Crochet individual motifs. Openwork crochet motif: diagram, manufacturing options and applications

Knitting motifs are the elements that make up a piece. They are knitted separately and subsequently joined into a single fabric. Motifs are very convenient for creating large objects. Individual small fragments are knitted to pass the waiting time at a train station or airport, in free time At work. This matter does not require thoughtfulness or great knowledge. A small ball of thread and a hook - that's all. And at home, at your leisure, you can assemble a whole dress, tablecloth or stole from knitted openwork motifs.

Why is crochet valued?

Crocheted items always evoke a feeling of comfort - be it a shawl, blanket, tablecloth, napkin, dress, skirt, blouse or small collar. Looking at them, in the depths of the subconscious, many have the feeling that love, peace and happiness are somewhere nearby. This sounds somewhat naive and lyrical, but judge for yourself: a machine has not yet been invented that could repeat hand knitting crochet Machines have learned to reproduce loops created through knitting needles, but these have not.

Each product knitted in this way is unique, and this craft is accessible to almost everyone.

Useful activity

However, it requires a lot of free time, perseverance, concentration and attention. By the way, any handicraft in itself is capable of developing in a person these absolutely necessary qualities in life. It also very calms the nervous system. And knitting colored motifs also develops a sense of color and, accordingly, contributes to the formation of artistic taste.

What are motifs in knitting

In knitting, a motif is a repeating element: circle, square, triangle. They can be small - from a few centimeters for collars and cuffs, and large - up to tens of centimeters. Large ones are used to create curtains, bedspreads, and tablecloths. Square motifs are considered the most versatile and easiest to combine with each other. The square fabric is a rectangle that can be trimmed with a straight knitted border or fringe.

Folk motifs in Venetian lace

Often folk motifs can be traced in knitting. It is easy to recognize lace knitted in the Venetian style. These are very thin threads of white or milky color, numerous loops and curls in the pattern, nets, flowers and small lattice squares. Various knitted motifs are harmoniously combined in one product. Many elements are connected to each other by bridges made with a needle and thread. This requires a lot of experience and skill. Venetian lace fabric is a combination of straight knitting in one product, consisting of repeating rapports with inserts between rows of strips of strict geometric elements in the form of nets, circles and squares and individual fragments knitted between them (most often these are floral motifs).

Features of cotton yarn

The most elegant and airy laces are knitted from thin cotton threads using a metal hook less than 1 mm in size. It is not recommended to wet the yarn before knitting. When the product is ready, it is washed and ironed or pinned onto hard pillows. A product treated with hot water exhibits significant shrinkage. As a result, the pattern and loops become very small, and individual motifs seem to be flat, monolithic figures. This property of threads must be taken into account.

When knitting clothes, make them two or three sizes larger than you wear. If a blouse or dress does not fit your figure right away, do not rush to re-bandage it. A lace product made from cotton threads will definitely undergo serious changes when worn. You only need to wear it a couple of times. The main thing is that it is not too small.

Irish technique dress

The dress proposed in this article with step by step instructions the photographs demonstrate just such a thing. Few beginners will dare to knit such an outfit. The need to make narrow set-in sleeves stops many. There is no need to be afraid that the sleeve will fall unattractively, and for this reason make a dress without sleeves. The mesh that connects each motif is a movable, elastic base, which provides good fit, transforming exactly according to the figure. It is crocheted using the Irish technique. In the same way, that is, in chains of air loops, the sleeves are attached to the front and back. It is convenient to do this on the wrong side, putting the dress on a mannequin. The simple Irish lace motifs used, connected by chains, are a very good option for the first dress knitted by hand. The photographs published in the article demonstrate in detail the stages of its creation. The thing ultimately turns out very beautiful, but the most interesting thing is that each craftswoman has it unique.

The most important thing is to understand the principle of operation. After all, for such a dress you can use a variety of Irish lace motifs. You can use the options that are in the photographs, or you can come up with your own. While knitting, lay them out on the pattern. Don't forget, it should be larger than your actual size.

Irish knitting

Crochet motifs using the Irish lace technique represent a variety of plants - daisies, lilies, Turkish cucumbers, individual petals, leaves and stems. Knitted products are very diverse. We have presented to your attention a dress made from plain yarn, but very often Irish crochet motifs are crocheted from colored threads. Having finished the fragment, hide the end of the thread by stretching it between the loops and posts.

