My re-purposed Freeform Crochet Coat…

Forest InspiredSo, continuing with my personal commitment to complete UFO’s & work on new projects that have been sitting on the back-burner for far too long, I took a good hard look at this Freeform Crochet Coat that I created in 2006 & is featured in my book ‘Freeform Crochet & Beyond.’

This piece has special meaning for me as the colours, textures & forms came alive for me in a forest reserve where I often visited for solace & inspiration. Having that said, & as much as I love it, I also know that it’s big, bulky & heavy, more over, not to everyone’s taste, & to sell it on the Net would cost a small fortune to ship…

It’s been in my mind to pull it apart & make other items, but… Oh my!…What a job that would be… so,… the idea was put in the ‘too hard basket’ time & time again… Then, this summer, an extremely hot one at that, so much so, that I found it difficult to move too far away from the air fans blowing at high speed, I decided that, seeing as I’m sitting here like a sweltering lump, I might as well be doing something useful… & so I began unravelling the freeform patches…. long story short… here are the items I came up with… I’m very happy.

Hood & scarf ComboDSCF1717Large Freeform ToteLarge Freeform ToteSmall Freeform bagSmall Freeform crochet bagFreeform Crochet Tcosy

Beanies… Plain & Simple….

chunky purple flowerWell… not quite… the simple styled beanie hat with a little embellishing & tweaking can become a flattering winter accessory that doesn’t date too quickly over time…

I’ve been rather busy lately, with local displays, markets & classes, so elaborate projects have been put on the back burner for a while or, at least,  until I have a clearer creative head space… but that’s not to say I’ve had idle hands… hence, this collection of Beanie Hats…

With some, I’ve experimented with large hooks & double threads of chunky yarn & with others I’ve used double threads of sock yarn. I hope this beanie hat collection gives you some new ideas for the beanie that is more than just plain & simple… enjoy!

All hats are now available for sale in my Etsy Shop

turquoise hatpurple turquoise flapper

purple chunky beanie

Red chunky BeanieMulti chunky beaniemulti chunky clochepurple turquoise cloche 1rustic clochepurple brooch clocherustic brooch clochepurple brooch beanierustic brooch beaniered flower beaniemulti beanie scarf set2ply beanie scarf set4ply beanie scarf set

Alice Springs Beanie Festival 2015….

Fire & Flood felted beanieHi everyone, it’s been quite a while since my last post… time is just flying…

So, it’s that time of year again… The Alice Springs Beanie Festival… & all the excitement that it generates across Australia… I did find the theme ‘Opposites Attract’ a bit challenging this year but, as it so often happens, in a quiet moment the ideas slowly emerged… These are my 2 entries that I know have safely arrived in Alice Springs, thanks to Aussie Post’s tracking system…

I’d like to wish all contestants much success &, all those lucky enough to be at the festival, a fabulous time…

1) Fire & Flood ~ Wet Felted & beaded Beanie.

Fire & flood 1Fire & flood 2 

Fire & flood 3Fire & flood 4

2) From Coral Reefs…to Tropical Beaches…to Forest Hinterlands ~ Hand-spun beanie, embellished with freeform crochet & wet felted motifs.

DSCF0947DSCF0948DSCF0949DSCF0950

 

 

 

 

Handspun yarn…. A new direction perhaps?…

Handspun shawl

No, not really, but I do love handspun yarn & so admire those who devote so much time & effort creating it. Some time ago I inherited a large box of handspun yarn which, initially, inspired me to make a coat with over-sized crochet motifs but, over time, my enthusiasm for the project waned & it was put on the back-burner.

Needless to say, I’d already invested a lot of time making the motifs, then to just push the project to the back of the cupboard was such a waste & that bothered me. The idea came to create smaller items… here are a couple I’ve finished… Big, bold & chunky…Handspun beanie hat2Handspun beanie hat

handspun shawl2

Freeform Crochet Headband, Ear warmer or Cowl, Neck warmer….

rainbow 2 headband/cowl Here are 3 new women’s freeform ear warmer/headbands, or.. are they cowl/neck warmers,  that I finished this week & are now available for sale on Etsy. I used beautiful Artisan rainbow yarns with long variegations & just love working with them… for their colour combinations, durability & softness. These are always popular pieces, which is just as well because I really enjoy making them… blue purple cowl headbandrainbow headband cowl