Crafting on a Whim / Crafting Without Patterns

Dear Community,
For which projects do you craft without patterns, and when would you absolutely never do that?

I do this quite often—just knitting or sewing off the cuff and seeing what turns out. It’s actually a lot of fun. I knitted all the sweaters for my dolls without patterns, except for the raglan ones; I just took the dolls’ measurements and got started. Just like the leggings I knitted for my dolls off the cuff.
I also sew many of my bags by eye.

Best regards, Inge

Since I’m not quite as skilled at sewing, I prefer to have a pattern—specifically, a good sewing pattern. Except for pillowcases—I managed those just fine, of course.
I also often make scarves and shawls, whether crocheted or knitted, without a pattern; after all, nothing can really go wrong there.
When it comes to amigurumi, I often find cute patterns and use them, but I also like to figure things out on my own sometimes.

Crocheting something without patterns—or doing something similar—can be liberating and really fun. I treat myself to that every now and then. For example, I like to make hairbands and earrings out of the yarn I used to crochet myself a little bolero jacket. Plus, they’re quick to finish, which is also super satisfying and releases happy hormones. 🤗
Warm regards, Karoline 😘

Actually, as a pattern writer, that’s what you always do, right?

I have an idea and I just get started. For me, the journey has always been the destination. I find it exciting to see whether my idea turns out well and how it changes as it takes shape. If it doesn’t work out, it’s really easy with knitting—you just rip it out.

And that’s how the most amazing one-of-a-kind pieces are created, and if you’ve documented the process diligently, you can even make another one.

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At what point does something become a “pattern”?
Sure, if I buy a knitting magazine or a standalone pattern and use it to knit a jacket, for example, then I’m following a pattern.
But what about when I calculate the number of stitches, rows, increases, and decreases based on my gauge and my measurements, and then knit? That’s not “winging it,” but it’s also not following a set pattern.

And what if I recreate a piece from a photo without owning or buying the pattern, because I can figure out how to do it on my own? 

For me, it’s about a 50-50 split. For a girl’s sweater that’s supposed to be perfect, I like to use a pattern as a starting point, but I adapt the yarn recommendations and the pattern (sweater with a kangaroo pocket and hood). For my last sweater, I just started knitting after doing a gauge swatch because I had measurements and such from other sweaters (the mixed-pattern sweater), and the sweater just kept growing and growing, with one pattern after another emerging on its own.
  With my sashiko motifs, however, I generally never work from a template because the patterns take on a life of their own as I work (dress and pants repair). 
   

As a designer, I generally start ALL my ideas off by just winging it anyway... then I keep experimenting until it works! ... then I write it down or film it:

but what’s really fun is freestyle/freeform crocheting
—here are two examples:





 

Hmm. What’s it actually like to recreate something based on a picture? Without a pattern? Would that be a violation of copyright?
I often find things I can knit or crochet myself—whether it’s a sweater or amigurumi.
The more patterns you buy here, the more skilled you become 😊
 

That’s how I feel about licensed products. If you’re not selling them, nobody will know, so I don’t see a problem with that.

I saw this top in a Chinese fashion magazine and recreated it because I loved it so much. But it’s not 100% like the original, since the pattern wasn’t completely clear. And I made a few small changes—I probably used different yarn, too.
Every designer draws inspiration from somewhere. And if you look in fashion magazines, you’ll find plenty of identical designs with maybe just slight variations.
  If the pattern is truly original—if you’re not mass-producing it… and you’re not exactly copying a well-known designer—I think it’s okay.
After all, we can’t reinvent knitting itself; certain patterns are fundamentals. And we draw on them in our patterns, too. 

I knit or crochet scarves, pillowcases, and blankets for doll beds and doll strollers without a pattern. All I need is my gauge and the measurements I’ve taken. I’ve also made doll clothes without a pattern, using only the measurements I’ve taken. 

These leather pants are also an off-the-cuff project—sewn years ago for my Sam, who now lives with my granddaughter—just like the shirt I once sewed off the cuff. I designed the teddy bear myself, but that was also years ago.



Love, Inge

Right now, I’m trying to crochet a bag off the top of my head. A bag bottom and some tube yarn were the only requirements—nothing more—and my friend wants it to be a surprise. So do I. 🤣

 
 Hi there, creative bees. 🐝
I’m currently working freehand on this Powerbox phone holder and organizer gnome. I saw a photo of one like this online. I think it was even here.
So many ideas came to me while I was working on it🤭—the gnome isn’t stuffed, but is used as a pouch instead. I can fold up the pointed cap, stash my Powerbox inside, and thread the charging cables through the cap. There’s room for my headset in the little pockets. To fill it, I can open the cap; it closes with two loops over the button eyes.
Hanging from the “watch chain” in the right pocket is the tool for tightening my interchangeable knitting needles. The tip of the hat becomes a small pouch with an opening at the front. It’s then fastened with a gold button.
I’m having so much fun making this because I keep coming up with new things to stash inside it.
I’m absolutely sure I’ll crochet another one for my girlfriend 🥰 I took lots of photos so I’ll still remember how I made it later on. 
 

Over the weekend, I came up
with a few GRANNY PATTERNS off the
top of my head—that’s what I really love doing the most ;)










 

Hi,
I usually crochet without a pattern. I do a lot of commissioned work, where clients just send me pictures or the title of a children’s book. They want me to create a figure of the book’s main character to include with the book. It’s always a hit as a gift. Here’s a small selection:

          

So far, I’ve mostly crocheted using patterns—either from YouTube video tutorials or written patterns, mostly from here. But I often tweak the patterns a bit along the way.

For some projects or ideas, though, there are no patterns at all—like the storage bag for a dice tower, which I still need to tackle.

What’s on my mind right now: what category would you put temperature blankets and similar (as Tony Lipsey put it) “data point projects” in?

Being able to craft without patterns seems to be an important topic for you?

Well, I guess I do it sometimes. There are always requests for things for which there are either no patterns at all, or it’s really hard to find one because they’re licensed products. In those cases, you just have to get creative and figure out a way to make it work.
And sometimes it’s just fun to come up with a pattern for a sweater or something on your own.

I like to work from patterns. I tried going off the cuff once, but the proportions didn’t look so great.
That said, I do tend to cobble together a pattern from several different ones.
I once crocheted a doll, using the legs and arms from one pattern and the body from another (which fit perfectly), and just like that, a new little figure was finished.

Whether it’s crocheting, painting, or anything else: patterns, tutorials, and the like are, of course, great for learning new things, trying them out, and finding your own style—as well as figuring out what suits you (and what doesn’t).

The next level is simply adapting an existing pattern. For example, I adapted a virus shawl by replacing virtually all the double crochets with post treble crochets. Thanks to the dimensionality of the post treble crochets and the altered design language, it took on a slightly different—yet somehow unique—character.

But it’s only when you work without a pattern that it becomes your own creation from start to finish.

I crocheted these two off the cuff. For things I crochet often, I need a pattern so they’ll all turn out the same. Plus, it goes faster that way. My crochet projects are then donated to a children’s charity.