National Crochet Month = a different kind of March Madness

It's National Crochet Month. Check out the history and details here: NATIONAL CROCHET MONTH -March 2023 - National Today.  Designers are offering free patterns via blog hops (check out: 2023 International Crochet Month Blog Hop - Underground Crafter), days are getting longer, the weather is getting warmer and there may be a surprise or two at our March 11 meeting. CTC will be hosting an online option for those who can't join us in person.  The link was sent out in the newsletter, but feel free to email us at ctclist@gmail.com if you need it. 

There are many ways to find patterns online, but one of my favorites is  Ravelry. My introduction to Ravelry came through friends at CTC, and CTC has held education sessions on using Ravelry.  Besides searching for patterns, you can view projects by other members, create an inventory of your tools and/or yarn stash, and post your own projects with notes. Ravelry: Crochet Twin Cities is a group for our members, although many non-members also belong to the group.  If you aren't comfortable with Raverly, bring your tablet or laptop to a meeting or meet-up and I promise there will be someone there who can show you around.

If you are looking for inspirations for projects, there are plenty in March.  March is known for coming in like a lion and going out like a lamb.   Due to a certain yarn brand name, searching for lion patterns can be frustrating, but lamb patterns are abundant.   And this particular lamb made by Gloria is too cute to pass up.

A Ravelry search for "basketball" produced a number of fun looking projects and patterns.  If you are a basketball fan (or know one), you just might find the perfect project for yourself or to give as a gift.    Lori made these cute little high-tops. There are pillows, hats, blankets and more basketball themed projects, or you can find projects that relate to your favorite team or mascot.  There are some great Goldy Gopher projects posted by our members, and so many more ideas!

Whether or not you're Irish, celebrating St. Patty's Day is a bunch of fun, and there's no shortage of leprechaun and related patterns and projects.    The little guy on the left was made for my son a few years ago.  At least one other member has completed a similar project.  And of course, there's Irish lace and celtic cable patterns to keep your eyes smiling, even if you're not Irish.

There are many other sites that you can use to search for patterns, Facebook, YouTube, Pintrest, designer blogs, allfreecrochet.com, sites that sell yarn and crochet tools often have patterns free, and don't forget the paid patterns you'll find on Etsy, Craftsy.  A well-written pattern (with a chart, please?), can be worth paying for if it's just the right project.  If hard copy patterns are your thing, check out the books and magazines at your local library. 

February Fever - Alphabet Soup & CALs

Forget covid, colds and the flu, I have CAL fever.   What's that?  A CAL is a Crochet-A-Long.  If that doesn't clear things up for you, CALs come in a variety of formats, but always involve a group of crocheters working together.   Typically, everyone is working on the same project, although lately, I have seen a couple of CALs that focused on completing WIPs (Works In Progress) or UFOs (Unfinished Objects). CAL projects can be big or small, some completed in a day, others taking several months, or even a year. They can be mysterious, revealing the finished product bit by bit, or you may know from the start exactly what you are getting.

Many of our education sessions involve a CAL project. Like the zombies from our February 11 meeting, the projects are used to practice skills learned in the class.  In 2014 & 2015, CTC held two longer CALs. Over the course of the year education topics revolved around completing the projects.  Topics including selecting yarn, obtaining gauge, measuring for fit and other topics geared towards helping the participating members complete a garment (for details see the 2014 Crochet Twin Cities: Crochet Along Sweater: February 8 Meeting Preview and Crochet Twin Cities: Member News: 2015 Crochet-A-Long (CAL) Vest blog posts).  At the end of 2014, we held a fashion show for participants who had completed the sweater. Even though I didn't complete the project, the lessons came in handy when I made a sweater for my sister and eventually one for myself. 

A couple of our members are participating in a very fun and cute blanket CAL, Animal Square CAL - Repeat Crafter Me.  And me, I have a bad habit of wanting to do it all, so in addition to the temperature snake CAL (currently hibernating), I signed up for a couple of additional CALs.  I am working on The Mystery at Rosewood Manor Mystery Crochet Along CAL - Etsy. I participated in Marly Bird's Game Day MAL (Make-A-Long, as this had a KAL (Knit-A-Long) option).   I still have work left from this as there were multiple charms/appliques created, I used a couple to make the necklace pictured here. I look forward to a new Superbowl tradition, participating in this annual MAL.  See Marly's blogpost for more details: What Is the Marly Bird Game Day Mystery Make-Along? - Marly Bird. I've looked at a couple of sweater and shawl CALs, one through the ACA (Home | American Crochet Association).  Of course, if that's not enough, there's always the CGOA (Crochet Guild of America (CGOA) members only quarterly CAL which I've been participating in on and off for a few years. 

Since I mentioned alphabet soup and there is plenty of jargon in the crochet world, I thought I should share a list of some of my favorites.  I've always loved words and as a logophile (lover of words), I enjoy learning new words and their origins, so if I've missed one, email me at ctclist@gmail.com and I'll include it in a future post.

Barf (or yarn barf): a tangled mess of yarn, specifically the tangled mess that you sometimes get when trying to access the center pull strand from a skein of yarn.

CAL: Crochet A Long (also KAL: knit along and MAL: make along)

Clown barf: unfortunate (unattractive) pooling when using variegated yarn.  

Frog/frogging: ripping out stitches.  When I encountered this term the first time and figured out what it meant, I kept trying to figure out the acronym thinking it must be "flipping ripping out ...." but I couldn't figure out the "g" word.   Eventually, I did find an explanation that didn't require an acronym.  It's called frogging because you "rip-it, rip-it".

Hibernating: incomplete projects that have been set aside for the time being.

Hooker: another term for a crocheter.  Some love it, some hate it, so know your audience when using it.

HOTH: Hot of the hook, (aka FOTH: fresh off the hook), a recently completed project.

JAYGO: join as you go, a method of joining motifs as you work to avoid having to sew them all together at the end.

PHD: projects half done, I have multiple PHDs, different from WIPs in that PHDs are usually hibernating.

Pooling: the pattern(s) created by working with variegated yarn.  Pooling can be planned or unplanned.

UFOs: Unfinished objects, typically projects in long-term hibernation.

WIPS: works in progress, projects actively being worked on.  I typically have at least two, and rarely more than 4.