Loving the sparkly blanket! You’ve been busy 
@BonBon Well, I kind of had to be, if I’m going to get this blanket done by Aug 4th! Seriously though, this blanket works up really quickly, you’d be surprised. My patterns are all pretty simple, if I’m to be completely honest. I haven’t figured out how to make more complex patterns, yet.
Hey everybody!
Extending this CAL is still on the table. There was chatter early on that we may need to consider September 4th as the end date. I would also be happy to leave the thread as an on going Hook-a-Long. Anybody who wants to ‘drop by’ with whatever project they’re working on at the time, would be welcome. No pressure to commit to an end date. It could be called the Infinity CAL, or the Never Ending Hook-a-Long. 
What say you??
I really like your idea! A CAL normally has rules and expectations but the concept of a NEHAL is like fiber work in general, never ending. The informality and ability to work on any project suits me perfectly; I would use this to unearth the eldest WIPs and resolve - rip 
or finish. I’m hooked on :rolleyes: the no committed end date but periodic progress postings would prevent me from burying the WIP again (there is a reason they’re buried). Plus, it would be a fine thing to celebrate an original thread sometime down the road. 
On the other hand, seems like there are only a few of us still posting here as folks have headed off to other threads or Groups as they get established. Maybe this could grow into a Group…
We could extend for now and see where it is in Sept.
@BonBon I think that in a CAL the expectations, rules and deadlines are what most people expect, it helps them focus and push to completion. September 4th as the end date sounds good to me. My crochet project will take a while but I certainly don’t expect you to keep this open for me. We could start a sub-forum of WIP or what are you working on.
Well, I’m a couple of weeks off, but I finally finished it! The Diamond Mesh Crib blanket is finally complete, and the pattern is off to the tech editor. I hope to start pattern testing in the next week or two! But here is the complete project:
Nicely done!
Some thoughts about why things are slowing down here: Most of the C/KALs that I participated in were led by designers who were using the a-long to promote their latest and greatest design, while creating a fun and supportive armosphere. Some take off and some don’t. I think that the successful ones were more able to establish a fun and caring community outside of the actual C/KAL. These are the ones that I am having a hard time letting go of on R. I have mostly lurked due to time constraints, especially the last two years with working two jobs and life in general. But I have come to care about the forum members and their families, and, yes, even their fur babies. I don’t know why this connection happens in some groups but not others. All I know is that when I am trying to decide which a-longs I want to join, ( because there are a lot of them, even off R) I give greater consideration to the ones where I have felt included, even as a lurker. And that goes for other patterns as well.
i also think anyone who starts an along or group on Fiberkind, or any of the other start ups, needs to be realistic about numbers. Even if their numbers were inflated, R still had a lot more members than we have, and of those members, only a fraction are even going to be interested in a CAL, and then the other considerations of item, cost, time, etc. also trim those numbers even more. Being successful may mean 3-4 people actively participating, not tens or hundreds.
I have been thinking about this, because I love C/KALs, and I have found some groups on Facebook, but I would love to participate in some here. I have met some wonderful people here.
@ReneCall - I hope you feel at home here. Fiberkind is definitely in its infancy but growing every day. We may never have 8.5 million here - in fact I hope we do not get that big - several thousand active members would be awesome. I love the small town feel here - I feel like I know nearly everyone.
When I left, the thing I really missed more than anything is the sock knitting groups I was involved in. I wanted to get to know other sock knitters, have sock knit alongs, and grow with a new community. Kind of like moving to a new home. Since that is where my interest is, I started knit alongs. The first one was on our first website - and it was mostly a get to know you thing. Kind of pump up the volume. I discovered several that wanted to knit socks too - so when that timeframe was over, I found a few patterns I kinda liked and put them out there as “featured”. Everyone followed. It was awesome.
I do work some behind the scenes to get things organized. I try to test knit most patterns before I suggest them. I try to find a few that might satisfy several folks needs. And all of the hard work has paid off. I am in 7th heaven there. My crafting mojo is back, and we are building a community again. We’re getting to start another knit along, folks are getting organized with yarn colors.
We’ll get there - slow but sure. This site will be whatever we - as a community - make it. I know I found my new home.
If you would like to organize specific crochet alongs and need help, let me know. I’m happy to help. Just give a shout.
@Char- I am very happy here, and I realize that it is going to take some time for this site to grow. I really did not mean to imply that anyone was doing anything wrong. This is an awesome site for as young as it is and being set up on a shoestring budget, and its potential is wide open, as long as we remain welcoming and open minded. I also agree that I don’t want this site to become as huge as R was/ is. I think that is part of what led to the issues at R. I was simply trying to offer my thoughts on this matter.
I think the sock knit a longs are great, and I hope that they continue to be a success. I think that a-longs will really help to build up the feeling of community here. I don’t knit socks because I have to wear compression stockings. I do wear socks over the compression stockings at times during the winter, but spring, summer, and fall in Texas are just too hot! The compression stockings are miserable enough. I really don’t have any family that are interested in hand knit socks, so no incentive to get into sock knitting. Believe me, I do looking longingly at some of the patterns! And sometimes I scroll through the pictures, looking at all of the beauty produced by such talented people.
I have been thinking about hosting a knit a long or crochet a long, even though I have never done it. New site, new world, new adventures, right? I was thinking about trying after the new year, and starting a group that maybe alternates between a knit and crochet a long each month. I don’t think I could moderate two a longs at one time. Thank you for your offer to help, I will definitely keep it in mind and reach out. The details are already running around in my head and the little voice that says “You can’t do this. You aren’t good enough to…” is already whispering. Right now, I am online sporadically, and mostly only have time to read a few forums and check in on groups. I now work nights and 12 hour shifts. The days/nights that I work, I have time to work, walk the dogs, and sleep. I need to figure out a schedule where I could actively meet the needs of the group on a more regular basis. The past two years, I worked two jobs and seven days a week, which curtailed my crafting time, much less actively participating in conversations on the forums, and led to me not knowing about R until it was old news. That schedule ended in the middle of July when I resigned from one of the jobs, but I am still adjusting to my new normal.
I really did not mean to offend anyone, or to imply that anyone here is not working very hard to make this the best community of crafters on the internet. I am truly sorry for doing so. I am also sorry if this post is a little rambling. Sleep deprivation is real.
@ReneCall - I definitely wasn’t offended. Didn’t mean to come across as I was.
It was apparently my bad attempt at being encouraging and helpful. LOL. Oh well.
Get some sleep and you and I can kick some ideas around when you are ready.
Just joining! Started this yesterday. Paid pattern by Dora Does 
Rainbow Smiles Sweater in Loops & Threads Joy DK 
Hi Ceyana! Wow, it looks like you made a lot of progress in one day! I love the colors you chose
Looks great! Pretty colors!
I’m sure I’ll find