This piece is one that I finished recently where I’ve attempted to impart the colours of Australia into a woman’s handbag…. the purple blues of the sky, blue greens of the ocean & the vibrancy of our fascinating bush in its winter glory. 
Freeform crochet Gum leaf motifs, red bullion gum blossoms, metallic buttons, an assortment of beads & Vilene patches were melded together to create this Australian inspired piece… a medium size women’s handbag lined in a Royal Blue satin, with sturdy twisted cane recycled/repurposed handles – you can find this bag in my Etsy Shop
Category: ideas & inpirations
Crochet Chevron Pattern… by popular demand…
So many of you have written asking me for this crochet chevron pattern… Well.. Yay! I’ve finally written it up & I hope you enjoy this quick & easy sharp corner peak, high ribbed chevron that I incorporate so often in my freeform work.
However, there is no reason why you can’t use it for more conventional things like: cot rugs, afghans or bedspreads – It’s a beaut little pattern for using up those scrap yarns in your stash – Or, you can take it that bit further by embellishing the ribs with embroidery, fancy yarn & treads or buttons & beads. Work in whatever yarn & appropriate hook you favour, each will give you unique results.. so, experiment & have fun with it!
- The pattern includes:
- both UK & US terminology
- pattern diagram (chart)
This pattern is available for sale as instant downloads on Etsy & Ravelry
2 more… No Pattern, Freeform Crochet Lace Scarves….
These 2, no pattern freeform crochet lace scarves, have been in my ‘to list’ box for so long I almost forgot I still had them… if you remember, I’ve blogged about these no pattern pieces before so, many of you will be familiar with this freeform technique, for those of you new to freeform its an easy way to get started.
Begin as you would any round crochet motif & work your stitches randomly, no need to complete each round, turn your work at any time & work over your half finished rounds so that you are creating odd shaped pieces any which way you like… this is no thinking crochet, just let the yarn & hook guide the way… incorporate as many stitches as you like… give your ‘creative pixie’ her head, don’t question her/him just allow it to happen…
~~~ for the ruby red one I used an assortment of 100% acrylic yarns, one of which has the tiniest hint of sparkle giving this piece an elegant touch of bling ~~~
~~~ for the Coffee Latte I used a 4ply 100% cotton ~~~
Freestyle, no pattern, Crochet Lace Scarves… even in the summer heat…
Over the holiday break I had little inclination to crochet… here in Australia, this year’s summer has been frightfully hot & the thought of handling yarn has been less than inspiring… nevertheless, while sitting in front of the telly with the fan blasting, sucking on fruity ice-blocks & doing my best to stay as cool as possible, my hands, which have minds of their own, thought differently… ‘idle hands, idle minds’ & all that…
Some months back I wrote a post about ‘Freestyle Crochet made easy’… work a long length of chain, no need to count, & work a different pattern for each row, improvising with plain stitches at the ends where the pattern doesn’t quite fit…
It’s been far too hot to have volumes of crochet fabric sitting on my lap so I decided I could do just the same but this time working short rows back & forth to create a scarf or two… I chose to work in cotton & cotton blends but any yarn you like would be fine.
I’d forgotten how liberating this method is… not a lot of thought needs to go into what pattern to work on which particular row, just do what you like, whatever looks pleasing… perhaps call on those patterns you’ve learnt at some stage or rummage through your pattern books for stitches you’ve never tried…
My hands were right… there’s no need to be idle just find a way to keep creating with the least amount of discomfort…
For this pink scarf I used Seta, Silken Style (Wendy), 100 grams (2 balls), 48% viscose, 40% cotton, 9% silk, 3% nylon
For this white scarf I used Moda Vera (Nerine), 68 grams (a ball & a bit), 100% cotton
Loving those Rainbow Yarns…
Those of you who are familiar with my work will know how much I love working with colour; experimenting with unusual colour palettes, taking risks with different combinations & always testing the boundaries of what’s considered the norm in regard to ‘what goes with what.’ All those old sayings like, ‘blue & green should never seen’ ‘contrasts must never sit side by side’ are just that, old sayings, & I take little notice of them… hence I’m always on the lookout for yarns that incorporate unusual & interesting colour combinations.
Recently there’s been a trend for gorgeous variegated yarns with striking & long colour changes, of which Noro & Mini Mochi, to name a couple, being particular favourites of mine. So, imagine my delight when I found ‘California’ by Cleackheaton (100% wool) at my local yarn store… I purchased some balls right away but must admit, after initially making some headbands & a beanie a while back, a couple of which sold quickly, I allowed them to sit idle in my stash for some time until I remembered I still had some left over somewhere.
I had in mind to make a bag… & perhaps I was feeling a little lazy that day… Aussie summers have a habit of doing that… but instead of going through my stash looking for colour combos, I asked myself if working with just the ‘California’ would work & decided to give it a try … the colours are rich & bright just like our Aussie summers… Oh, but the black is extra… here’s the result & there was enough to make another headband… not bad for working with just one yarn type eh?…
‘Fern’ & ‘Bouvardia’ by Moda Vera (both wool, acrylic blends) are also great finds but I still need to think about those & what I’d like to do with them.