Freeform Yarny Things

https://open.substack.com/pub/ldoherty/p/issue-40-october?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android&r=qs2jr

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Teaching the wonky spirals class at the Carolina Fiber Fest was so much fun! Each crocheter personalized their spirals in their own way, and there was a lot of improvising going on before class was over.

The Wonky Freeform Spirals guide is available on Ravelry http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/wonky-freeform-spirals

And now the guide for Wonky Freeform Spirals is finally finished. After teaching a class at the Carolina Fiber Fest using the guide, I made a few edits and pushed the publish button.

It’s available in my Ravelry store at this link https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/wonky-freeform-spirals

Start with the stitch by stitch pattern, if you like, to see how the shaping works and get a little experience adding wedges of contrasting yarns and stitch patterns. Then use the guidelines to jump into improvising your own spiral.

These spirals are so fun to make, I hope that you enjoy them as much as I do.

A few months ago, a reader asked me to consider sending email prompts about things to try in freeform. I thought about organizing a short term “freeform-along,” but then I realized that sending prompts could be an ongoing way to teach freeform crochet online. There are occasional “something to try” features in my newsletter, but some readers might enjoy more. I decided to launch the Study Group, a more instructive and interactive section of the newsletter for readers who opt in.

Study Group participants will get an email prompt from me almost weekly (48 times a year) about a stitch or a technique or some other kind of idea about something to incorporate into their freeform work. Some prompts will be simple, others will be more involved. Many will include ideas for variations and further exploration.

Of course, there are no rules for following the prompts. If a prompt doesn’t suit you, there’s no requirement to follow it as written. Change it or skip it entirely. This is freeform, after all, and there’s never a requirement to follow a rule or do things the same as anyone else. It’s all about getting new ideas, meeting new freeform friends, finding inspiration, and developing your freeform practice along the way in a community of creative stitchers. Once things get underway we’ll try out the chat feature here on Substack (the newsletter host platform) to have conversations in which we can share photos.

The Freeform Yarny Things main newsletter will still be a free subscription for everyone. Participation in the Study Group, however, will require upgrading to the paid subscription so that I can afford the time to create and manage it. Substack makes it easy to toggle in and out of being a paid subscriber at the monthly rate, so participants can come and go as they please. The monthly rate is $5, or you can pay $50 for one year.

The Study Group will launch on February 5th. Meanwhile, you can preview the first email prompt here. And if there’s anything you’d like to ask, feel free to post a question in the comments on this page, or email me at [email protected].

I’ve been writing up stitch by stitch instructions for this spiral. It’ll be the first part of a wonky spiral freeform-ish guide I’m writing to use in a class at the fiber fest in March. There will be a call for testers in my next newsletter (subscribe at ldoherty.substack.com).

The guide will start with this pattern, and then venture into strategies, ideas, tips for improvising irregular spirals. I’m not sure how big the final guide will be, or how much it will cover. The spirals from my 100 Day Project in 2023 are the inspiration for the guide.

The colors are a bit off, as they tend to be in photos taken at this time of day with my phone, but here’s the green and purple wrap in its current state.

My best laid intentions for daily progress on this wrap have not panned out, it’s holiday season. It would be easy to get frustrated, but it’s just the nature of participating in the things that make this time of year special. This piece will be right here on the blocking board when I’m ready to add to it again.

Tucking this tiny little bag of colors into my purse just in case there’s a moment to try out some new ideas today.

My tastes and size have changed over the years, leaving me with a stack of sweaters that will not be worn anymore. Since they’re mostly wool, they’re being felted and repurposed. I’m more than a little excited about the idea of cutting them up in the future for use in some yet-to-be-determined experiment.

Edited 11/22/2024

Hello Yarny Ones,

A year ago, I stopped using this blog in favor of doing everything on my Substack site. While I still love doing my Freeform Yarny Things newsletter once or twice a month, I miss having the blog, so I’m going to start journaling here occasionally.

If you’re subscribed to this blog, thank you so much. It’s a real treat to have readers who are interested in my yarny explorations. If you’d also like to get the newsletter, which is certain to be a bit more polished, head over to ldoherty.substack.com to subscribe for free. 🧶

Happy knitting and crocheting,

Lisa