Five reasons to join a CAL

This month I've been taking part in a fun Crochet-a-long (CAL): the Crochet Guild of America CGOA Layers of Texture Infinity Scarf by the wonderful Marie Segares. And I thought I'd tell you the reasons why I really love being part of a CAL group.

But first, here's a definition of a CAL from 25 Crochet Terms Defined on Kathyrn Vercillo's Crochet Concupiscence blog:

CAL: As the name suggests, this is a project in which a number of people each crochet the same pattern at the same time, often from different locations. It’s a great way to gain a sense of community while crocheting and to create some deadlines for yourself.

1. Improve your skills
My main reason for joining a CAL is to learn a technique that I don't already know. I'm always looking for ways to build my skills. The Infinity Scarf is made in intermeshing crochet which I've never tried before. This technique is also called interlocking crochet and it's very similar to double filet crochet too. Last month I took part in a crochet sock CAL by Rohn Strong in his Crochet Sock Addict group. (I've been a little obsessed with mastering the crochet sock this summer! If you've been following my blog you'd know about this!)

2. Get help if you're stuck
In a CAL you have an opportunity to ask questions. My current CAL has a Facebook Group and a Ravelry thread for this. If you're too shy to ask questions, you are quite likely to find your answer looking at the issues that other people had and the solutions they found. It's also a valuable experience for me as a crochet teacher to see what difficulties people have and how they overcome them. It helps me support my students better when they get stuck. 

3. More likely to finish your project
Another reason to join a CAL is that you are more likely to actually finish your project. Seeing other people post their progress photos is wonderfully motivating! I was having such a hard time finishing a sock (I kept starting new ones) but last month's sock CAL did the trick. The CAL has a deadline that everyone works to. 

4. Being part of a group is fun!
I love the camaraderie of being a part of a group of people who are into the same thing as you are! It's fun to share your photos and see how other people are doing, look at their color combinations, like and comment on each other's progress...

5. And there are prizes too!
Everyone who finishes by a certain date goes into a prize draw. The haul for the CGOA CAL is pretty impressive. I'm not sure if one person gets the whole lot or several people get one prize each. Of course, rather inevitably, I've seen a book that I'd like to buy among the prizes (Indispensable Stitch Collection for Crocheters: 200 Stitch Patterns in Words and Symbols by Melissa Leapman published by Quarto Group)

Here's a super article on how to find and join your first or next crochet-a-long by Marie Segares on her Underground Crafter blog. Why not give it a whirl?

Self-sabotaged socks

I have self-sabotaged my latest pair of crochet socks - July's Bluebell from Rohn Strong's 2016 Sock Club by carefully swatching but then putting the wrong sized, too large, but similarly colored hook in the project bag and then getting on a plane from Edinburgh to Chicago and making almost a whole sock without realizing my mistake. Arrgggh! Here is the resulting still wearable, extremely cozy but tad too large sock #1.

I was introduced to a brand new stitch - linked double crochet which seems to lend itself well to sock construction. It's as stretchy as double crochet but dense like single crochet and makes quite an attractive horizontal ridge. The yarn is WSK Western Sky Knits - another wonderful hand-dyed marvel purchased at the Houston Fiber Fest. How I do love scrummy yarn from indie dyers!

And fantastic news - I actually managed to finish TWO pairs of socks since I wrote about my serious case of crochet sock startitis. Writing that article somehow spurred me onwards to completion.

My FIRST ever pair of completed crochet socks are Cabled Socks by Karen Whooley.  As a crochet sock newbie her extremely clear instructions helped me get my head around sock construction for the first time. Thank you Karen for showing me the way!

 

My second completed socks are Ribbed Socks by Rohn Strong, a crochet sockalong for July in his Facebook group Crochet Sock Addicts. Being part of a Crochet Along (CAL) motivated me to keep going.

I've written more notes about my completed crocheted Socks on Ravelry: Cabled Socks and Ribbed Socks if this is of interest.

