So if you follow me on Facebook then you will know that I recently asked if anyone would like to join me in a Crochet-A-Long (CAL).  As I love making and creating afghan squares the obvious choice of a CAL for me was going to involve hooking up some afghan squares and excitingly the answer from you guys was a resounding yes you’d love to join in!  So I started a group on Facebook and so far over 200 people are ready to get hooking up an afghan with me!  We are not starting until the new year (first pattern details will be released on 7th/8th January 2015) but I know many have already been choosing the yarn that they are going to use.  I’ve seriously been drooling over some of the colour palettes – you can see what colours I finally chose below.  

So on to the fine details of the CAL…

DETAILS OF THE CAL:

1. Together in the KCACO-UK CAL we will learn new stitches and techniques whilst hooking up 24 x 12 inch beautiful Afghan squares created by a range of different designers.
2. There is no charge to join the CAL; anyone can join in as long as they have some yarn and a hook.
3. All featured patterns in the CAL will be FREE of charge patterns (and have been for awhile) gathered from around the web, as well as some brand new ones designed just for this project, by some amazing designers, OR the patterns will be FREE until the end of the CAL (31 December 2015)
4. For those that like a deadline I will be adding new details about each square every two weeks on a Wednesday or Thursday in the Facebook group, on my Facebook page and here on the blog – see below for full schedule. For those that want to hook when they have the time then that’s fine too; no pressure to this CAL it’s all about having fun!
5. All of the patterns will use a 5mm (US size G) or 5.5 mm hook (US size I) and worsted /aran/ yarn weight #4 though you could use double knit/8 ply/yarn weight #3 with a smaller hook for a smaller blanket if you wish to.
6. Different patterns in this CAL may use different crochet terminology (US and/or UK) but I will always link a conversion chart and any helpful information about each square including links about special stitches that you might not be familiar with the release of each new pattern.
7. Many of the squares will have multiple colours so I would suggest choosing a minimum of 4-5 colours to use (if buying specific colours) or why not use up some yarn from your stash, a multicoloured blanket would look awesome too!
8. A rough estimate for how much worsted /aran/ yarn weight #4 yarn you will need for the CAL for a finished 60 x 60 inch blanket is about 3,456 yds / 16 x 100g balls)

THE SCHEDULE:

Squares 1 & 2: January 7th (or 8th) and 21st (or 22nd)
Squares 3 & 4: February 4th (or 5th) and 18th (or 19th)
Squares 5 & 6: March 4th (or 5th) and 18th (or 19th)
Squares 7,8 & 9: April 1st (or 2nd), 15th (or 16th) and 29th (or 30th)
Squares 10 & 11:  May 13th (or 14th) and 27th (or 28th)
Squares 12 & 13: June 10th (or 11th) and 24th (or 25th)
Squares 14 & 15: July 8th (or 9th) and 22nd (or 23rd)
Squares 16 & 17: August 5th (or 6th) and 19th (or 20th)
Squares 18, 19, 20: September 2nd (or 3rd), 16th (or 17th) and 30th (or 1 Oct)
Squares 21 & 22: October 14th (or 15th) and 28th (or 29th)
Squares 23 & 24: November 11th (or 12th) and 25th (or 26th)

Joining squares together to start: November 26 – November 30 

Big reveal December 2nd

MY YARN:

So what colours have I chosen for my blanket?  Choosing colours is the fun but hard part!  But after a long (though enjoyable) afternoon searching the fabulous Design Seeds website I finally chose the following palette inspired by their market hues; though I decided to opt for a slightly darker purple.  I’m unsure as yet if I will add any cream to my blanket…  The yarn I have chosen is the squishy loveliness that is Stylecraft Special Aran yarn in Fondant (Shade 1241), Plum (Shade 1061), Magenta (Shade 1084), Emperor (Shade 1425) and Khaki (Shade 1027).

I am so looking forward to see everyone’s blankets develop over time! Stay tuned for the next block on January 7th (or 8th).