The idea of free form knitting and crochet can be a confusing one at first. A little bit of art, a little bit of craft, and a whole bunch of spontaneity is what makes a piece free form. Quite simply, free form knitting and crochet is the act of picking up your yarn, and your tools (whether they be the knitting needs, the hook, or both) casting on, and stitching without any plan or pattern. It’s a piece of work that is created, test knitted/crocheted, and finished all in the same project. Free form is creating as you go. It’s a puzzle and an exercise, creative and inspirational all at once.
There are two methods to creating a free form knit or crocheted piece. The first is simple: pick up some yarn and start to knit (or crochet). Bind off when the skein is complete, or when the piece dictates there’s just enough of that colour (could be the size of a swatch, could be smaller, could be larger). Get more yarn, and picking up the stitches, begin again. It doesn't have to be the same colour, the same kind of yarn, or even the same stitch; it can be a bobble meshed perfectly with a square of stockinette or a circle matched harmoniously with a double chain stitch.
The second method (or perhaps just an extension of the first) is separately knitting or crocheting a few small pieces - perhaps some circles, a square, anything with shape and texture to it. Once the first few have been created, take the tail yarn of a piece, and attach another to it. Continue until all pieces are attached, and repeat.
It's amazing what one can create when they don't have a plan laid out in front of them. Free form knitting and crochet doesn't simply live within the realm of afghans, dishcloths, or even purses - it can lay in shawls, shirts, sweaters, cardigans, and even socks.
Anything that can be knitted or crocheted can be done in free form. In fact, don’t even feel bound to stay within the boundaries of garments and household goods. Free form knitting and crochet lends itself perfectly to the world of using knitting and crochet as a medium for art. Create a wall tapestry with nothing more than loose form and colour. Or perhaps recreate a famous painting using only yarn and either your needles or your hook. In fact, why recreate a painting, when you can make one of your own - make a landscape, a self-portrait, or an abstract piece. Think of the yarn as the paint and the needles as the brush.
© Kelly Gilliam, text and images. Reproduction without permission is prohibited.
Kelly Gilliam - I'm a photographer and art department person by trade, but by night I knit, spin, and garden like crazy. I'm a prairie girl who found my ...
