CROCHET-A-LONG!

With the current Coronavirus Pandemic on and places lockdown everywhere, in the month of June, I decided to sign up for a CROCHET- A-LONG called the STITCH EXPLORATION CAL on Instagram and Facebook hosted by three wonderfully talented crochet designers.

But before getting down to details, let me walk you through a brief introduction on what a crochet-a-long or cal is? I am sure many people out there have no idea as to what a cal or crochet-a-long is. Specially people new to social media or the web world. Believe me when I starting blogging on Instagram, I too was completely unfamiliar with the term CAL or entirely with the event.

What is a CROCHET-A-LONG or CAL?

The term CAL is nothing but the abbreviated form for CROCHET-A-LONG (like KAL is to KNIT ALONG or MAL is to MAKE ALONG). It is a fun cum challenging event where people having the passion to crochet (to knit or to make) come together mostly virtually (online) and crochet the same stitch, pattern or Project decided upon by the host of the event. A cal can be hosted daily, weekly or on monthly basis,where the host releases or shares a portion of the project that is been crocheted and the participants are expected to follow along. Sometime it can even have a prize or giveaway at the end of it,which makes the cal even more competitive, but in a good way. The CAL can sometimes be based on a theme or a festival. Eg: Christmas or Halloween.

Does one need to be an expert at crochet to sign up for a cal?

The answer is NO. The only skill that you will require to sign up is basic crochet knowledge. If you are a beginner or an expert, it wouldn’t matter as long as you are open to learning new stuff.

Does a person require any special material to sign up for a cal?

All you require to sign up for a cal will be:

1. A crochet hook of the size indicated in the pattern.
2. Yarn of your choice. Like in my case, I used scrap yarn that I could find around my house or you can use a good quality yarn if you intend using, gifting or selling the finished product.
3. A Tapestry needle to weave in any end.
4. A Scissor to cut off any excess yarn.
5. Any other material specified in the pattern.

Why should one sign up for a Cal and How will one benefit from one?

There are many benefits for sign up for a cal:

1. Having fun and meeting new crafter online.
2. Growing your community and making new friends
3. Learning a lot more about your craft. Like a new skill or a technique or an entirely different crochet style, that one must have never come across.
4. Pushing oneself out of one’s comfort zone. (Like in my case, I learned tapestry crochet which I had only heard of but never attempted to do and trust me I just fell I love with the whole concept instantly.)
5. The opportunity to work with different designers and explore their pattern designs. And also getting to know tips and tricks that have worked for them.
6. Stash busting can also be a good cause to join a CAL.
7. A crochet-a-long can also find you your next project.

Is it free to sign up for a cal?

Yes! Most of the cal’s that you may come across over the internet are free. The only thing you will have to manage or arrange for will be your time and your material to use during the cal. There also may be cal’s that ask for some small contribution or some where you will have to purchase the pattern, so it’s always good to read the rules before signing up.

Should one share a picture of one’s work and where? and Is it ok not to finish a Cal?

Sharing one’s work is entirely one’s choice, but its always nice to share more, so that it keeps the nature of the event alive and fun, otherwise it would just get boring. And it’s always good to see a co-crafters work. One can share one’s work online on a Facebook group or Instagram using the hashtag set up for the cal, via email or any other platform specified by the host of the Cal. And yes its completely ok not to finish a cal. We are here just to learn and more over to have fun.

Now getting back to the cal that I had sign up for.

The cal was hosted in the month of June 2020 and went by the name “ STITCH EXPORATION CAL” and was hosted by Janne of joyofmotioncrochet, Claire of E’clairemakery and Hortense of Knittingwithchopsticks. The aim of the cal was to explore 30 different kind of stitches over a span of 30 days where each day a new stitch was shared by one of the 3 host. Each stitch was made in a swatch of  15 cm x 15 cm / 6 inch x 6 inch square, which at the end could be combined to make a blanket or which could be used to make other projects.

Material needed for this cal:

1. A crochet Hook of the size indicated in the pattern. But I just used the hook that I was comfortable with. The hook I used was a 3.25 mm/ D – 3
2. Yarn of different colours. In my case I used scraps of yarn that I could find around the house.
3. A Tapestry needle to weave in loose end and a pair of scissor to cut off any excess yarn.

The required skills for this cal ranged from Beginners to Intermediate as you will come across Tapestry type of crochet, where you will have to do some colourwork which can be easy to some and daunting to alot.

Here is a picture of all the stitches from the cal:

My takeaway from this cal:

I had a lot of fun and really enjoyed challenging myself with some out of my comfort zone techniques. I got to learn Tapestry crochet and how to play around using 2 or more colours of yarn. I met alot of like minded fellow crafter online and even made some friends and more over I got to work on 3 amazing designers work. This cal really help me keep my mind occupied in this current situation of a Pandemic. Most of all I really appreciate the 3 designers for the lovely work they are doing. This cal was really fun to be a part of and I am looking forward to signing up for more such cal’s in the future.

I highly recommend giving a cal a try if you love crochet. If you have already participated in one will love to hear your experience.

A quick note:

If you would like to try any of the stitches, you can find them on any of the host designer blog pages for free or you can buy the whole stitch bundle from their site. Grab it here

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Happy Crocheting!