Art is the desire of a man to express himself, to record the reactions of his personality to the world he lives in.
Amy Lowell
INTRODUCTION
Background Story
The Art Framed Decor is a crochet pattern worked with the tapestry crochet and cross stitch techniques.
Art is probably one of those words that have a very extensive meaning. There is no one single definition of art, because art can literary be anything. As Wassily Kandinsky said, “There is no must in art, because art is free.”
I first came across the art of crochet many many years ago when I was in middle school. At that time, I was living in Argentina and on Saturdays we would go to a Chinese school from 9-4, where we would learn the language, creative writing, history, and art. In one of the art classes, the teacher introduced crochet to us. I don’t remember which was the stitch she tried to teach us (I am guessing single crochet or double crochet), but I remember that we made a scarf.
Let’s just say that my first scarf wasn’t very successful. I still remember that I chose an Aqua color yarn, but don’t ask me what kind of yarn it was, what weight category it was, nor what hook size I used! At that time, I had no idea of any of those! The edges of the scarf came out uneven, and as soon as this scarf project ended, I forgot about my yarn and my hook.
Fast forward to the end of 2014 in the US. At that time, I was going through a lot of stress, and someone suggested that I pick up an art to help me manage the stress. Now, I never considered myself an “artsy” person even though I have a Bachelor of Arts (insert LOL emoji here!). But one day I had this lightbulb moment, and remembered the Aqua crocheted scarf that I made in middle school. “Maybe I can try to crochet again,” I thought to myself. And this is how I went to Joann’s, picked up a beginner’s crochet starter kit, and started learning to crochet again, but this time, with the help of YouTube 🙂
As opposed to my middle school experience, this time I persisted. Even though it was a little challenging in the beginning, I soon got the hang of it, and started making all sorts of things. I fell in love with this beautiful form of art and was never able to put the hook down ever since.
Meaning of the Chinese Character 藝
The Chinese character 藝 originally consisted of two parts, “艹” and “義”. “艹” represents plants or herbs, while “義” means “duty” or “responsibility”. In ancient times, people often processed plants into various useful and artistic products. Therefore, the original meaning of the character 藝 was “the artistic creation of processing plants”.
Over time, the meaning of 藝 gradually expanded to include various skills, techniques, and professions. For example, calligraphy, music, dance, drama, handicrafts, pottery, cooking, and other fields of art and skill are all considered to be part of the category of “藝”.
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PATTERN DETAILS
The Art Framed Décor is an advanced beginner crochet pattern that uses the tapestry crochet technique and cross stitch. The Chinese character 藝 (Yì) is worked with tapestry crochet, while the English word “Art” is worked with cross stitch.
The pattern guides you step by step through tapestry crochet and cross stitch, with clear written instructions, pictures and video tutorials.
If this is your first time coming across a tapestry crochet project, I have a series of Tapestry Crochet Tutorial that I would suggest you check out before you start this project. The tutorial provides simple patterns for you to practice as well. The type of tapestry crochet that I used for the Art Framed Décor is the one that I called Two-Directional Flat Tapestry Crochet.
If this is your first time trying cross stitch on crochet, take a look at this quick video. It is really easy! Besides this video, I also have very detailed written instructions and picture tutorial in the pattern to guide you along the way.
MATERIALS NEEDED
To work on this pattern you will need:
- Art Framed Décor crochet pattern by Haven Crochet Designs
- Caron One Pound yarn (this is a thicker #4 worsted weight yarn; 454g/16oz, 742m/812yds per ball)
- Main Color (White) – approx. 178 yds
- Contrast Color (Black) – approx. 70 yds
- 4mm crochet hook
- Yarn needle
- Scissors
- (1) 12” x 16” picture frame (I used RIBBA frame from IKEA)
- Blocking mat, pins, spray bottle with water
DIMENSSIONS
The finished project measures approximately 12″ (W) x 16″ (H). It fits perfectly in a 12″ x 16″ picture frame. In the event that you cannot find a picture frame, I give you some suggestions in the pattern to make this project frameless!
TESTERS WORK
Thank you to my testers for working tirelessly with this pattern! Their valuable feedback and support is what made this pattern possible! Each of their work gave this pattern an unique touch! Check them out on Instagram!
COPYRIGHT
This pattern and associated images are copyright protected and the sole property of Haven Crochet Designs. The pattern is for personal use only and may not be redistributed, transferred, or sold. Please do not alter the pattern in order to claim it as your own. Items produced from my patterns may be sold at your discretion. However, I kindly ask that you credit me as the designer and provide a link back to my site www.havencrohetdesigns.com, or provide my social media handle @havencrochetdesigns. For more details, see Terms and Conditions.
