april 6, 2016

04-06-16 "crochet downpour"
04-06-16 “crochet downpour”

approx. 8×10″ wool/mohair yarn

Remember when I asked you to vote between the fuzzy felted circle and the soumak knotted circle? Part of the reason I asked for input is that I really didn’t like either one (well, at least neither fulfilled the image I had in my mind for this project). (Here I should also note that I changed up the yarn because I realized I needed more yellowish-orange for this piece (even though I love the other yarn, too—it was too close in color to the paint).)

Someone (I’m looking at you Maggie! ;-)) mentioned that I should learn to crochet. *sigh* I think I have used only one crochet needle in my life, for pulling fringe through knots on the ends of scarves. But it seemed like it was worth a try.

I looked online and actually found patterns (inscrutable patterns, I might add) for crocheting circles. Instead, I mostly used the online tutorials for various basic crochet stitches, and some general concept of creating a circle using crochet. Even now, I really couldn’t tell you if I used a slip stitch or a single crochet stitch because I’m not sure I understand the difference! But using one or both of those, along with the chain stitch, is how I created this. I see mistakes, but I also discovered that freeform crochet is a real thing, so that’s a good cover story.

This image shows a close-up of the crochet spiral that I just attached to a canvas. I’m not ready to show the whole piece quite yet, but the painting, crocheting, and tedious attaching (with invisible thread) to the canvas, has been my daily work for a week or two. Stay tuned!