utilitarian utopia

A little while back, i made a blanket inspired by a certain glass artist’s work, read more HERE:

The crochet blanket worked well enough then, and i was happy with the outcome. More importantly, its recipient was happy with it too, and it has a pride space in our living room now!

Since then, i have been looking at more and more of his glass work, in more and more detail. Becoming mesmerized by the pattern, i decided to try again. Make another crochet blanket, based on the more complicated glass bowls that he makes. Not with mohair, as i did not have much of mohair left. Instead, i chose double knit, rainbow (and black) colours.

Synchronicities are discussed with interest in our house, how one thing leads to another. After finishing #mohairqueeen and before attempting this here #utalitarianutopia, i have made some small wearable items for different members of family (little people) and some friends (adult sized people). Oh and of course a pair of legwarmers for myself HERE and on my Instagram: #spontaneoussymmetry

I got to practice a lot of back loop only double crochet stitch….

Learning how to make edges of this particular chevron neat and regular, where to add a stitch, where to work two together, and so on, was a valuable experience. See SPONTANEOUS SYMMETRY blog post, for a link to my lovely friend’s work who commissioned one of the pieces.

And then:

I got fixed on octagons. Don’t ask me why, i did*. Looking up how to make them, how they work with other shapes, how they go together. Must have still been thinking about those modular blankets i so admire, the ones made from small squares… How could i make one of my own? Without getting bored?

*Not sure what the answer is. Natural progression?

No matter the why, i have started trying them out.
  • i knew i wanted to use the chevrons to create my own squares (there is loads of chevrons in Ian’s work)
  • i knew i wanted to use the altering of ‘treble in each stitch’ with ‘treble-chain-treble’ way of working used in the aforementioned #mohairqueen, as i really enjoyed it and the crochet blanket grew fast.

So i started planning. Drawing, figuring out configurations, trying things out. From a reactive way of working of the past- using up previously made pieces of squares – i have changed to a proactive way of making pieces to later fit in with the whole.

i do not plan and i do not undo:

This is something i have said before… I have changed somewhat on both accounts. The above are true and untrue in different ways… I have been doing small trials of parts, and if the desired effect is not achieved, i DO undo.

To undo or not to undo

In the past, i might have left it and just adjusted the next bit of the same project. Now, i try a different way, and as far as i can – the undesired outcome is eradicated/ corrected… I still don’t undo errors when i discover them in the next row etc, i just fix them as i go, fumbling my way through… And i still keep some mistakes along the way, as a proof of learning, for example the octagons in this blanket are ever so slightly different…

Planning without planning

now i do plan: drawing squares and figuring out what to make next, what i would like to fit/ go where. I am still not too obsessively corrective if there is an extra treble extra, or a line of a slightly different colour there. So there is a measured amount of chance still at play, but there is also a greater sense of creativity and agency. There are different forces at play, when i make, which i plan to explore in the consecutive blog posts to this one..

Giving myself time to think, rest, recuperate my ideas…

Unexpected realisation from this make:

Magic knot is not so magic in all occasions. As much as i dislike sewing ends in intensely, there is a value to this thankless task of weaving your crochet ends in. And a way to do it is to do them regularly enough so that they do not become a black hole of dreaded time spent…

…But more on that in next month’s blog post!

The inspirational artist in my life in general and present in this piece of my crochet blanket work in particular HERE:

The beauty featured below has actually sold to a customer of the above inspirational artist. Two more on order: a lot to look forward to!

Thank You for reading, and enjoy the warmth of this happy collaboration, to the lucky owner! 🙂

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