scrumble #38 - finally

I'm finally back to blogging my scrumbles again...and I definitely do intend to keep it up on a fairly regular basis for a while, at least over the next couple of months, until I reach #52 (a year's worth, even though it will have taken me more like 2 years to complete them all)

I really love creating small freeform pieces, so this one contains 2 small hearts, one knitted and the other crocheted from the same dark lilac twinkly man-made yarn. They were created separately, and both were surrounded by a row of crochet using a very soft and slinky recycled sari yarn - then they waited patiently for the rest of the scrumble to evolve.

The main, central part of the scrumble was made as one piece, with random sections added onto the initial red knitted area... then the hearts were joined on using crochet (slip stitches worked from the back to join the top one, but 4 short sections of chain stitch for the lower, pendant one)

Along with the twinkly stuff, some of the other yarns used include wool (a lovely chunky single), cotton (various mercerized), silk (a soft but still 'crunchy' handspun mulberry silk from India) and acrylic (an ancient find in my stash - must be over 20 years old)

Reds and oranges always seem to be really difficult to photograph well, but the detail should show up a bit better once you click on the thumbnail.

(...and I'm already working on #39, so it shouldn't be too long before I post here again)

scrumble # 35

here is my next freeform piece - the red leaf shape was knitted first, using garter stitch, then chains were crocheted through the knitting to create the 'veins'.

a few glass beads were stitched on (just because
i happened to run across them shortly after i had finished knitting the leaf and they matched). Then a piece of very old, hand-knotted Japanese fishing net was placed over the entire leaf.

i have added a close-up showing the net. i bought it once at a textile conference, ages ago - just because it looked interesting - but i hadn't found a use for it until now.

to hold the net in place i added lots of little areas of freeform crochet to the edges of the leaf; they were worked over the fishnet at the same time as working into the knitting, to attach it securely.

this piece measures approximately 36cm (14") in length x 18cm (7") at the widest part.

week 23

My 23rd scrumble started with a couple of cables, knitted from a variegated slub cotton blend yarn. Then I added various crochet sections to the edges of each cable, using scraps of mohair and cotton. The blue floral motif was made next; I crocheted it in linen and edged it with a very fine mohair, then I hand stitched the 3 sections together.

A few stitches were then picked up into the crochet using a knitting needle, and I knitted the grey and brown striped section on the left. Next came 2 random circular crochet motifs; when completed these were joined on to the sides of the knitted square, using crochet slip stitches, before the yarn used for the outside rounds of the crochet was finished off. The round open floral motif on the upper right was also crocheted separately and then joined.

To give balance to the scrumble, a few small cups (crochet 'dome' shapes used upside down) were made and stitched to the surface, and then four 'fairy wing' variations (like those found in my 'Freeform' book) were also created separately and then added around the edge.

Week 7

OK, I realize this week's scrumble is a very much a 'typically Prudence' effort , but I have been pretty busy, and I still seem to find kniting garter stitch leaf shapes a relaxing way to start a piece . The coarse wool yarn used for the leaf that started this one must have been in my stash at least 20 years; the yellowy-lime sections were crocheted with 2 very thin yarns together - an ultra-thin cotton thread which periodically morphed into short sections of bright, thick slubs, held along with a very finely fringed, sparkly nylon yarn. The centres of the blue circle motifs were crocheted with a French rayon tape, and the lurex yarn used to decorate the leaf is probably almost as old as the wool it embellishes...see what treasures a good clean out right to the back of the stash can unearth!
size approximately 28cm (11") x 15cm (6")

scrumble for week 4

This week's scrumble started with the lime green crochet spiral. Before cutting off the yarn I added points around the edge. The stitches were worked in the back loops only, so that further embellishment could easily be added onto the surface. A row of slip stitches was then worked, from the wrong side, around the outside points of the spiral motif. Then a couple of knitted slip stitch triangles were added - they were begun using a combination of both casting on and picking up of the stitches, each onto 3 of the points of the spiral. Other random crochet was also added to complete the piece.
size approximately 38cm (15") x 20cm (8")

week 3 scrumble

only black, white and red yarns were used in this week's scrumble...they were of varying thicknesses, and are mainly man-made fibres. a combination of knitting and crochet; parts of it are quite 3D -the red sparkly bauble is a crochet circle that has been drawn in over the top of another smaller bobble - the small bobble became the padding for the larger ball, which in turn was covered with white crochet mesh.
size approximately 20cm (8") x 15cm (6")

Week 1 - scrumble the first

Not quite the beginning of the new year yet, but this is my first weekly scrumble. Made using both knitting and crochet, it contains a few fine-weight handpainted yarns (including a silk chenille), along with other chenille, a bit of cotton, a few synthetics for glitz and some sock yarn. The crochet bullions were done in a single ply silk. The yellow and gold yarn outlining the bullion clusters was still in my stash, bought in Germany in the '80s.
size approximately 15cm (6") x 17cm (6.5")