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

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Once you have established the border, you're ready to begin using the freeform technique to create the body of your one-of-a-kind purse.

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Figure A

Crocheting through the canvas:
Now hold the mesh with the right side of the work facing you. Take a thick, textured yarn and hold it at the back of the work. Using a crochet hook, pull a loop through to the front of the canvas and then continue on, pulling each subsequent loop through both a hole in the mesh and the loop on the hook.

Gradually change the direction of the stitches so that you create a winding line that meanders over a section of the bag (figure A), and then work your way back along this line to double its thickness and finish off the first yarn.

	Figure B
	Figure C
	Corkscrew flower
	Figure D

Pulling out not-quite-right stitches:
If you make a stitch or two in the wrong place, take your hook from the loop and pull gently on the working yarn, and the stitches should undo easily.

If you don't feel confident about designing as you go in this manner, you could sketch a few winding lines onto the canvas to use as a guide. Change to another yarn, and begin to fill in more of the area.

Continue in this manner (figure B) until all of the mesh is covered.

Corkscrew flowers:
Using a smooth, thin yarn, chain 10 stitches. Work 4 dc into each chain (figure C) and finish off.

Gently roll the piece up to form a flower shape; stitch it at the back, being sure to catch each round securely.

You can create various-size flowers by starting with a different number of chain; by changing the number or height of the stitches that you work into each chain; or by working a further row of sc along the length of the corkscrew, using a different color.

Leaf:
To create a leaf, first make a number of chain stitches and then work a row of stitches that start out small but gradually become taller toward the middle of the chain, and then graduate back down to small stitches again.

Work a couple of single crochet stitches into the last chain and do not turn the work, but continue down the other side of the chain in the same manner to complete the other side of the leaf (figure D).

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