After falling in love with the print I was able to make with a simple granny square, I knew that I needed to revisit my very first crochet design for my next Impression. The Climbing Leaves Scarf (pattern available on Ravelry) was what I consider to be my first truly original design. Sure, I improvised a variety of scarf and blanket patterns before then, but it was just a series of simple stitches in most cases. This was a DESIGN. A vision. Something that I saw in my head that I then found a way to create with yarn. It was unique. And it was special.
So, to me, is this print. It's like coming full circle. It's returning to the beginning of this journey and taking it to a new place, which is kind of magical.
The crocheting of this piece, however? Not so magical at first! Thread crochet was a long time nemesis of mine. I had many, many false starts with this technique. But it was incredibly empowering when I finally conquered it. I won't say I've mastered the technique (I would still probably struggle with those dadgum thread crochet snowflake ornaments that I wanted so badly to make when I first tried my hand at crocheting with tiny threads) but there's a reason I chose it for these prints.
Part of it is simply the fiber content; stamping with fine cotton is cleaner than with a fuzzy, crunchy kind of yarn. Part of it is the fine detail; using a smooth, tightly spun thread makes for some really nice definition. Part of it is space saving; I should be able to make some kind of version of just about any of my designs in miniature.
But a big part of it is personal challenge. Successfully completing a thread crochet version of a design intended to be worked in yarn is like a miniature victory every single time. I've also always had a bit of a thing for miniatures. So there's that.
I can't tell you how excited I am to see this print come alive, though. It is abstract black and white botanical splendor to me. I am, quite simply, amazed.
Prints are available on Redbubble and Society6, in addition to some other fun products - I've tried to make similar items on both platforms a little bit different so that it's not all completely the same. Redbubble has a pretty cool pattern repeat option that I played with on a few designs!
My favorite non-print item from this design? Probably this bench. I kind of love the negative space!!