hey everybody,
At the risk of sounding like a broken record (does anyone say that anymore? No, just me?) my 100 Day Project is still going strong, as you’ll see later on in this issue, but for now, here are a few photos.
Recently, someone asked me a question on Instagram about whether a freeform classes would be right for her: "I’m the kind of person who really likes how some freeform crochet looks. But I’m also the kind of crafter who is married to patterns and anxious at the thought of going rogue. 🙈 Do you think your class would work for the likes of me? (Creative when told how to create. 😂)"
My answer was: "Thank you for asking this question! I suspect you speak for a lot of crocheters. My intention for the Freeform Favorite pattern (the design we'll be using in the class) is to provide enough explicit directions to give crocheters a way to try freeform without needing to go rogue until they're comfortable with the idea. So, I would say yes, this class will work for you! We'll talk about establishing (and adjusting) boundaries on the world of possibilities open to freeform crocheters to make going rogue more approachable. Your assessment of being "creative when told how to create" is actually the perfect strategy for learning anything creative. First, you copy, aka you follow the directions. Then, when that's comfortable, you start changing the directions a little. Before long, you're being creative with your own ideas. That's the philosophy behind my freeform patterns."
Trying something as wide open as freeform crochet can seem overwhelming. Classes based on my Freeform•ish Guides are intended to be an easy entry into freeform, complete with hand holding and specific directions. By making changes to the pattern when you're ready, you gradually ease into being completely improvisatory.
My zoom class through The Traveling Yarn Yogi still has a few openings. It’s on May 7th from 3:00 - 5:00, details and registration can be found here.
I’ve also added a Freeform Denim Tote class and another Freeform Favorite class to my schedule. Details are on the blog.
blog recap
•I enjoyed having a couple of pieces in a fiberart show in Wilmington, NC this month. Making freeform for the wall instead of the wardrobe is so different! I’m warm-natured, so I tend to use more open spaces and less texture in my wearables to keep them lightweight. In these wall pieces, it was fun to create a more dense fabric working with chunkier yarns than usual, highly textured yarns, mohair, and rug hooking techniques.
•The 100 Day Project marches on, and my works in progress remain suspended while the spirals just keep coming. It continues to be a delight to crochet more and more spirals, and making them without regard for how they might fit into a project is a real treat. There are lots of ideas for projects floating around in my head, but I’m saving them in my notebook to consider later on. Right now, it’s all about experimentation. Here are a few photos of recent spirals, see all of them (so far) on my Ravelry project page.
Experimenting with spirals is turning out to be a fantastic way to play with freeform crochet in general. If you can work a stitch pattern or a fiber technique into a spiral and keep the fabric flat as you work, then you have the skill to add that pattern into freeform at any time by working it directly in any motif or scrumble. Anyone doing a spiral challenge (is anyone doing a spiral challenge?) is likely developing their freeform skills more than they realize. If you are finding this to be the case, I’d love to hear about it in the comments.
Among the hibernating works in progress is this freeform color fade experiment.
The idea came from a zoom class I took during the pandemic about color blending. It ended up being a class about how yarn dyers make blended shades of yarns for gradient packs and slow color change yarns, but I took the information and decided to try blending colors using stitchwork and marling to fade from reds on one side of the piece to blues on the other. More info to come when I can get back to work on it.
architecture, an artist, a cookbook, and a medieval tapestry for inspiration
•The Spadena House looks like it’s straight out of a fairytale, but it’s a real house in Beverly Hills, California that’s an example of Storybook architecture. I’d love to take a tour.
•Fiber artist Serena Garcia Dalla Venezia uses fabric and stitching to create amazing, large scale, art installations. Visit her website to be inspired by the process, the scale, and her stunning color palettes. Simply wonderful.
•Earlier this week I went to a book signing event at Quail Ridge Books in Raleigh, NC for Frances Mayes and Susan Wyler, co-authors of the new Pasta Veloce book. Mayes is the author of the hugely popular memoir, Under the Tuscan Sun. The recipes in Pasta Veloce look fast and fresh. And if you like to read a cookbook for enjoyment as much as you like to cook from it, this is your kind of cookbook. Last night we tried the Strozzapreti with Mozzarrella, Tomatoes, Artichokes, and Mediterranean Herbs and highly recommend.
•The Bayeux Tapestry (though, technically it’s an embroidery) is a 224 foot showpiece made to illustrate the story of the 1066 conquest of England. A new museum is being built to house this historical fiber piece. This article from the Smithsonian gives close up views of the entire tapestry.
That’s it for today. Hope you’re enjoying your fiber work. Thanks for reading!
Lisa
P.S. If you’ve never tried freeform crochet, or even if you have, remember to check out my freeform classes on the blog.
I 100% feel the Instagrammer's struggle. I call myself "creative by number." I can follow patterns and tutorials all day long, but there's something sort of scary and vulnerable about stepping out and doing something original. Following patterns and tutorials, you can always say to critics "that's what I was told to do," and to compliments "oh, I can't take all the credit." Going rogue (or original) means that all the credit is on you, for better or worse. It's both freeing and daunting. Baby steps. ;)