I’m kicking off a year of weekly blog posts with freeform crochet. It’s something that has pinged up on my Pinterest pages time and time again. There are so many techniques in both crochet and knitting it’s easy to just revert to what we are comfortable or knowledgeable in. So here I go going outside that comfort zone.
©James Walters Crochet – Fossil Beach Pebble Rug
When I look at the pictures of freeform crochet it is like the artist is painting with yarn because there is very little of a pattern and the finished piece looks organic. Having done some research on this there are absolutely no rules although there are certain stitches and shapes that appear as starting points. You can create flat or 3D pieces, functional, art or wearable items using any stitch you like. You can mix bullion stitches and granny with a bit of broomstick lace working in rows, rounds or a bit of both. What really appeals is there is no counting and you can use any yarns or threads right next to each other with whatever hook size you want and no one is going to be bothered about tension. Having had a look at some tutorials blocking pieces to get them flat, if that’s what you want, is how to sort out any tension hiccups.
The technique starts with Irish crochet (but that’s a topic for another day) and developed into what we see today in the 1960’s and 70’s with the term scrumbling. Designers Sylvia Cosh and James Walters embraced this and developed workshops, here’s a link to a set of free downloadable worksheets I found on their page http://www.crochet.nu/scjwc/workshops/index.html
I’m using worksheets number 7, for a beginning scrumble, and number 9 which is a patchwork of techniques. Having been a previous patchworker the title appealed. Here's my creation, it is a bit addictive and truly free form with no planning just doing.
