One of the things that I wanted to do in 2017 was to join a KAL (knit along) or a CAL (crochet along) on Ravelry. I happened upon the 2017 Crochet a Block a Month CAL group, oohed and ahhed over the showcases from previous years, and went out to get some yarn.
Let’s be honest. I don’t really need to make another blanket; we have plenty in our house. However, working on the same design as other people in roughly the same time frame appealed to me.
The main block for January was Moody Blue by Helen Shrimpton. The second round of the pattern gave me so much trouble. I just could not figure out how to crochet into the ring without it bunching up or creating a huge hole. I ended making these modifications:
Ch1, * working over R1, 1 long sc into ring, Ch1 *
Repeat from * to * 22 times, 2 long sc into ring
Join to first long sc, close ring, fasten off, and secure ends
Stitch count: 13 long sc, 11 sc = 24 stitches.
I used US H for Round 1, switched to US F for Round 2, and back to US H for round 3.
After that, it was smooth sailing. Well, sort of. I didn’t weave in ends as I finished rounds…a mistake. It was so much more confusing trying to weave them in after.
I had so much fun making my Moody Blue square that I also did the January filler square. Now my afghan is going to be a bit larger than I originally planned. 😀
The filler square was the Floral Kaleidoscope Afghan Square by Julie King. Such a lovely pattern! I really enjoyed highlighting the flower in the center with the blue color that I had picked out. Other people had made modifications to the pattern to make it less airy, and I probably will do the same if I were to make the square again.
I loved making squares with everyone during January’s CAL. It was so inspiring to see everyone’s squares in the forum. The color schemes were so amazing; it made every square special and different. I can’t wait for February!
