issue 8, so many new projects

spiral inspiration and the Game of Chance

hey everybody,

It certainly was a busy Spring around here, with lots of music work, and, of course, lots of freeform crochet. These spirals represent about half of my 100 Day Project (100DP) output.

Can you imagine the fun I’ve had making these spirals? The 100DP officially wrapped up on June 1, and I finished up with a multicolor spiral that combined small circles, mini spirals, embroidery, and purple paired with bright green.

During the 100 days, I focused on experimentation and made the spirals without consideration for what they might become, if anything. It felt like a three and a half month retreat that allowed me to basically let my mind wander through lots of crochet possibilities. It was a real creative boost for me, and I will miss being immersed in the swirly world of spirals and all that can go into them. But this month, I’ve turned my attention to sketching out ideas for future projects inspired by these spirals. One project already underway is a new Freeform Denim Tote with sari silk spirals. These bold colors will make a vibrant little denim tote.

Next, this autumn-y new shawl project (and future class sample) uses three of the 100 day spirals floating in freeform fabric of coordinating colors, yarns, stitch patterns, and techniques.

And then there’s the project that will make use of many of the spirals in the first photo of this newsletter. Probably another shawl, but plans are still nebulous at this point.

for inspiration

Naomi Lawrence, British Crochet Artist in NYC, is known for her large scale public crochet art installations. This photo of a gigantic crocheted zinnia that was on display at The Endless Skein yarn shop in Cold Spring just knocked me out. The gallery on her website is full of loveliness.

something to try

A while ago, I wrote about the Game of Chance Challenge, an online event from the International Freeform Fiberarts Group (IFFFG) on Ravelry. To review, the challenge is set up so that crocheters roll dice or use random number generators on line to choose yarns and stitches/techniques to make scrumbles, then the scrumbles can be worked up into a project.

I had intentions of doing a lot with this challenge, and in a way, I did. The playful spirit of the challenge inspired me to focus on experimentation in my 100DP in a really big way. But little of that creative energy was left for the challenge project itself. Project photos were due in early May, and the online show was posted on June 19th. My project ended up being just a scrumble…..

….but who knows what it might become when it grows up.

If you are looking for a way to try freeform crochet, or if you are looking for some inspiration to shake up your current freeform practice, I encourage you to try the Game of Chance. Details can be found here on Ravelry, just click and scroll to the top of the page. Download the instructions and look at the list of stitches and techniques. If there are some that are new to you, then you get to try something new. If there are some that you dislike, then you get to delete them and insert something you love. If there are techniques you want to try that are not on the list, then you get to add them to the list. Just jump in and have fun with it. And if you do, I’d love to hear about it here in the comments or here on the blog.

a few more things you might like

Artist Kirsten Hassenfeld does incredibly detailed artwork with paper. Here’s an interesting interview with Hassenfeld that gives some perspective on her work.

If you’re a fan of both Broadway and the game show Jeopardy, you might enjoy this clip featuring a Sondheim category.

It’s summertime, and okra season is coming up. If you love okra but hate making a big mess when you fry it, try this recipe from Our State magazine.

That’s it for today, thanks for reading!

Lisa

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