Questions

[SaraK]

Until I got proper blocking mats I used pizza boxes with the correct size drawn on them and then pinned my pieces on them. I also briefly (15 to 25 secs) held these over a large pot of boiling water as I found that steam blocking worked better with acrylic (is Waverly acrylic?) and I did it from the first week onwards (especially as I was making three afghans) so that everything wasn't happening in the joining week. After the pizza boxes I graduated to exercise mats which could hold more pieces. I hope this helps. Some people also have stainless steel wires that they use to block with too.

Brilliant idea with the pizza boxes!

I use an old Yoga mat and strait bins from my sewing basket (cause really I can't sew anyway lol) You can cover it with a pillowcase and use an iron with a steam setting as long as the iron itself doesn't touch the yarn. I use a handheld steamer and it just takes a few quick seconds to steam block it, not very long at all, its actually a LOT easier than it sounds.

[Jen]

Opps posted this to wrong board
Yipee a KAL & CAL.
Have got the colors picked out. But need to make them longer, have men in the house that are 6'6" and 6'3",
would get plenty of grouching if I made either of them less then 65", normally do 72".
How much extra should I order and will the patterns allow for the extra length.
On the last KAL and CAL, created some differnt pattern blocks to add extra length and width.
Waiting for advice, to order, can't wait to get started

I can't be specific on extra quantity to order, but I'd say if you wait until the final placement of the blocks is released, you could probably find a way to add a few more blocks and make it larger, though the design wouldn't be identical. For the crochet blanket, the obvious way would be to add more of the background color (MC). Likewise for the knit one, you could extend the border as wide as is necessary.

[PTate]

Opps posted this to wrong board
Yipee a KAL & CAL.
Have got the colors picked out. But need to make them longer, have men in the house that are 6'6" and 6'3",
would get plenty of grouching if I made either of them less then 65", normally do 72".
How much extra should I order and will the patterns allow for the extra length.
On the last KAL and CAL, created some differnt pattern blocks to add extra length and width.
Waiting for advice, to order, can't wait to get started

I can't be specific on extra quantity to order, but I'd say if you wait until the final placement of the blocks is released, you could probably find a way to add a few more blocks and make it larger, though the design wouldn't be identical. For the crochet blanket, the obvious way would be to add more of the background color (MC). Likewise for the knit one, you could extend the border as wide as is necessary.

Thanks Jen,

On the last KAL I ordered 1 extra skein of each color and it was not enough so I ended up adding 2 more colors and making the 8 block from the KAL and the 2 extra block patterns I added. Will order 1 more skeing of each and hope that will be enough.

[PTate]

Decided to do the CAL, ordered my yarn yesterday & today I was looking over the 2010 CAL and started to psych myself out. I've been crocheting 2 years but rarely any challenging patterns (code for, I stick to easy, basic patterns within my comfort/ lazy zone). I am also left-handed which seems to be a problem for me with some patterns. Will there be resouces for those of us who may get stuck on a section?

Thanks!!!!!

I am also a left handed crocheter, you should not have any problems on an afghan, the only time I run into problems is when there is a raised stitch (cable, bobble, ect), but that is easy to correct by adding 1 extra row at the beginning and making the 2nd row your right side. I crochet left handed and knit both left and right, found it easier to knit sweaters and such right handed

[sally]

Until I got proper blocking mats I used pizza boxes with the correct size drawn on them and then pinned my pieces on them. I also briefly (15 to 25 secs) held these over a large pot of boiling water as I found that steam blocking worked better with acrylic (is Waverly acrylic?) and I did it from the first week onwards (especially as I was making three afghans) so that everything wasn't happening in the joining week. After the pizza boxes I graduated to exercise mats which could hold more pieces. I hope this helps. Some people also have stainless steel wires that they use to block with too.

Brilliant idea with the pizza boxes!

I use an old Yoga mat and strait bins from my sewing basket (cause really I can't sew anyway lol) You can cover it with a pillowcase and use an iron with a steam setting as long as the iron itself doesn't touch the yarn. I use a handheld steamer and it just takes a few quick seconds to steam block it, not very long at all, its actually a LOT easier than it sounds.

For the 2010 CAL I bought a foam core poster board, covered it in plastic and pinned my squares to it, which worked fine until the moisture finally got into the board and it started to seriously warp. After that I finally made my own blocking board (I refuse to spend a minimum of $50 for a small one). I bought 2 2x4 ceiling tiles from a home improvement store, reinforced the edges/corners with duct tape, and covered it by stapling some one inch gingham fabric around it. The tile material helps draw out the water in the piece so it dries quicker and I can measure the size by the gingham checks. When it's not in use, it slips easily under the bed or behind the wardrobe. Plus, being 4 foot long, I can block almost anything on one board. All said, I think I spent roughly $15 for two blocking boards.

[LuckyRainbow]

In the last CAL, I used finishing nails arranged to the correct size on the bottom of a wooden wine crate from my local package store. I painted each nail with some clear nail polish. Works great with my steam iron.

I have also made a blocking cushion using foam square covered with gingham waterproof tablecloth material. It can not be used for steam blocking but works great for air dry blocking.

[Sillycutie20]

I'm doing a class for my friends to learn to knit/crochet (one class per craft). I'm going to use the clues from the KAL/CAL as the project to go along with the lessons. Is there a way to get 10 people's worth of yarn at once? Will the Bernat shop be able to handle all of that to one person?

[Shandeh]

I'm doing a class for my friends to learn to knit/crochet (one class per craft). I'm going to use the clues from the KAL/CAL as the project to go along with the lessons. Is there a way to get 10 people's worth of yarn at once? Will the Bernat shop be able to handle all of that to one person?

I wish I could be there to see your classes! Be sure to post photos!

I think all that yarn could be done in one order. Just give it a try, and see what happens.

[Siouxzan]

In the Questions Forum we are told the first clue is released on February 15th and the last clue will be released on April 11. And that clues will be released every week on Wednesday. Therefore there will be 9 clues for this particular pattern. I'm just not sure if the last clue is how to put the pieces together and joining them.

[rsolis13]

In the last CAL, I used finishing nails arranged to the correct size on the bottom of a wooden wine crate from my local package store. I painted each nail with some clear nail polish. Works great with my steam iron.

I have also made a blocking cushion using foam square covered with gingham waterproof tablecloth material. It can not be used for steam blocking but works great for air dry blocking.

I keep seeing all this talk about "Blocking"... fairly new to crocheting, and a newbie to CAL. Can someone please explain what "blocking" is?? Thanks!