A Guest Post by Linda Cee.

I first heard about freeform crochet when I was exclaiming over a beautiful white shawl, I knew it looked complicated and like nothing I had previously seen, so I asked the lady who made it, what sort of pattern she used and she laughed and told me that she just made it up as she went, then she said she would be happy to show me how to make a scrumble. Well my first reaction was, huh? But then she explained that a scrumble usually starts with one piece, a circle, a square or anything else you would want and then you just start crocheting! You could make up stitches, add different colors and textures and use a variety of hooks to achieve whatever you can possibly imagine, I got incredibly excited when I saw a blue and purple scarf she had made that had beads, feathers, and thin gold ribbons crocheted right into it. Some people compare freeform with sculpting because many freeformers make objects that are 2 or 3 dimensional and while some are very abstract, others are more realistic and recognizable, like a barn scene on a blanket for instance. Thanks to my current obsession with the craft, I found Renate Kirkpatrick’s Freeform Crochet~Knit~Fibre Designs which is a blog that is delightful to read and has a great introduction to freeform (with pictures!) I was very lucky to be able to interview Renate Kirkpatrick, who besides being a very gracious lady is also a teacher, fibre artist, and the author of three crochet books (with a fourth coming soon) and so without further ado here it is:

How did you get started crocheting and when did you get interested in freeform?

I made my first granny square in my mid-teens from an old tattered ‘How to crochet’ pamphlet that I found in an opportunity shop.

In my late twenties when the children were in bed asleep I crocheted granny square rugs (afghans) for fun, relaxation and gifts but I soon became bored with the repetition and began searching for more interesting, challenging patterns. I had never read a pattern before, let alone decipher what the heck all those odd abbreviations meant but, I persevered and, over the years, through trial and error, gained confidence and experience.

Freeform was introduced to me by a student while teaching at a local craft shop and has become my passion and creative joy.

What are some tips that you find useful when crocheting? (Not necessarily freeform)

Read patterns as they are written – so many people (myself included) skim the pattern and presume what’s being said then race ahead only to find ourselves in a muddle – ‘The pattern is wrong…’ well, of course, that does happen sometimes but, more often than not, it’s because we haven’t read it properly.

Trust yourself – if you feel your project is going wrong, stop and have another look at the pattern, there’s a good chance you may have missed something… and isn’t it better to find the mistake on row 2 rather than on row 102?

Take the time to learn the basics – I have a ‘Do you know’ page on my site that covers most of these fundamentals that are often overlooked or taken for granted as ‘obviously known’ in patterns.

Use markers – just the odd piece of thread will do. I know it sounds old-fashioned and fuddy-duddy but, placing a marker in your first/last stitch of row/round, in corner stitches of blocks and for indicating right side of work, will save you lots of time and frustration in the long run… this is especially so for beginners.

Be patient and kind to yourself… it’s only crochet, the world will not end if you can’t figure it out straight away… put your project aside a minute, have a cuppa, take a breath and have another go…

Don’t give up. What seems impossible today might become super easy tomorrow and you’ll wonder what all the fuss and frustration was all about and your sense of achievement will be ever so rewarding.

When you began designing, did you have particular goals? Such as designing a certain type of sweater? Or being published?

For me designing and writing patterns evolved and really came about through the need to stay one step ahead of students and, satisfying the needs of family and friends… Not for a minute did I ever think about being published.

The books came about through tragedy when the store where I was teaching was destroyed by fire… fortunately I still had all my patterns which I put together into manuscripts and, on a whim, submitted (via the net) to publishers. Luckily, Sally Milner Publishing liked what they saw and contracted me for my first 2 books ‘Crochet Techniques’ and ‘Freeform Crochet and Beyond’ and have since published ‘Bring Colour to Crochet’ and the soon to be released 4th book ‘Textured Crochet Lace’.

You do many different types of crafts, including making pottery, rag rugs and paper; do you think these different types of creativity help to inspire your freeform?

I only ever dabbled with pottery. I never owned a wheel or kiln and, to be honest, didn’t go very far beyond hand building but I loved the textures and made some ‘not too bad’ pieces that still adorn my home today. The papermaking is another story… that became a full-time obsession for many years. Then, when I had to give up my workshop, I drifted into Rag Rugging and my love for colour was realized.

Do these past experience influence my freeform? Absolutely! I believe… the 3D textures and forms in pottery, the subtle delicate detail of natural fibre paper and the strong boldness of Rag Rugging are brought to my work whether I’m conscious of it or not but, then again, perhaps that’s more for others to decide.

Your books are full to the brim with useful and interesting ideas and helpful hints, how hard was it to come up with enough to fill even just one book?

I write everything down: questions from students, queries from my blog, my own questions… I then go looking for the answer and find the easiest way of explaining it.

Apart from ‘Freeform Crochet and Beyond’ my books are based on Sampler Rugs (afghans). The sampler is my teaching tool – the reader works their way through the various patterns gaining experience and confidence and end up with a lovely finished project as a bonus.

Some of my samplers have 25 blocks some as many as 64 blocks… it’s a lot of work, working out and writing the patterns and then, drawing the diagrams (charts) but, before you know it, you have enough for a book.

You often talk about color, how important is it to find just the right shades/tones for your work?

Colour came to me slowly… through the Rag Rugging mostly. I was timid at first but you only have to look at nature to see how the oddest colours sit side by side for the most dramatic effects. In my opinion, finding just the right colours is a matter of being brave, jumping right in and having a go…

Is there anything I haven’t asked you about that you would want to add?

As a teacher, there is nothing more satisfying than to have a student come to class lacking confidence and leaving excited, believing they can do it.

As a Freeformer, my best advice is to have a go… beautiful freeform can be created with the most basic skills… incorporate all the things you already know and comfortable with: the weaving, crochet, knitting, felting, quilting, embroidery… never stop asking yourself ‘ I wonder what will happen if I try this or that and, when a project overwhelms, becomes stale or just isn’t going in the direction you had envisaged… put it aside for an hour, a day, a month and come back to it with a fresh eye, you’ll be amazed how quickly your enthusiasm is restored.

Linda Cee is a young adult who enjoys many crafts including crochet, jewelry making, scrap booking and learning to tat. She also enjoys traveling and learning everything she can about history and foreign cultures.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, January 31st, 2012 at 12:00 AM by A Guest Writer and is filed under Fun Ramblings, News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.