Hello & welcome to Renate Kirkpatrick’s Freeform Crochet~Knit~Fibre Designs.
Explore the many pages of useful & inspiring information to help with your crochet journey: Freeform Crochet, Crochet Tips & Tricks, My Published Books, & more.
Please take a moment to check out my Shop where you’ll find my freeform & other crochet pieces: Hats & Headwear, Scarves & Shawls, Handbags, Tea Cosies, Patterns & E-books, & other great stuff.
The Gallery pages are for your enjoyment; you’ll find works that have sold, been donated or given away & happily residing somewhere in the world where I hope they continue to give pleasure & joy.
There’s still much to learn about rebuilding pages & configuring the new shop. Your support so far is greatly appreciated. Thank you…
Crochet techniques is Renate Kirkpatrick’s first craft book Crochet Techniques is a wealth of information and shows off just some of her many talents
Renate Kirkpatrick is passionate about her crafts & her 2nd book, Freeform Crochet & Beyond, brings that passion to a new level of expertise.
Renate Kirkpatrick’s 3rd book Bring Colour to Crochet presents the reader with 64 interesting and practical stitch patterns that explore the many varied ways of incorporating colour and novelty into their work.
Textured Crochet Lace
Renate Kirkpatrick’s 5th book Tapestry Crochet, 64 playful patterns for children based on graphs instead of written patterns that can be adapted to suit babies, children, teenagers.
Hi everyone, here’s a new project for you to play with. I encourage you to experiment with different yarns from 8 ply, to cotton, sock yarn, acrylics to natural fibres, all give unique effects. Add buttons & beads, metallic or novelty yarns; make these flowers in your own style.
Crochet flowers are fun & practical motifs to enhance & decorate your projects: beanies, hats, scarves, thongs & shoes, headbands : turn them into brooches, garlands & lanyards: or anything your imagination can conjure up
Enjoy creating these interesting crochet flowers for yourself or the special people in your life.
Patterns include:
both UK & US terminology written patterns.
clear stitch drawings & pattern diagrams (charts) where applicable
6 patterns, each a little different from the other.
Requirements: You will need basic crochet stitch & pattern reading skills
The patterns do not have specific yarn requirements so experiment with various yarns & appropriate hooks.
For large flowers I suggest, 8 ply yarn, size 4 mm (G) hook & for small flowers, crochet cotton, size 1.75 (5 steel) hook
You will also need: scissors, large eyed darning needle for sewing in ends, the embellishing beads are optional.
It’s hard to believe, exactly one week ago today, I was packing the van for Knitfest, fretting about whether I had everything, hadn’t forgotten anything; those of you who do these type of events will know exactly what I mean. Of course, once my trade stall was set up & all the hellos & hugs with familiar folk was done, the nerves & doubts disappeared.
Knitfest 2023, what a fabulous weekend it turned out to be with thousands of fibre enthusiasts creating a cheerful buzz over the 3 days. The variety of trade stalls delighted everyone & the workshops generated positive feelings of activity & fibre joy.
I’d like to thank everyone who attended my workshops. I hope you learnt something new & feel inspired to carry on with your crochet journey. Thank you to all the customers & well wishers. It was a pleasure meeting you all. Thank you also to everyone who voted in the competition, awarding me first place. The theme this year was ‘Wild Women’ – my entry was ‘Girls with Attitude (our future wild women)’
And, last but not least, the biggest thank you must go to Robyn Baily who attended my trade stall while I workshopped. I couldn’t have done it without you. Your cheerfulness & energy is amazing & appears to have no limits.
So, that’s it for Knitfest 2023, in my opinion, the best one ever. Rumour has it that, Debs, the industrious organiser & originator of the event may retire. The hope is that others can fill her shoes, take the reins & keep the momentum going.
Hello everyone, it’s that time of year again, Maleny Knitfest 2023 (July 1st, 2nd & 3rd), is only weeks away. The theme, “Wild Women,” should make it a fun few days. I hope many of you will be able to come & browse the many trade stalls, & perhaps participate in a workshop or two. Go to the Knitfest site to check out what’s happening or book a workshop.
