The K/CAL: Participant Edition

Signing up to be part of a Knit-a-long (KAL) or Crochet-a-long (CAL) is a pretty low commitment event. You don’t have to pay anything extra, you’re just buying the pattern (often at a discount!) and yarn and making along with some new friends. Often A LOT of them! There have been a couple of these events lately in the maker world done by some pretty big names like TL Yarn Crafts  (Coles River CAL) and Knitatude (My Beginner Raglan KAL). Below are 5 reasons joining a KAL or CAL is a great a idea!

5 Reasons to Join a KAL or CAL

1. Motivation – If you saw my post on why I test patterns you’ll know one of my reasons for doing so is to get projects DONE! Even though there’s no deadline or obligation to finish by a certain time, everyone else is making their project, and it makes you want to keep up! Especially if you are part of a K/CAL for reason #3 below, keeping on schedule allows you to learn what you need to along with everyone else.
2.  Making new friends – This could be in a superficial way of gaining new followers on Instagram, or actually meeting new people in the maker world you have things in common with! Even if they’re not forever friends, the maker community can be very supportive, which can add to reason #1.
3. Having lots of help available – If the designer is running or part of the K/CAL then you have the most accurate source of information available to you right there. And whether they’re part of it or not, all those other makers in the group may have the information you need to get past any little hiccups.
4. Getting new ideas – A pattern of course gives you exact directions on how to complete your projects. But one of the great things about making is that you can alter things to make it completely unique to you. So whether it’s colour work, or modifications, or styling, there’s inspiration waiting for you. Just check out #mybeginnerraglankal on Instagram for all the creativity you can witness in a K/CAL.
5. Trying something new – Maybe you’ve been wanting to make a particular item, but it seems a little intimidating. Well, with reasons #1 & #3 above, this is the opportunity to expand your skill set!

Have you done a KAL or CAL before? Let me know below!