Issue 30, introducing the Freeform Yarny Things Study Group
new things for a new year
hey everybody,
I hope your New Year is off to a good start. John and I had a busy, bustling holiday season, so we took the week between Christmas and New Year’s to rest, recharge, and relax. It was great.
Now I’m jumping into a couple of new projects, including work on my next freeform-ish guide about wonky spirals. The guide will start with a stitch by stitch pattern for a wonky spiral, then it will cover strategies for experiment with creating your own versions. The stitch by stitch pattern is now in the capable hands of about 25 testers. These crocheters are doing me the tremendous favor of making sure that what makes sense in my head is coherent enough to make sense to other crocheters as well. I look forward to posting photos and updates on this process in the near future.
I’ll be teaching a class on wonky spirals, and a couple of other classes, too, at the Carolina Fiber Fest in Raleigh this March. If you’re close enough to attend, I highly recommend this festival for the high quality vendor market and the wide selection of classes. The class schedule can be found here.
I'm excited about those projects, but my biggest news is that I’m introducing the Freeform Yarny Things Study Group.
freeform yarny things study group 🎉🎉🎉
A few months ago, a reader asked me to consider sending email prompts about things to try in freeform. I thought about organizing a short term “freeform-along,” but then I realized that sending prompts could be an ongoing way to teach freeform crochet online. There are occasional “something to try” features in this newsletter, but some readers might enjoy more. I decided to launch the Study Group, a more instructive and interactive section of the newsletter for readers who opt in.
Study Group participants will get an email prompt from me almost weekly (48 times a year) about a stitch or a technique or some other kind of idea about something to incorporate into their freeform work. Some prompts will be simple, others will be more involved. Many will include ideas for variations and further exploration.
Of course, there are no rules for following the prompts. If a prompt doesn’t suit you, there’s no requirement to follow it as written. Change it or skip it entirely. This is freeform, after all, and there’s never a requirement to follow a rule or do things the same as anyone else. It's all about getting new ideas, meeting new freeform friends, finding inspiration, and developing your freeform practice along the way in a community of creative stitchers. Once things get underway we'll try out the chat feature here on Substack (the newsletter host platform) to have conversations in which we can share photos.
The Freeform Yarny Things main newsletter will still be a free subscription for everyone. Participation in the Study Group, however, will require upgrading to the paid subscription so that I can afford the time to create and manage it. Substack makes it easy to toggle in and out of being a paid subscriber, so participants can come and go as they please. Paid subscriptions will be $5 a month or $50 annually.
The Study Group will launch on February 5th. Meanwhile, you can preview the first email prompt here. And if there’s anything you’d like to ask, click the purple button below and put your question into a comment.
Or, if you prefer, you can email questions directly to me.
a mildly wonky spiral project
What does it mean to be wonky? The first three synonyms I found from Oxford Languages were crooked, off-center, and askew. For my wonky spirals, it translates to irregularity. These aren’t the mathmatically crafted spirals found in nature. Well, actually, a few of them are, but most of the spirals on the linked page are dramatically wonky.
The spirals in my current project are mildly wonky. To get that effect, I’m using just a few colors and only a little bit of variety in the stitch heights. The intention was to make them look hand drawn, just scribbles, really.
an artist for inspiration
Edde Burgess is a photographer in Raleigh, NC. His work with nature, especially animals, particularly birds, is just gorgeous. When I see his work, I imagine the vast quantities of time he must spend watching and waiting to get those dramatic photos. His patience is an inspiration in and of itself.
The Burgess bird photos would be a vibrant source of color inspiration for fiber artists of all sorts. Whether you’re looking to be inspired or calmed by nature, taking a look through Edde’s photos.
a few things you might like
What I’m reading: Demon Copperhead by the marvelous Barbara Kingsolver, an author who also happens to be a knitter.
What I’m listening to: Next month, I’m playing violin and viola in the pit orchestra for a production of The Bridges of Madison County, and listening to the soundtrack is one of the ways to prepare.
What I’m watching: Only Murders in the Building. This quirky series is just plain fun.
That’s it for today, thanks for reading!
Lisa
PS: It’s almost time already for 2025’s 100 Day Project to roll around. In the back of my mind, I’m searching for my idea to explore. There’s a lot to think about. Maybe you’re thinking about it, too?
I think this is brilliant! For years I have thought of doing something like this but my focus and stick-to-it-ness are sorely lacking. Bravo for stepping up!