hey everybody,
Last week I spent lots of time at the Carolina Fiber Fest. As usual, it was great fun seeing yarny friends, shopping for fiber goodies, and meeting cool people in my freeform classes. Teaching from my new freeform•ish guides was very satisfying, now I’m excited to make the first one available on Ravelry. As you know from the short message I sent a few days ago, the Freeform Favorite became available for purchase on March 12 (and the Freeform Denim Tote guide will be released next month). Lovely newsletter subscribers, don’t forget that you are invited to enjoy a 25% discount for Freeform Favorite with the code “freeformish” through midnight (Eastern Daylight Time) on Friday, March 17, 2023.
Now that the fiber fest is over, it feels good to move on to finish some other projects. At the top of the list is a wall piece or two for an art show in Wilmington, NC later this month. Acme Studios is having an all fiber show called Outside the Box Two that opens on March 24 and runs through April 21st. I’m trying out some new ideas, combining crochet and rug hooking. Photos will be forthcoming after the show opens.
what’s been going on
Starting a stitch journal of spirals + the 100 Day Project = 100 days of freeform spirals. I haven’t posted everyday, but I’m going strong and on track at day 23.
I finished another Freeform Favorite, this time in springy blues in plant fibers.
You might like to download a free pattern I published on Ravelry.
what’s coming up
The designs I taught at the Carolina Fiber Fest worked very nicely for teaching freeform crochet in an approachable way, and they would both work very well as online classes. Which Zoom class would you most like to see scheduled first? The Freeform Denim Tote or the Freeform Favorite? Please let me know what you think in the comments.
artist spotlight
I’ve learned a little bit about improv quilting recently. Working with fabric is different than working with yarn, but there is much overlap and lots to learn from these artists.
Sherri Lynn Wood is the author of The Improv Handbook for Modern Quilters. I really love this book. There is plenty of freeform philosophy in Wood’s book that will inspire freeform crocheters. The same is true for Irene Roderick’s Improv Quilting. Plus, it’s fascinating to see how these quilters work as they share their processes. Browsing through these books always gives me new ideas to try in freeform crochet.
I’ve only learned about Sheila Frampton Cooper in the past couple of weeks, but her Improv Block of the Month workshop looks extremely tempting to this freeform crocheter. I love that she says, “…a little structure makes improvisational quilting far less daunting.” This philosophy is exactly why I am writing freeform•ish guides.
a couple more things you might like
The Long Thread Podcast features interviews with a variety of knitters, crocheters, and other fiber people. Knitters may particularly enjoy the episode with Meg Swanson, expert knitter and daughter of Elizabeth Zimmermann.
One more podcast! Sue Maton, of The Mercerie, was interviewed on the Fruity Knitting podcast. Sue runs incredibly in depth online classes for her artistic crochet designs.
Lastly, my new favorite Instagram account is nez_to_ciel. Cats and knitting combined with, I don’t know, probably with a little Valium for the cat. I’ve never known a cat that would have allowed being dressed in accessories.
That’s it for today, thanks for reading,
Lisa
PS - Don’t forget to leave a comment about which Zoom class you’d like to see scheduled first, the Freeform Favorite or the Freeform Denim Tote!
Please - Freeform Favorite. I love it!
I never did free form crochet, but would love to learn. Any project is good for me