’ll know you’ve got it right when it looks like the stitch you just created is the same size as the others.
If you aren’t saving the tail to use for seaming, go ahead and weave it in since it’s already threaded on your tapestry needle. If you are saving it, bring it back up through the top of the next stitch so it’s ready to be used for sewing up.
This trick can also be used for crocheting and knitting in the round. Enjoy!
what’s been going on
This beautiful stitch journal by Claire Wellesley-Smith got me thinking about starting something of my own as a daily practice. It might or might not involve spirals.
Keeping a notebook for knit and crochet projects helps me organize my thoughts and remember my ideas through sketching and swatching.
I have another Freeform Favorite Shawlette on the table. Almost done!
artist spotlight: Yuliya Osminina
Russian artist Yuliya Osminina is the maker behind the delightful good_and_strange Instagram account. You’ll definitely want to click on the link to see more of her work. Be sure to look at each slide in her posts, because they tend to show how the dolls are flexible with a variety of poses. Each one has its own personality and wardrobe, right down to the shoes in most cases. And many of them have belongings, like the instruments and handbag seen in the photos above. Her sense of whimsy and attention to detail is endlessly amazing and entertaining, and I love it when one of her new posts pops into my feed.
past projects
I’ve only just recently written a freeform•ish guide for the Freeform Favorite, but I’ve been making variations on the design for a while now. This one, made in Noro Mirai, was one of the first. It felt a little bit like cheating to use just one yarn for a freeform project, but I’m not going to argue with the Noro. If you have any in your yarn collection, well done! Consider it an instant freeform palette, no questions asked. If you feel the need to add more colors into your Noro project, the best thing to do is choose a complementary colorway of the same yarn and combine them.
The freeform section of this wrap has more openwork. Circles with open centers, spirals with spaced between the stitches, and a freeform type of lace that I learned about from a terrific youtube video by Olga Poltava. She shows it with crochet cotton thread and a tiny steel hook, but, of course, it can be done with any yarn.
yarn stashing for freeform
What kinds of yarns should you buy?
Freeform crochet can be done with all sorts of yarns. But what types are best? That depends on what you are interested in making. If you’re a knitter or a traditional crocheter, think about the kinds of projects you tend to make and what sorts of yarns they use. Look at your stash of leftover yarns for insight into this. Some people might like to collect heavier wool yarns for warm accessories, while stitchers in hotter climates will probably tend towards lighter gauges and plant fibers. Yarns that work for you will work for freeform.
I like to use both solid/semi-solid colors and variegateds (whenever I talk about solid color yarns, I enthusiastically include semi-solids). Generally speaking, solid colors will highlight the shapes and textures that you’re working into your freeform, and variegateds will blend things together. Choose what you like best. I tend to buy a lot of variegated yarns, but I find myself using solids more and more over time. Lovers of variegated yarns, I recommend that you include some solids in your yarn collection even if they don’t reach out to you in the store. Mixing in at least a few solids actually makes your multicolor favorite yarns stand out better in contrast. And when possible, add depth to your palette by having a few close shades of the solid colors you want to work with.
Freeform crochet often has a lot of texture, either in the stitches or in the yarns themselves. If you have a yarn with some texture, you can use it with simple stitches to great effect without having to use complicated stitch patterns.
Novelty yarns are not as popular or widely available as they once were, but if you have some in your stash, they can be very interesting to use. Working with them in small amounts, spread out over the project, will cut down on their wildness and their tendency to take over. Also, keep in mind that freeform crochet is often used for art pieces and home decor. Dramatic yarns that you might not wear on your body might be perfect for an artistic afghan or a fiber wall hanging.
How many yarns should you have for a project?
Usually, as many as possible. There are exceptions of course, but for accessories and garments, I always say the more the merrier. Don’t worry, though, if you don’t have lots of yarns yet. Whatever the size of your stash or your bank account, round up the yarns that you can reasonably manage. Everything about freeform crochet is flexible. If you don’t have a lot of variety in your freeform yarn palette, you can balance it with more variety in your motifs, stitch patterns, textures, etc.
