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.
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.
