A BEGINNERS GUIDE TO FREEFORM CROCHET

Have you ever wanted to crochet something but didn’t want to follow a pattern? Or you just want to make something cute and fun without the hassle of worrying about stitch counts, markers and MATH!? Then freeform crochet is a perfect fit for you!

WHAT CAN YOU MAKE? 

Really anything can be made using FFC However organic shapes work best as they don’t need to be super precise and work well with the “go with the flow” attitude of FFC.

LET’S START WITH THE BASICS.

1. YARN: This will vary depending on what you are making but since most FFC projects tend to be art pieces, amigurumi or wall hangings, using a bulkier weight yarn between a category 3-5 or DK/Worsted/Chunky weight will allow you to work up projects faster. I suggest using acrylic yarn here as it comes in lots of colours, is widely available and can usually be on the more affordable side, you don’t need any fancy hand dyed wools here!

2. HOOK: Your hook size will depend on what kind of project you are making, for example if you are making a closed 3D object like a rock you will want to use a size or two smaller hook than what your yarn recommends to avoid gaps (much like amigurumi). If you are making a flat shape like an amoeba wall hanging the using the recommended hook size should work fine but I suggest trying out a test to see what works for you.

 

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WHERE DO YOU BEGIN?!

FFC can be intimidating at first but the beauty of it is that it can be whatever you like and there are no real rules, you simply just make the stitches as you go and with a little understanding of stitch types and techniques you can make almost anything.

Let's look at the basic STS and the effect they have on the final shape.

Each stitch will add a certain level of height to your piece, let’s go through each st from smallest to largest. m

SLIP STITCH (SLST) - the smallest of the stitches, adds the least amount of height and can be useful when looking to make a gradual shape.

SINGLE CROCHET (SC) - The most common stitch and the one used most for creating tight stitches used in things like amigurumi and can be great for making tight FFC designs.

HALF-DOUBLE CROCHET (HDC) - Has some of the tightness of a SC but with a little more height.

DOUBLE CROCHET (DC) - The tallest of the basic sts (there are taller stitches however I personally don’t use them in FFC). Great for adding lots of height to your designs.

Now that we know the basic STS let’s discuss some techniques that will help you use them.

MAGIC RING or CHAIN?

Depending on the style or shape of your piece you will need to either start off with a Magic Ring (MR) or a Chain (CH) that you will work into. With that said you can turn either of these into any shape if you make the right stitch choices!

A MR is a great choice if the piece you want to make is more circular or like a plate or a sphere shaped like a rock! 

A CH will allow you to make more organic wavy shapes like water ripples or amoeba-like pieces. We will do a sample of both in a bit.

INCREASING AND DECREASING

The last main element you will need to know to have a successful time with FFC is understanding how to utilize your Increases (INC) and Decreases (DEC). Your stitch type will add or subtract height to your sts whereas DEC or INC will push or pull the piece in/out effecting the overall shape.

For example, if you want your final piece to be flat you need to ensure that you are adding enough INCs to the current RND to avoid your piece from pulling inwards. However this can be useful if you want a bowl-like shape or add waves to your piece. DEC will further this pulling inwards allowing you to take this even further or close a shape up completely.

The general rule is adding INCs will push out the shape making it larger, DECs will pull the shape in making it smaller and not doing either will make your STS stand straight up!

We will over the math in more in detail in the advanced version of this, available on patreon.com/knottybearcrochet 

Before we go ahead and start making our first FFC piece there’s one very important thing I want to discuss and it’s one of my favourites… Colour! FFC is nothing without a fun or energetic colour palette and this is the best project to go a little (or a lot) wild with!

There’s no rule on how many colours you can use but I would suggest a minimum of 3 and  maximum of 7 but you can do whatever feels right to you.

Knowing when to change colours is going to depend on you and your project but in general switching each round is a good place to start.

But enough talk lets go ahead and try making our first sample!

WITH A CH COLOUR A

CH roughly around 10 sts, you will work into the CH skipping the first CH (anytime you make a CH it is important you skip that first CH or 2 CH depending on the ST you are using, taller STS like DC will need you to skip 2 CH at the start). You can start off with the smaller STS, like a SLST or a SC, once you have made those you can move to the next higher sts *see earlier note about ST heights. For example: SC 2, HDC 2, DC INC 1, HDC 1, SC 2, leave the last CH (turning CH) and add 3 of your chosen STS here.

Turn your piece and work into the other side of the CH in a similar style. You will need to make sure to add INC periodically to avoid your piece from puckering in, if it starts to pucker out you have too many. After a while you get the sense for how many you will need.

CHANGE TO COLOUR COLOUR B

Once you have your first CH filled you can start RND 2 (I suggest choosing a new colour). In the same way, continue adding your various sts, playing with combinations and seeing what works for you! If you wish to have a “branch” out it’s as simple as SLST into the next st where you want your “branch” to start, CH to the height you want and then working back into the CH and into the SLST at the base, carrying on back around into the original piece.

Continue making shapes, branches etc to your hearts content! 

WITH A MR 

Similar to amigurumi you will make a Magic Ring (or a ch 2) and work into this with your chosen STS, for this example; SC 8 into a MR, from here you can decide what shape you want to make, if you want a more flat piece try adding around 8-10 INCs per round, you can use whatever STS type you like following the rules we’ve learned prior. 

For example you can change to colour B, HDC INC 2x, DC INC 2X,  HDC INC 2X, INC 2x for the next round. You will see that you are adding height with your STS and increasing the size with your INCs (your piece should be faulty flat). 

Next you can continue adding INCs if you want a flat piece or stop them to start making a closed shape like a rock. If you are making a closed shape just remember to try and even out your ST heights by adding similar STS on the opposite side of the RND. This will make it easier to close up at the end.

Remember even though I am giving some STS counts and types here the idea is for you to just go with the flow and not worry too much about the numbers etc, it takes some practice but there’s no wrong way to do this so just have fun.

Download the PDF version here: patreon.com/knottybearcrochet 

You can see my first time trying FFC and making a lily pond in this two part series here: https://youtu.be/1A-yjQw9mlU?si=-rPzCOaxR20XVhYV 

You can join the Patreon and get the advanced lessons with more details, videos etc on my Patreon (members only) patreon.com/knottybearcrochet 

Thank you all for your support, I hope this helps you on your way to enjoying the magic of Freeform Crochet!