Shaping Free Form Crochet
by Lisa
Free Form Crochet Shapes
Shaping free form crochet is actually quite simple. All you need to do is learn to use your increases and decreases effectively. There really are no rules to what you can and can't do with free form crochet....So, if you can imagine the shape, you can create it! Creating basic shapes like squares, circles, rectangles...(Purple example) A square or a rectangle is probably the most simple shape to create. All sides are straight, which makes them very easy to create by crocheting in rows. Determine the width and length of your sides and start crocheting your rows. For the rectangle, you can crochet back and forth either the length or the width, depending on how you want your rows to run on your finished project. Piece of cake! A circle is another shape that is fairly simple, and can be done, one of two, ways. You can either crochet it in rounds, gradually, and evenly, increasing the stitch count on each round, or you can crochet it in rows. To increase a circle by rounds, you need to increase at regular intervals. For example, after creating a ring, do 2 stitches in each stitch in the next round. On the following round you would do 2 stitches in one stitch, then 1 stitch in the next stitch and repeat that pattern around. On the next round, 2 stitches in one stitch, then 2 stitches in each of the next 2 stitches, around. Then 2 stitches, 3 individual stitches on your next round, then 2 stitches, 4 individual stitches on the following round, etc... If that is too drastic an increasing circle, you can throw in rounds without increases. Experiment with what works for you. Increase round, non increase round, or non increasing rounds every two rounds, or three rounds, etc... For more info on creating crochet circles and ovals, go to my crochet circle page. (Mauve -dark pink- example) To create a circle with rows, you will need to start with the shortest amount of stitches. Depending on what you want your finished circle to look like, or how large you want it, you could start as small as 1, or as large as 10, as an example. Gradually increase the stitch count evenly (both sides of each row), until you get to the desired width of the circle. Do a row or two of the same width (to equal the look of the stitch count you started with), then begin to gradually decrease your stitch count with each row after that, ending with the same amount of stitches you began with. Make sure you use the same rate of decrease, over the same amount of rows, as you did increases to form a uniformly round circle. For example, if you increased on each side of each row, you will want to decrease on each side of each row. If you increased by 2 stitches on each side of each row, you will decrease by 2 stitches on each side of each row. When creating a crochet circle with this method, any non increasing/decreasing rows will show as not increasing/decreasing. They will give a “rough” look to the outside edge of your circle. This won’t matter so much if your circle is large, but it will be very pronounced on smaller circles, so keep that in mind. (Light pink example) Let’s say you want to do a point or a triangle. Well, what is a point? Nothing more than two sides angling in, evenly, to the same position. In order to achieve this with free form crochet, all you need to do is decrease evenly on both sides of your project. Meaning: decrease by the same number of stitches on both the beginning of the row and the end of the row. Decrease on each row for a drastic point, or every other, or every 2 rows for a more gentle, angled, point. (Remember, non decreasing rows will give that “rough” look to your edge.) Other shaping techniques...Skipping a stitch and then doing a 3 stitch decrease will give you a very angled edge. This comes in handy when making shapes like hearts, where one side of your work needs to angle a little more drastically than the other. When you’re shaping free form crochet, there is no reason you can’t decrease over 3, 4 or any number of stitches you need to, to get your desired finished look. Increasing for shaping...(Green example) Need to do more drastic shaping, like a sideways “L”? Simple. Once you come to the end of your row where the longer portion needs to be, crochet a chain to the desired length. When you turn your work and come back the other way with the pattern stitches, you will have created a section that is now longer than the main portion, but still connected. Note: Don’t forget to add extra chain stitches to compensate for pattern stitch height. Eg: Add 2-3 extra for double crochet, 3-4 extra for treble crochet. (Blue example) You can also add stitches to both sides of a project on the same row. This kind of shaping is used a lot when making tailored clothing pieces. As in the description above, you will crochet a chain to the desired length once you reach the end of your row. But instead of turning your work and crocheting your way back, you will finish off that end and cut your yarn. Turn your work. Then, reattach your yarn on the other side of the work, and create another chain of desired length on that end. From there, you will crochet your way back along your chain in your pattern stitches. Continue through the center portion of pattern stitches, and along the length of the first chain you created. This increase keeps both sides of the increase within the same row of stitches. It’s like creating a “T” from the bottom, up. Decreasing for shaping....(White example) What about an upside down “T”, where you want to decrease on both sides of a row? Once you come to the end of the row before your decrease row, simply turn your work and slip stitch in each stitch back to the center portion where your center stitches should begin. This creates the first side of the “T”. (The slip stitch allows you to move around within a pattern, without adding height to your stitches.) Continue with your pattern stitches for the desired width (creating the center of the “T”), leave an equal amount of remaining stitches as slip stitches, unworked, to create the other side of the “T”. Continue on with the shortened center portion to its finished length. Only need to decrease on one side of your work? This is the simplest of shaping techniques. You either slip stitch your way back through the stitches that you want to decrease by, if the decrease falls on the working portion of your project. Or just leave the decrease stitches unworked if the decrease falls on the non working portion of your project. Leaving stitches unworked is the simplest way to create a drastic decrease. Just stop, turn your work, and continue on as if the unworked stitches didn’t exist. (It will end up looking similar to the green example.) Depending on what you are using your individual free form pieces for, you may want to finish them. A simple single crochet edging stitched evenly around your piece can make it a stand alone project. You can use these finished projects as three dimensional add-ons to a blanket, sweater, jacket, etc... Attach them to hair ties, bobby pins or barrettes. You can sew, or crochet, a bunch of different shapes together to create a larger piece of crochet “fabric” with a patchwork design. You can even create your free form crocheted pieces with a completed project in mind. Kind of like creating puzzle pieces, and fitting them together to create your final design. The sky’s the limit with what your creativity can achieve. Shaping free form crochet really can be a lot of fun. It may require some trial and error, but with a little fore thought, you should be able to create any shape, or non shape, you can think of! Read more on free form crochet on uniquehomemadegifts.com
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