It’s two weeks later again and another block has been released for the Moogly CAL: the Purple Plaid Square by Hooked For Life.

As you can see below, my square isn’t purple, but it is plaid. Many of these squares put together would make a continuous plaid pattern, but because I am only using this one square in my blanket, I decided to add a little embellishment.

This square used some new techniques for me. The plaid pattern is uses a technique called colorwork. I needed to make some separate small balls of yarn for the colors that are repeated in a row. The colors are changed as the row is stitched. In this case, I had up to five strings attached to the work at one time.

All those strings can make the work a little messy, but because the squares are relatively small, each time you cut a yarn, it untangles. Once I got the hang of it, it was really pretty easy. Seeing the pattern begin to form was spectacular.

See that big hole in the picture above. That’s a learning spot (some might call it a mistake, but let’s be kind). It’s because of the new technique I learned. I learned how to make a foundation single crochet. The first row is not chained, but built (for lack of a better word). It is a great way to start a blanket when you don’t want to chain a bazillion stitches. Once I got the hang of it, I really like it, but there is a learning curve. I watched this video on YouTube to learn. I’m glad I live in an age when everything is available with one click of the mouse.

The writer of this pattern included videos to help with the color change and surface crochet. It was probably the best tutorial on surface crochet that I’ve seen so far. (If you’re asking what surface crochet is, it’s the green line that makes a cross in the middle of this square. It is sewn on after the square is completed.)

Let’s be honest. This square was intimidating. I wasn’t sure it would fit in with the style of my blanket. But I grasped this square for what it was–a learning opportunity. I’m so glad I did. It took a while to sew in all of the ends and I had to alter the border slightly to make my square square, but it has awakened my a creativity and a desire to do more colorwork in the future.

After all, the Crochet Along is all about introducing new styles and techniques. Have you joined the Moogly CAL yet? Why not?