Moogly CAL 2017 - So what does 'CAL' mean?

In this post I want to talk about something that I only recently acknowledged - CAL.

For those of you who don't know, CAL means 'Crochet Along'. It works like this: at a regular point of time (could be every week or every two weeks or whatever is decided by the person who organizes the CAL) a pattern is published on the CAL organizer's blog (or other social media) with the pattern to the current step of the CAL for all to see and follow. There are many types of CALs - for blankets, for afghans, for mandalas, for a themed subject (Harry Potter, etc.), for amigurumi, well actually for every use of crochet you can find a CAL. It's a great way to learn some new techniques or to try on something new, and the best part is that it is often accompanied by a group of people, mostly on Facebook or Ravelry, so you can ask for advice on the pattern, the gauge, the colors or whatever you need help with. It's fun to share your work with other people who enjoys the same CAL as you at the same time.

I'm following Moogly on her wonderful blog for a few years now, ever since I discovered the crochet world. It is an endless source of inspiration, tutorials and patterns. I have watched the CALs she organized over the years, but never really had the courage to join them. Lately I've been searching for new stitches and new projects and for a while been wanting to crochet a large enough blanket. I really feel like I'm ready for the next level and decided to join the Moogly CAL of 2017. It is a CAL for a large blanket and is planned to have 24 squares of 12" (30 cm) each. The squares are published on Thursday every other week, so the pace is very easy and unstressed, which is exactly what I need :)

So far three blocks were published in the Moogly CAL 2017.  I decided to join the CAL after the second block was already published and it took me a lot of time to decide on the color scheme for the blanket. When I finally decided on one, I went to my local yarn shop to get the yarn and guess what? That's right - they didn't have all the colors I wanted, so I had to improvise according to what they had. It turned out OK and I really love the colors I chose. By now I finished only the first block and half of the second block, but I'm hoping to catch up with the third one throughout the following week.

1st block of the Moogly CAL 2017 nearly done

The start of the 2nd block - Moogly CAL 2017

If you're interested in my progress, you are welcome to follow me on facebook, or on instagram. You're also more than welcome to visit me again here and check on my progress. To keep updated, you can also join my mailing list.