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What If ????
University of Wisconsin, Parkside (UWP)
California State University, Dominguez Hills(CSUDH)
Created: July 14, 2011
Latest update: July 15, 2011
E-Mail to Jeanne in L.A.
E-Mail to Susan at UWP.
- Scrumbles: What if I made it with scrumbles instead of in one piece?
A Scrumble
A scrumble is a small piece that you make, often no bigger than the palm of your hand. To make the finished piece, you put all the scrumbles together, kind of like a quilt. The piece above is the piece I made yesterday, and then lost going upstairs. I found it about an hour ago in a bright pink tin box where I had put it with my tapestry needle and some beads, so it would be safe and I wouldn't lose it. Duh!
Two little scrumbles cuddle up together and make , hmmm, well, a turkey?
See anything here? Wow! I see a turkey taking shape, with very skinny legs. Reminds me of my butterfly running. Well, that might make a really interesting Thanksgiving centerpiece. I'll bet you could find a pretty little end table where that would show off a little candy dish in a way that even Martha Stewart would be proud of.
I didn't see that Turkey until the scanner produced its picture. That's why artist like to have mirrors in their studios. So they can get away from their work and see it at different angles. Now, if this were a pattern, I could make lots of little turkey doilies and give them as gifts if people in my family would like little turkey doilies. But maybe I'd like to go on and see what else might come to mind.
You see that I make pictures. Just in case I decide I really like that turkey best of all.
Last night I added another little scrumble. How might it go together with the first?
Two little scrumbles cuddle up together againand turn into a funny little card. "Oops, said the snail. "I think I might have come to the edge of the universe."
Now, these are scrumbles in which my objective is to make the piece lie flat, as I might do with a throw or a quilt. We'll also play with scrumbles that are in 3D, like the black-eyed susans. But these are flat scrumbles, such as you might want for scarves or doilies or clothing. I didn't even plan for a special ending for the scarf, because the first step is to learn how to make the piece take the shape you want it to. For now, flat will do.
Notice also that the color changes in this yarn are beginning to show up. It's a mix of corals. In flat pattern piece they might show up as stripes. But in free form, the color shapes depend on where you choose to go with the design. When working on the current version of the Sometime Scarf last night, I chose to change the peaked shape to a flat shape across the top. I had lots of little scallops around the edge that kept popping up and not lying flat at all. So I crocheted around the edge from the right side, right around to the other side and down to the beginning of the scarf, which is repeated in the first scrumble. See that the right hand corner isn't finished off yet.
Notice also that I wove in all the ends that were left from the start. I'm obsessive. All those little ends bouncing about confuse my ability to see the design. So I like to weave them in as I go. If I'm working very late at night, I usually leave them till morning, when the light is much better. Some people hate weaving in the edges. If you're one of those people, I suggest that you do what I do: weave them in as you go. Otherwise, at the end you have what looks like a never-ending pile of little ends to weave in. That might discourage you, unless you want to pay someone else to do it. I don't. I kind of like seeing the clear design emerge as I go. That lets me react to the design that's shaping up and change it, if I don't like it. Sometimes the design itself tells me what to do next. Figures emerge. I see things I hadn't expected. In free form, I can react to that and work with the inspiration.
One plausible way to handle lots of ends at once, if that's your preference (to let them go till the end) would be to have a weaving in party for a couple of friends - you could have tea or cocoa and lots of fun conversation as you each get your ends out of the way. One reason I started teaching with free form is that you're much more likely to enjoy seeing a pattern emerge when it's YOUR pattern. Creativity is a human need. But some of us need it more than others. Susan and I just want you to know how to create space for yourself to create. If you'd like to explore being more creative, add that to your weaving in party. See who can come up with the most interesting interpretation of what you and your free form piece have pictured.
See below how I've put the two little scrumbles together in a way that might be part of a scarf:
Two little scrumbles cuddle up together so that they'll fit into a scarf.
Notice that I didn't start at any of the corners. I wanted to be sure the scarf would lie flat, so I started to flatten the edge as soon as it started to annoy me. With a pattern, I would probably left the edging for last. But then I would have had to finish the scarf before I could see how it would look when I strenghened those little shells around the edge.
The Sometime Scarf crocheted so far in a single piece.
* * * * * I just plain picked up a crochet hook and some yarn that I liked and started to play. Sure, I love making sweaters or hats or whatever, but those you have to plan for, make sure you have enough yarn, the right hooks or needles, and a pattern you like. Lots of planning, and because of dye lots, you may have to spend more money to buy all the yarn you expect to need at once. If you run out and try to buy more, you may find, as I did, with Susan's Sometime Scarf, that Knitpicks is no longer offering that color in that yarn.
But we're in luck. Play is important to. Play is how we practice the skills we'd like to develop without spending too much, without knowing whether we
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Online Reference Sources for Crochet Instructions
- Reference
- Reference
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Farlex Free Online Dictionary:
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