If you are knitting something from a magazine, then be prepared for the fact that you will not be able to exactly copy the proposed model, even if you purchase the threads and hook specified in the instructions. Each needlewoman has her own knitting density, the size of the air loops and the height of the columns are different for everyone. In this case, there is no need to calculate the knitting density. This is a big advantage over linear patterns.

How to achieve uniformity

It is known that in the process of work, not very experienced knitters do not get a homogeneous fabric. In this case, motive is a good way out of the situation. While you are knitting flowers and leaves, and in nature they are never exactly the same, you are filling your hand. By the time the individual fragments are connected air loops connecting chains will turn out to be absolutely the same size. It is very important that the background grid looks as uniform as possible.

Knitting a petal motif

For creating openwork dress you don’t need to think long about how individual motifs fit together. The pattern of the leaf element consists of air loops and single crochets, with one or two crochets. To create one leaf motif, knit a chain of 15 chain stitches. Work a single crochet into the third loop from the hook. Next, knit the columns, forming an ellipse. different shapes leaf. To prevent it from curling, knit three stitches in one loop at the ends.

The Irish motif is always an opportunity for creativity. You can add volume to the flowers or knit several butterflies. Even if they don’t look like real ones, they will still resemble fancy flowers. And this is exactly what is needed.

If when creating square, round, triangular motifs or when knitting linearly, you need to strictly follow the pattern and maintain the same density, then Irish lace is very loyal in this matter. Basic rules - the grid should not be denser than the motifs. The more often, thinner and smaller it is, the more elegant the whole work looks.

No clasp or darts required

Cloth, crocheted made of cotton, wool, viscose or other yarn, worn over the head. Experienced craftsmen can make fasteners. In products large sizes In the chest area, an increase in the type of dart is made. If the size is standard, then elastic knitted fabric it will take the required form on its own.

The choice of lining is very important

Thin sheer dresses suggest wearing slips or sewing on a lining. It can be the same color as the clothes, or it can be contrasting. In this case, there will be fewer combination options. Sometimes the lining is made in a neutral flesh color. But if the dress is bright, then you will most likely make others feel awkward. After all, such a lining creates the illusion of the absence of underwear. This is only appropriate in very limited situations.

Knitting from squares

Blankets and pillowcases made from small colorful squares are very popular. The knitting patterns for the motifs are very simple, this can be seen even from the photographs. They are often made from leftover yarn, but the most wonderful blankets are made from soft and springy, well-twisted merino wool. Take a thicker hook - 2 mm. Choose contrasting threads in colors that go well together. You will get a field of sunflowers if you use yellow, green and black colors. Start knitting with black thread. This will be the middle of the square and the flower. Knit the last rows in yellow. Decorate the connecting rows with green threads.

Coral, tea rose, salmon, terracotta, warm yellow and milky colors are good for creating a very delicate bedspread. Each square can be knitted with only one color of thread. Lay out the finished motifs on the floor and think about the order of their arrangement. These can be diagonal or parallel to the edges of the strip, you can lay them out in the original, complex drawing. Give space to your own imagination or invite your child to play with the colors. Whatever order you choose, good threads will make an amazing blanket or cape. This thing will serve you for many years, and the memories of how you chose a pattern together and laid out the squares will be a pleasant memory for both.

Colors are also chosen based on other criteria. For example, you can take the one that best suits your appearance or the appearance of the person to whom the item is intended. If you have a favorite artist or painting, choose threads in the same shades that are characteristic of the artist’s style. Calculate the approximate amount of each color and purchase threads in the same ratio. It is not necessary to repeat the plot of the picture. If it is Van Gogh, Titian, Marc Chagall or someone else, then with the right selection of colors you can achieve the desired color effect. The thing will become even more interesting thanks to the meaning embedded in it.

The motif diagram given here is suitable for a dress, a blanket, and a bag. You can reduce the number of rows, then the squares will be smaller, but their number will increase.

The ends of the threads must be masked as carefully as possible. Sticking ponytails cause a feeling of untidiness.

