DIY Network

Freeform Crochet Purse This innovative technique creates a purse that's a work of art. From "Uncommon Threads" episode DUCT-136

Freeform crochet is an inventive way to crochet and design as you go. Expert Prudence Mapstone joins members of the International Freeform Crochet Guild to show the basics of freeform crochet while making a purse. She begins by explaining what freeform is and then starts at the edge of a purse, crocheting right into the interlock rug canvas that she is using as her base.

advertisement

Freeform Crochet Purses

Working in a freeform manner gives you the flexibility to adapt your crochet and knitting skills to produce unique creations in virtually any size or shape. Prudence Mapstone likes to combine both crochet and knitting together in many of her fiber artworks, but the inherent qualities of each often means that sometimes one craft is more suitable than the other for certain applications. Knitting is great for giving drape to freeform fabrics, but it's much easier and faster to produce circular shapes and three-dimensional areas using crochet. Also, because you are not constrained by having a whole row of stitches attached to your tool when you crochet, you can easily work into, onto, over and around something like the canvas backing that is being used for these bags.

Materials:

yarns (a good variety of yarns that includes both smooth and highly textured, in colors that go together well)
threads (a few thinner yarns or threads in your chosen color scheme)
hooks (a range of crochet hooks in sizes to suit the thickness of the yarns selected)
rug canvas with approximately 3.5 holes to the inch (project will require a piece of canvas approximately 12"x10" for the purse or 10"x5" for the cell-phone bag)
scissors
safety pins
wool needle
set of purchased handles (optional)
closure (optional)
buttons, beads, ribbons, etc., for further embellishment (optional)

First cut the canvas to size. For this purse the canvas measures 11"x8". Put together a selection of yarns in different thickness and textures and a range of crochet hooks that approximately suit the yarns chosen. A small bag like this is a good way of using up odds and end of yarns that are left over from other projects, but for the best results make sure that all of the colors look pleasing together.

Folding in the mesh:
Fold in one row of mesh all the way around the canvas. The side that has the edges folded toward it is the wrong side of the work.

Purse border

Crocheting a border:
Work a border with this wrong side of the work facing toward you as you crochet. Using a fluffy or very textured yarn and a hook that will fit through the holes in the mesh, and with the wrong side facing, work a row of single crochet stitches right around the canvas, making the stitches into the third row of holes down from the fold.

Pull the stitches up loosely, so as not to distort the canvas, and work either one, two or three stitches into each hole (the number needed so that the mesh will not show will depend on how thick or textured your yarn is). Make these stitches from the wrong side because, when you crochet, the texture usually shows up more on the side farthest from you, so by doing it this way, the most interesting side will be on the right side of the bag.

Cover the rest of the mesh by crocheting through it. Textured, fringed and fluffy yarns will always give you the best coverage, but you may wish to put some areas of plainer yarn between the fancy ones, to help show them off better.

Page  1 | 2 | 3