Freeform crochet and knitting is a seemingly random combination of crochet, knitting and possibly other fibre arts to make a piece that is not constrained by patterns, colours, stitches or other limitations.
The roots of this art are thought to be in Irish Crochet, with its own identity coming to the fore in the 1960s and 1970s. The late 20th and early 21st centuries have seen a revival and progression of this form of textile expression. Well known freeformers include Penny O'neill, James Walters, Sylvia Cosh, Jenny Dowde, Jan Messent, Margaret Hubert, Myra Wood Prudence Mapstone and others.
One feature of this freeform art is that group pieces can be made by people of varying expertise and experience. Leftover and scrap yarn can be made into scrumbles that can later be joined together. The name 'scrumbles' was coined by James Walter and Syliva Cosh during the 1990s and has remained the term since. Although, has coined her terminology of the word Scrumbling as Fragments and Prudence Mapstone calls them "patches".
Famous quotes containing the word knitting:
“your antlers like seaweed,
your face like a wolf’s death mask,
your mouth a virgin, your nose a nipple,
your legs muscled up like knitting balls,
your neck mournful as an axe....”
—Anne Sexton (1928–1974)