Couturiers also love handmade knitwear

Designers fashionable clothes They constantly turn to folk art for inspiration. Luxurious knitted dresses are in the collections of Jean-Paul Gaultier, Kenzo Tokada, Vanessa Montoro and Giovanni Diaz, Laura Biagiotti, Vivienne Westwood, Victoria's Secret, Stella McCartney, Chanel, Lacoste and others. Couturiers get ideas from historical costumes, and we can imitate them.

Particularly interesting and easy to perform is knitting with motifs - individual identical elements of different shapes, and sometimes different color. By combining motifs in different sequences, you can get different canvases.

Beautiful crochet motifs

Motives can take different forms. Often there are motives in the form geometric shapes, flowers, animals, insects. The configurations of the motifs are also varied: round and square, triangular and polygonal, with six or eight corners. By forming a canvas from such fragments, you leave yourself the freedom to change your figure and weight. This fabric is easy to unravel and remove several fragments from it.

This trick can only be done if each motif has been knitted separately and the thread has been broken. But in the case of continuous knitting, the entire fabric will have to be unraveled.

When reading the motif execution diagram, it is important to understand symbols and understand where the beginning and end of the knitting motif is. Usually on diagrams these places are indicated by separate marks or arrows. Before you start knitting the entire thing, we recommend knitting several motifs by connecting them. This way you will get an informative section of the canvas, from which it will be easy to calculate the item according to its shape - its width, length and transparency to decide on the creation of a fabric lining.

Square crochet motifs

Such motifs can easily be used to create a scarf, a stole, a tablecloth for a rectangular table or a potholder for hot dishes. They are knitted starting from the first row, and this will be one side of the square; read the motif diagram from bottom to top. The motifs are connected with a needle and thread.

Crochet floral motifs

Such motives are usually performed spring blouses, cardigans, scarves and shawls, tablecloths for a round table or napkins. The shape of the entire product can change depending on the manner in which the motifs are combined into a common fabric. The flower motif pattern usually indicates where the knitting begins, often an arrow and the letter A.

Round crochet motifs

Often found in tablecloths for round tables, blouses or stoles. When performing them, it is very important to knit each stitch absolutely identically so that the diameter of the motifs is the same. Otherwise, the motifs will not form an even chain, and the chains will not connect into the canvas.

Crochet hexagonal motif

Such motifs can be combined in different ways.

If you sew hexagonal motifs sideways, you will get a dense fabric for a blanket or stole, but if you connect the airy motifs only at some points with a needle and thread, you will get the most delicate tablecloth or napkin.

Triangle crochet motif

Such motifs are most often combined into rhombuses, and then into a common canvas.

Crochet items

Neatly made plaids from motifs on sofas and beds look incredibly beautiful. These could be motives different colors or plain fragments, this decision depends on the overall interior design of the room. It takes more than one day or week to knit such a product. It is important that all motifs are made from threads of the same thickness, using the same crochet hook.

How to crochet motifs?

Lay out all the motifs on a flat surface and pin them with pins, forming the entire product or its parts. Using a needle and thread matching the knitting thread, carefully fasten the motifs together, hiding the ends of the threads.

There are people who like to connect motifs using a crochet hook while knitting them, if it’s more convenient for you, please do this work the way you like.

Continuous crochet motifs

The most complex and interesting technique to perform is the technique of continuously knitting fabric from motifs. This requires patience, accuracy and attention. When knitting using this technique, you must strictly follow the instructions, counting the air loops that will serve as a connection of the motifs. The point is to, without breaking the thread, connect the motifs one to another in the required sequence, maintaining the distance between them.

It must be admitted that, based only on the diagram, this is not easy to accomplish, but in our time there are unlimited possibilities of the Internet. An excellent quality video will help you understand how an experienced master performs each step, in what sequence and how he makes calculations.

Having combined all the motifs into a single canvas, it must be steamed, giving the product perfect view. If the work was carried out exactly according to the pattern, then the product using the continuous knitting technique will amaze with its beauty - this is a special category of products of high quality and fine, filigree work.

One of important stages On the way to the heights of knitting art one can call mastering the skills of knitting motifs. This is the name given to individual fragments crocheted and intended to be assembled into a single piece. Sometimes a crochet motif (the pattern can be developed personally by the craftswoman) is used as an independent product. This mainly concerns the production of children's appliqués, decorative elements, jewelry or accessories.

