FREEFORM CROCHET BLANKET by KinixysTo crochet a blanket without a pattern

I've been asked if there is a pattern available for my baby blanket with birds. There isn't – it wouldn't really be a freeform if there was a pattern.

Yet - I try to give some kind of instructions of how to construct a blanket with freeform crochet.Or - how to construct a bird for a blanket.

To crochet freeform means there are no rules. All stiches can be used. Which on the other hand also means that you don't need to master any but the basic stitches.

This is not about following a chart but making forms that look like something - birds in this case.

Don't try to add too many details if the objects are smallish.

Steam the work flat every now and then. At least every time you are not quite sure of its shape.

One important thing - at least for me is to keep it simple.

To make an animal form, or any form, cut the form to peaces – crochet the peaces and build the picture from them – look how children draw and use the same simplicity.

You don't need to crochet all the parts together – you can partly sew them together.

I prefer crocheting in rounds rather than from side to side turning the work – to me it looks nicer and the edges are smoother. Where the edge is a bit rough it is good to single crochet or slipstitch around the object before adding parts to it or starting the backround with double crochet.

In some cases I have crocheted from side to side because it would have been a waste of time to cut the yarn: wings, the middle part of the scutes of the turtle etc.

I made a new small bird just to show how my birds were made – this one is of different yarn and differs in some respect from the ones on the blanket but this is to show the idea.

I've started with the eye. Use black yarn for the middle of the eye – I've used white here to show what it looks like:

First make a small loop of yarn. You can of course make a short chain and slipstitch it to a loop..(This is supposed to be black..)

Crochet around the loop – maybe 8 stiches.

Tighten the loop to form the pupil of the eye. (This is black..)

Crochet a round with white around the black pupil. Add stiches to keep it flat and round.

After the eye, crochet the head around it:

The eye is finished.Crochet around the eye with the colour of the head. Crochet around the eye

until the head is big enough. Either make the head round or model it on the way using different stitches.

Here I decided to make the head flat on side for the beak and I have smoothed the side with slipstitches to make it easier to put the beak in place.

Then the beak.. and the body:

Start the beak by crocheting chain stitches to get the aproximate length of the beak. Then attatch it to the centre of the place of the beak.

After that crochet maybe 4 chain stitces and attatch them up or down from the beak centre and treble crochet first diminishing the stiches down double crochet and finally to single crochet .

Crochet round the end of the beak and back again. Attach the yarn to the head. To make an oval body make

a chain of desired length and crochet around it untill the body is large enough to suit the head. Use double and treble crochet to shape the body if you will.

Make the neck to connect the head to the body:

First: try different directions and angles to where to place the head. Maybe draw some skecth on a paper..

Then make a chain to connect the head and body.

Crochet back using double or treble crochet..

and attatch the yarn. If the neck is too narrow ad a row or two.

The wings, the tail and the feet:

I have made the wings and tail the same way. First crochet from the back side a row of double stiches – here I've made 9. Then turn, make a chain of desired feather length and double crochet back.

Make the other feathers the same way.

For the feet make a chain of the length of the foot and one toe. Then single crochet back the length of a toe. Make a chain for the other toe, single crochet back and chain for the third toe. Single crochet back for the toe and the foot and attatch the yarn to the body. Make the other foot the same way.

Now you have a body with head, wings, tail and feet sticking out. Steam the work flat.

Then crochet around the bird with the backround colour..

On the first round I have usually used single crochet but if you want to smooth the edges it is wise to make the first round with slipstitches.

On the second round I have used double crochet.

On the second round fill the small places around the wings.

Use all kinds of double, treble, combined Y or any stiches to fil the small gaps.

To fill the spaces around the toes can be a peace of work

Use your imagination of how to fill the gaps.

You won't need to get parts together by crocheting – just crochet the figure you need.. .. and sew it together later.

This is how this bird looks like when it's steamed flat.

I copied six birds and filled the gabs with drawn lines to show a way of crocheting around to fill the gaps. When you have the first bird you can lay it on a surfice and figure out what the next bird would look like: what colour, where does it look to etc.

As for the birds it doesn't matter if there feet are downwords or not.

Attach the birds to each other by crocheting around several birds. If there are large gaps between them crochet little patches to fit and sew them in.

Finally ad something to border the whole blanket. One or two rounds of different colour, maybe a lace border.. anything you like and find easy to do.

The last thing is to steam the whole thing flat – it propably has some bumps and it propably isn't square but who cares. Bumps flatten with steam and if any blanket is used it doesn't really look square if you wrap a baby in it.. even a perfect square blanket looks square only when it is layed out for display.

To fill the gaps you can use any kind of method of crocheting..

My other blankets are made in the same way..

This cat is a try for a cat blanket.. I thought of making a cat blanket out of cat squares. I was happy about the colour but not happy about the cat – so there is jus one cat.. no blanket..