UNCHARTED CREATURES | A NEW ERA FOR PROJECTARIAN

Welcome to the new menagerie!

If you've been here before, you'll notice things look a little different. This is my first official blog post since our big glow-up to take Projectarian in a more magical direction. If you're finding us for the first time, welcome. You've arrived at exactly the right moment.

And what a moment to arrive. Because today, I'm unveiling something I've been planning for a while - and whether you're new to crocheting or you've been doing it for years, there's a also special announcement for you at the end of this post :)

I'm thrilled to formally introduce a new corner of the menagerie called Uncharted Creatures.

These specific creatures aren't crochet patterns, but one-of-a-kind showcase pieces that I've made as my creative outlet. This new space is where I give myself full permission to explore some crochet projects without the limits of writing tutorials.

There are more pieces in the brand-new Uncharted Creatures section, and you can visit them right now. But in today's post, I want to introduce you to the newest one, fresh off my hook: Specimen UC-005, Dragon Purse.

The Making of UC-005, Dragon Purse

This one started with a simple decision to let myself off from writing a pattern for a change, and just making something I wanted to make.

Not a grand challenge to conquer, just playtime and wanting to explore - something I've been dying to do every day for years but keep kicking it down the road.

Dragons are a blank slate in the sense that you can add just about anything to a loose idea of a dragon and it's still a dragon. The perfect project for permitting even more design freedom with few constraints. I had an idea of a look and colour palette, and I've been enjoying designing functional amigurumi patterns lately so I decided to make this one a colourful purse with a friendly dragon face. I've already had the learning curves of designing intricate pattern pieces, so that part comes naturally and this project was mostly smooth sailing. I intend to push my skills even further with future Uncharted Creatures but this one was a nice induction.

Where it got challenging

The hardest part of this project was making the fabric lining inside the bag. I winged it (with a heavy sprinkling of mom's advice) and it turned out great. Crochet can be squishy, prone to curling up and distorting, but I really wanted the purse to look tidy hold its shape. So the fabric lining is very firm and fitted, to help the bag keep its shape and hold things inside without stretching. The strap is attached to the lining so it has no effect on the crocheted structure, even with heavy things inside.

The result is a functional piece that is completely non-stretch, which is quite satisfying. Not to mention the absolute whimsy of wearing a colourful crocheted dragon-face bag.

What This Collection Means

Uncharted Creatures exists because creativity needs room to breathe. My tutorials teach real, valuable skills, but they exist within a framework designed for learning. This collection exists outside that framework entirely.

It's my artistic statement of what crocheting is capable of, and your reminder that with the right guidance, you can make magic too. That's what I want for every person who picks up one of my patterns. All my patterns teach new techniques that can elevate your crocheting skills in every project. They're all written with the goal of being highly accessible and comprehensive despite their complexity. Anyone with basic crochet skills who is willing to learn will be equipped with at least one new magic-making ability from every pattern. And for those who don't have basic crochet skills yet, this next announcement is specially for you:

WHERE DO YOU FIT IN?

Thank you for being here on this special day! Whether you've followed Projectarian for years or you're brand new, I'm glad you're here for this one and I'll see you again soon with more fun stuff.

xxx
Jessie