Your yarn collection will grow in time. Here are some tips for spending a little less while you feed it.
*Save all leftovers. You probably do this anyway, and if you have favorite colors, you can base your palette on what’s already available in your color coordinated stash.
*Buy one ball of a couple of yarns that you like any time you visit a yarn shop. Since freeformers use a little bit of this and a little bit of that, it’s not necessary to stash large quantities of any one particular yarn. Buying a couple of yarns here and there will ensure that your collection will grow nicely in time.
*Choose your yarn purchases strategically. Look for mini skeins, partial balls, and yarns in the sale bin at your yarn shop. Also, consider getting a slow color change yarn and winding off each color into its own mini skein. Some of these yarns are kind of expensive, but they will give you more shades and colors to work with, so that adds to their value for freeformers.
*Shop secondhand. I was once gifted a huge bag of (mostly nice) yarn from a very thoughtful friend who bought it for me at a yard sale for only $5. Finds like these are particularly fun if they have a few yarns in colors that you don’t normally choose. Those colors are often just the thing to add into a freeform project. Since you never know what you’ll find at yard sales and thrift shops, this idea requires patience and works best over time.
*Work for it. If you have good knitting and/or crochet skills and you like helping people, find out if your local yarn shop is hiring. It’s a fun job, and you will have an employee yarn discount.
*And what about hooks? There are soooo many types of hooks available, and lots of sizes. The yarn that you are using will determine the hook size. Use a G, H , or I hook for worsted weight yarns. Then, go to a J and higher for heavier yarns and an F and lower for the lighter yarns. Experiment to find out which size works for what you want to do. Keep in mind that freeform projects that use a variety of weights of yarns will also use a variety of sizes of crochet hooks. The hook always needs to be chosen based on the yarn you are using.
As for hook brands, start simple and inexpensive. The basic hooks are pretty darn cheap, so buying them first and supplementing (if you feel like it) with fancy hooks in the future is a reasonable strategy.
xp roundup
That lovely stitch journal from earlier in this post inspired some experimenting to see what could be done in knit and crochet to get a similar look. What I’ve come up with so far is a kind of bulky, but I have a few more ideas for further experimentation. One of them is to try actually weaving into the elongated stitches on the left side of the photo above.
In the last newsletter, I mentioned that I’d done a tiny swatch of Joanna Scrace’s Contour Shawl. The stitch pattern seemed like it would be fun to experiment with further, and here’s a small sample of how it works up using short rows and graduated stitch heights.
a few things you might like
Patrick Dougherty, the stickwork artist I featured in the last newsletter, is retiring and has finished his last sculpture in Florida. I’ll really miss following his work with these whimsical freeform structures.
Check out Artists on Couches on Instagram. Each post features an artist, some of their work, and their answer to a question from a conversation about the creative process, artistic voice, inspiration and intuition.
I love to listen to podcasts while I’m driving. Vicki Howell’s Craft*ish podcast is no longer being produced, but the large catalogue of episodes is available. Episode one with knitter and writer Rachael Herron is probably my favorite.
That’s it for today, thanks for reading,
Lisa
P.S. If you know someone who might enjoy this newsletter, feel free to forward it to them. And if someone forwarded this newsletter to you, I hope you’ll hit the subscribe button below so the next issue will come right to your own inbox.
PS - I wonder if any subscribers have made the spiral baubles from the pattern in the first newsletter? Anyone? Anyone? If you’re so inclined, I’d love to hear about how it went and see photos. You can comment here on this post or contact me directly at lisadohertyfreeformanddesign@gmail.com.
I did do your spiral bauble but just one for my stash
Lovely work here Lisa!! I love freeform crochet although I haven't done much of it in many years. It is a beautiful art form! All the best to you!