I have now developed quite an addiction to crochet socks and I'm feeling ready to start asking family members for their foot measurements! I remember joining the sock club thinking - "one sock a month, surely I won't feel like making them as often as that..." but I've found crochet socks to have just the right amount of challenge, to be the most portable of projects, quick to complete and the resulting handmade sock is so pleasing!

I started the summer looking for the ultimate crochet sock pattern and have discovered there isn't just one pattern but many and perhaps the ultimate crochet project is a sock, well for me anyway!

A serious case of crochet sock startitis

I have developed a serious case of sock startisis. In case you're not familiar with the term here's the Urban Dictionary definition:

Startitis: noun - Repeatedly starting new projects while still having multiple uncompleted projects.

 

Melanie is plagued by startitis. She frequently starts knitting something new rather than finish her other incomplete projects.

 

 

 

I am definitely making great progress on my summer mission to find the ultimate crochet sock pattern and I'm learning SO MUCH about socks but I now have five socks started but not completed. It feels a little excessive.

Sock #1 is the Survival Socks pattern that appear in an earlier post of mine The Hunt for the Ultimate Crochet Sock Begins and I'm working on this with one of my students in the weekly workshop I run on a Friday at my local yarn store. And I'm almost there. It's a toe up design and I'm just finishing off the cuff ahead of my student so that's fine. 

Sock #2 is the current most popular sock on Ravelry coincidentally called the Ultimate Crocheted Sock (with an -ed) by Dorothy Hardy. This time the pattern called for an extended single crochet stitch and I just LOVE how stretchy this stitch makes my sock compared to single crochet. However, still being the sock novice I need photos really and there was an error in the pattern which threw me a bit. And something odd happened with my gauge - the sock is huge. (I have since discovered that I need to make the sock 1/2 inch to 1 inch smaller than my foot circumference because this stitch will stretch.) #2 has been abandoned.
 
Sock #3 is above. It's from Karen Ratto-Whooley's absolutely super book I Can't Believe I'm Crocheting Socks which I bought recently. It's the cabled sock and I'm using Premier Yarns Wool-Free Sock Stripes yarn in the Phoenix colorway purchased from Hobby Lobby. I had intended to make a basic sock from Karen's book. She has both cuff-down and toe-up basic sock patterns in the books. But all of my sock stash is in fingering / sock weight and the patterns call for DK weight. It would be more sensible to start with thicker yarn and a bigger hook and work down to fine yarn so I can see the reason for the yarn weight choice. The basic sock patterns have extremely good photo tutorials with differently color coded parts of the sock. Looking at these I was able to visualize exactly what happens at different parts of a sock. For the cuff down pattern there is the cuff, leg, heel flap, heel turning, gusset, foot and toe. SO helpful!

The most recent socks that I've started #4 and #5 are not entirely my fault because I am working to someone else's deadline - Rohn Strong has a July sock crochetalong (sock #4) and also started a sock club this month (sock #5) which I couldn't really resist.

Well better get back to the socks..... Hope your week is going wonderfully!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The crochet sock pursuit continues

I've dedicated this summer to the pursuit of the ultimate crochet sock and with my first sock underway I decided to source more patterns that I could try out.

My first port of call was the Craft Yarn Council Certified Instructor's Program private Facebook group. Students, graduates and teachers all frequent this group so there are some extremely knowledgeable folk on there. My wonderful master crochet teacher, the always helpful and super friendly Barbara Van Elsen suggested I try Karen Whooley. I put her on my list.

 

Looking on Amazon.com I discovered Karen had written two crochet sock books. I ordered the first one I Can't Believe I'm Crocheting Socks published by Leisure Arts. What a great name! And then I looked for the most recently published crochet sock book. Crochet trends change and techniques do tend to improve over time.I found New Methods for Crochet Socks by Rohn Strong which was published by Annies' Crochet, another reputable crochet brand. 

Checking Rohn out online I discovered he is a Craftsy instructor teaching Crochet Socks: Essential Techniques Sold! I placed my order. Coincidently, one of my favorite American crochet podcasters Mary Bird was interviewing Rohn that same week. Socks came up A LOT in the interview and Marly is always great to tune in to so it is well worth a listen!