My trade stall is No 27 & I’ll have the ever helpful Robyn Bailey to assist you while I’m workshoping. Please don’t be shy… come & say hello.
I’ll be doing 3 workshops, all held at Knitfest Central Stage
(1) Crochet spirals (Sat, 1st July – 10am to 12pm) (Due to popular demand)
Cost: $55 (yarn included) (bring your own hooks)
Workshop Description: Spirals are beautiful, centred, balanced & harmonious, yet, at the same time can be complex. The crochet spiral workshop takes away some of the mystery by taking you through the basics, which you can then adapt & experiment with to incorporate into your crochet repertoire.
The worksop includes yarn & patterns, in both written & graph (chart) form
Requirements: Participants to bring own hooks & must have good basic Crochet skills
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(2) Granny squares by halves (Sun, 2nd July – 10am – 12am), Cost: $55 (yarn included) (bring your own hooks)
Workshop Description: (The Granny Square has made a huge resurgence)
This workshop is for granny square lovers who enjoy utilising the traditional Granny Square into clothing like vests, jumpers & skirts, to name a few, but find the results are often boxy & unflattering. The half granny square may be just the answer – an easy way to shape armholes, neck & hem lines
The worksop includes yarn & pattern, in both written & graph (chart) form
Requirements: Participants to bring own hooks & must have basic Crochet skills
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(3) Hexagon Motifs, join as you go (Mon, 9.30am to 12pm – 2pm to 4.30pm)
Cost: $55 (yarn included) (bring your own hooks)
Workshop Description: Hexagons are a great alternative to the traditional granny square. This workshop shows you how to join as you go & also includes the half hexagon.
Another crochet gem to incorporate into your crochet repertoire.
The worksop includes yarn & patterns, in both written & graph (chart) form
Requirements: Participants to bring own hooks & must have good basic Crochet skills
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The Competiton this year is different; we are being asked to make a “Wild Woman Doll,”(something way out of my comfort zone, nevertheless, I’m giving it a go). Winners will be voted on by the general public which will make it even more interesting.
I hope you’re able to make it, bring your friends & make a day of it, you won’t be disappointed – see you there, Renate
In today’s world, Cacti & succulents are considered very trendy indoor decor. Crochet Cacti & Succulents give any space natural beauty; whether a small one in a little pot on a desk, a large one for a corner cabinet, or a whole garden for a showy display. Think gift-giving, for special friends, favourite teachers, loved ones in care or hospital…
The Crochet Cactus Garden is ideal for those who love indoor plants but, for whatever reason, don’t want to deal with the care & maintenance or have small kiddies & pets who like to touch & poke things they shouldn’t.
One of my crochet class groups encouraged me to come up with some basic crochet cactus patterns; ones they could play with to create their own indoor gardens,… stress free gardening if you like.
I came up with these 7, easy, yet interesting, basic cactus crochet patterns, each different from the other leaving lots of room for creativity. The patterns are mostly worked in dc (US: sc) in the Amigurumi Technique.
Patterns are in written form with both UK & US terminology
I encourage you to experiment with different yarns from cotton to sock yarn, acrylics to natural fibres, all give unique effects.
Tip: remember plants in nature aren’t always perfect, so don’t stress about any imperfections they only add to the charm.
I hope you have fun & enjoy creating a cactus garden for yourself or the special people in your life.
Explore the many pages of useful & inspiring information to help with your crochet journey: Freeform Crochet, Crochet Tips & Tricks, My Published Books, & more.
Please take a moment to check out my Shop where you’ll find my freeform & other crochet pieces: Hats & Headwear, Scarves & Shawls, Handbags, Tea Cosies, Patterns & E-books, & other great stuff.
The Gallery pages are for your enjoyment; you’ll find works that have sold, been donated or given away & happily residing somewhere in the world where I hope they continue to give pleasure & joy.
There’s still much to learn about rebuilding pages & configuring the new shop. Your support so far is greatly appreciated. Thank you…