Types of crochet motifs

The classification of motifs is carried out taking into account their shape, manufacturing method and appearance. The main varieties include:

Many clothing items or interior decor items include crochet motifs. Schemes, materials and tools for work can be used completely different. Their choice depends on the preferences of the craftswoman, as well as the purpose and specifics of the product.

Square and features

Square is the most popular shape for motifs. Its distribution is due to the ease of manufacture and the convenience of joining parts into a web. Also, square fragments are very convenient to place on a pattern. The photo below shows examples of such motifs and their patterns.

The exception is those models that provide a complex cut, because the formation of details of fitted clothing, necklines, armholes and sleeve caps is almost impossible. Attempts to knit some motifs, the shape of which will correspond to the desired silhouette of the pattern, leads to unequal, “cut off” parts. They look very ugly in the finished canvas. An improved crochet motif can save the situation. The pattern of such an element is half or a quarter of a square motif. With the help of such parts you can lay out a completely satisfactory neckline, armhole or collar.

Expansion principle square motifs very simple: additions are made sequentially in each of the four corners. The main condition is compliance with the parameters of a right angle, that is, each angle is 90 degrees. The formation of the pattern occurs on the edges of the square between the corners or along the diagonal lines of addition.

Round crochet motif: diagram, photographs, description

The distant ancestor of all modern round motifs are napkins and tablecloths. Today, round fragments are used for knitting many items of clothing. The diagram below shows a variant of round motifs, as well as ways to combine them into a single piece.

A feature of any round motif is that the expansion of the fabric occurs by adding the number of loops along the entire length of each row. Depending on the height of the rows (usually it is equal to the height of one double crochet), the addition is performed at six or twelve points. The higher the row (the greater the number of yarn overs in the stitches), the more loops will be added, and the closer to each other they will be located. Quite often, the addition occurs with a uniform increase in each repeat of the fragment (by adding air loops in the chain between the columns or increasing the number of columns).

Round-shaped fragments are very convenient to use as a base for hats, coasters for cups, potholders, bags, earrings and other knitted items.

Flower shape

Let's look at crocheted floral motifs, the patterns and scope of which are significantly different. They conquered universal recognition and popularity among knitters for its decorative appearance and wide variety of variations. Their appearance resembles a flower with characteristic petals and a center.

There are a lot different ways, with which you can make flat or voluminous crocheted floral motifs. Knitters often find ready-made patterns or develop them themselves. The following photo shows diagrams of a large and little flowers. Using a binding that included picots made from air loops, they were turned into New Year's snowflakes.

Volumetric floral motifs consist of several rows of petals, connected not sequentially, as in other types of canvases, but under each other. The joining of such fragments occurs when stitching the loops of the last rows, and the volumetric petals of the previous rows remain free.

Motifs of other forms

The triangular shape of the motifs can be indispensable for knitting small items. They are convenient to arrange and lay out on the pattern. Developing a fragment yourself is not a difficult task. The triangle is easy to calculate based on the square motif diagram.

Pentagons and hexagons are used infrequently. They may consist of a circular or square motif, the last rows of which form a polygon. The photo below shows a hexagonal crochet motif, a diagram and a variant of its connection.

Using such fragments for making clothes is not very convenient, since you have to carefully calculate the number of necessary motifs and their location. In addition, as can be seen in the diagram, the edge of such products will not be smooth. To align it, additional triangular motifs are needed.

The height of skill among knitters is considered to be the ability to knit asymmetrical or fancy patterns. They are used to assemble openwork or solid fabrics using the Irish lace and freeform techniques.

Combining motifs into a canvas

Often, when individual motifs are combined, one can observe the formation of a new pattern. This is because most fragments have the correct geometric shape, and the end of one pattern element simultaneously serves as the beginning of another.

There are two options for connecting fragments:

The latter method is preferable for many reasons. Mainly because it's easier to correct mistakes. After all, in order to change places of the motifs connected in the last row, they will have to be unraveled and re-tied.

Crochet provides craftswomen with an exceptional opportunity to produce beautiful openwork elements. The diagrams, motives, descriptions and features of each type listed above will be useful if you need to create knitted product from fragments. Don't be afraid to learn new techniques and you will succeed!