Rohn had also just set up a brand new Facebook group Crochet Sock Addicts! with a July Sock CAL (crochet along). What perfect timing! There is actually a scientific name for this phenomena when one thing leads to another "correlated novelties".

 

So while I was waiting for my two books to arrived I started on my second crochet sock ..... pictured above is the gauge swatch already underway.

Until next time, hook on everyone!

The hunt for the Ultimate Crochet Sock begins!

One of my lovely regular workshop students, who doesn't knit, told me recently that she had always wanted to make crochet socks. Around this time I discovered the marvelous Crochet Circle Podcast which I reviewed a few weeks ago here. Fay and Lynne, the hosts of Crochet Circle, mentioned another British podcast Crafternoon Treats so I had to check that out. Binge-watching back episodes of this podcast, I found out about their sockalong which started with a free crochet sock pattern Survival Socks by Elin Stoodley so I chose this to crochet along with my student.

We had to do a bit of conversion to create an American version of the pattern.  For foot size add 2 to UK sizes to get US sizes and for UK double crochet (dc) read US single crochet (sc). I'm British and even after four years in the US still have to rely on the Craft Yarn Council's conversion chart to change mms to American sizes for hooks and needle size.  

The pattern is really well written and I appreciated the photos in the survival sock pattern A LOT! When you're a novice sock maker you may not be able to exactly visualize where a gusset goes. I've only knit cuff down socks before and crocheted slippers so I really needed the visual. I've decided I like the toe up design very much so I can try it on as I go along. 

 

My gauge swatch was a bit off height wise so I had to modify the pattern a little before starting out. My foot widens as it goes up so I had to customize the sock with increases before the heel and then decrease before getting to the cuff but that's fine. Feet come in all different shapes and sizes and I'd expect some customization. My student's sock fits her well. The photo shows where we are with the survival sock so far... We're make good progress!

I've already started on crochet sock pattern #2. The hunt for the ultimate crochet sock continues! I will update you on how I'm getting on here on the blog. And I'm tagging my hunt with #ultimatecrochetsock on Twitter or Instagram if you're on either of these. (I'm craftyescapism on both.)

And if you have any crochet sock stories to relate, I'd love to know in the comments below...

Before you go though, have a little listen to the latest episode of The Crochet Circle podcast: http://thecrochetcircle.podbean.com/e/episode-4-a-crochet-journey/. It made me laugh SO MUCH when around two minute in, Fay and Lynne started talking about my review. I wasn't ready for that! I've got to meet those ladies in person someday! They are so fun!

 

 

Summer of Socks and Sporadic Blogging

My children are on holiday now (our summer vacation is 11 weeks long here in Texas - woah!) so my weekly blogging schedule may become a bit more sporadic over the next few months. I'm going to try my best to still write weekly but just in case put your email in the box top right and I'll let you know when there is a new post. We have our annual jaunt to the UK to visit family and friends in July and a fun summer road trip planned to North Carolina in August - a new state for us. And I have a couple of research projects to juggle too (my day job - amazingly crochet is only my side gig).

 

Strawberries for bunting evoke memories of British
summer time. Pattern from Simply Crochet issue 18

And I have a summer project - I have made it my mission to find the ultimate crochet sock pattern. I have knit several socks over the years and there is now such wonderful sock yarn out there I don't see why us crochet lovers should miss out on all the fun. And socks are really portable when you're travelling - another good reason for the sock choice. I will be writing all about my quest here on my blog.

My summer of socks progress is already underway on my twitter and instagram accounts so if you're on either of these I'm @craftyescapism on both. I've adopted the hashtag #ultimatecrochetsock despite the advice of my eleven year old daughter "mum, never ever use hashtags."

And if you have tried crochet socks, have a good pattern to recommend, anything crochet sock related really.....you know what to do, write a comment below or get in touch on twitter or instagram.

And in the meantime .... hook on!