So I have a new pattern ready to be published, but today I wanted to talk to you all about my first Crochet-A-Long (CAL). I recently joined in on a free crochet a long that Furls Crochet hosted on their blog featuring Toni from TLYarncrafts. I just wanted to share my experience and a few photos from along the way
The Pattern
First things first, if you’re interested in The Bronwyn Shawl pattern, it’s available for free on Furls Crochet blog. You can find it here. It was written by Toni Lipsey from TLYarncrafts. I’ve really enjoyed following Toni on Instagram and watching her videos. I actually have two other scarf patterns that I purchased, but hadn’t had time for yet. But when I saw this one come up, I just knew I had to try it out.
Whats a CAL?
So for those of you that don’t know, a CAL stands for a Crochet-A-Long in maker lingo. Basically, its where a group of people all work on a pattern together. You work on certain sections of the pattern during each allotted time frame and post progress photos as you go. I imagine its the online version of an old school quilting bee.
My Twist
Now, if you are following my Instagram account, you already know that I’m working on reducing the amount of yarn in my stash. So instead of purchasing more yarn to make this shawl, I was determined to use what I already had at home.
I went through a few color combo options to see what I had enough of. My end result ended up being Loops and Threads Woollike in Ivory and Rose and Red Heart Unforgettable in Echo. Now since Woollike yarn is actually a fingering weight, I had to make it work for this pattern, which calls for a DK weight. I worked holding two strands together, so I actually needed twice the yardage in those colors. I had quite a bit of Woollike on had from making poms, so that wasn’t an issue.
Another small change I made was to add a few rows of Ivory in the center section instead of doing all the lines in Rose. I thought it would pull the colors together better, and also I was playing a little bit of yarn chicken on the Rose color.
My Shawl
I chose to work the Rose color throughout the shawl and have the Ivory and Echo contrast each other. I really love how the Echo has subtle tones of rose already in it, which I think really pulled it all together. It also happened to match my favorite succulent.
I think my favorite part is the texture in the very last section. I’ve never done this particular stitch combo before but I absolutely love the end result. And I also learned how to do an I-cord bind off. It took awhile, but I love the squishiness of the edging.
Final Thoughts
I really loved doing this CAL. In fact, I enjoyed it so much, I’m starting a new one already: The Vajra Infinity Scarf by Arunima Goel of Knitter Knotter. I enjoyed seeing the different color combinations and having the motivation of working with a group to finish a project.
What about you? Would you ever do a Crochet-A-Long? I highly recommend it.
With that in mind, I’ll have a new beanie pattern for you all in the next few days. If you just can’t wait until then, you’re welcome to purchase the PDF pattern now in my Ravelry or Etsy shops. But until then, Happy Crafting!
Kelsie
