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MooglyCAL2023 – Finishing MooglyCAL2022 and Looking Ahead!

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Where has the time gone?! MooglyCAL2022 was yet another year full of amazing squares, fantastic designs, and wonderful crocheters all supporting each other. Now, it’s come to an end… which means it’s time to plan MooglyCAL2023! In this post, you can see my finished 2022 afghan, see the colors I’ll be using for 2023, and get the schedule and information you need to join in for the coming year!

MooglyCAL2022 and MooglyCAL2023 Disclaimer: Materials provided by Yarnspirations; this post includes affiliate links.

Finishing MooglyCAL2022

As always, we’ve had 24 amazing designs by 24 talented designers! Every year I learn a new tip, trick, stitch, or technique – usually a few! It’s such a joy to get to try all these patterns.

You can get the complete list of links to the squares on the post for Block 24! Or if you like to be able to see them all on one page, check out the MooglyCAL2022 Pinterest board!

And here’s my finished blanket! Well, as usual, there are a few ends to weave in yet…

MooglyCAL2022 Finished

For joining, I used the Tight Braid Join technique, and for the border, I used the Windows Border – Rnd 1 in Pewter, and Rnd 2 in White.

On to MooglyCAL 2023!

Subscribe to the Moogly YouTube Channel to make sure you don’t miss any of our lives or videos!

Block 1 is up now – click here to go to Block 1 for 2023! 

How the MooglyCAL works

If 2023 will be your first MooglyCAL, then welcome and we’re so happy you’re here! This is a year-long crochet along, featuring 24 afghan squares or blocks, designed by 24 different professional crochet designers. It started in 2014, and has been getting better every year! Is it the longest running online crochet along ever? I think it just might be!

The squares are released every 2 weeks with a post on Moogly, where I share my notes, my version, and helpful links and tutorials. There is a link to the new square at the bottom of my notes, where you can get it direct from the designer!

You can make them all, or pick and choose, add extras – it’s up to you! There is nowhere you need to sign up to join, but there is a fantastic Facebook group for the CAL (lots of pattern help there!) and a MooglyCAL2023 Pinterest board you can follow if desired!

Want to Get Notifications?

Leave a comment on this blog post and check “Notify me of new posts by email” before you hit submit, and you’ll get an email any time there is a new post on Moogly. And you can sign up for the free Moogly weekly newsletter at the top of this page – there’s always a link to the latest MooglyCAL post included!

The Yarn for MooglyCAL2023

This year I’ll once again be using Red Heart With Love – it’s my favorite for afghans! But this year, I’ve tasked the designers with using their choice of With Love or Caron One Pound. Both are 4-Medium weight and are a good substitute for each other. And this way, they will have more colors to choose from – as do you!

Red Heart With Love vs Caron One Pound

This year, I decided to mix it up again, and use just 3 colors: White, Pewter, and Light Gray! I’ve chosen this ultra-neutral palette for a couple of reasons.

MooglyCAL2023 Palette

First and foremost, I’m excited about the challenge of working with this color combo. I think it will make for some really interesting squares, and the finished blanket will be perfect for the bed in my guest room. Additionally, I hope that my squares will make a great “black and white” image for those who wish there were coloring pages for the squares to plan their own color layouts!

Of course, you should pick your own colors – however few or many you want! If you want 12″ squares, make sure the yarn is a 4-Medium. If you prefer to use a DK or “3” weight yarn, the squares will likely be about 10″ square.

On average, a 12″ crochet square uses 150 yds of yarn. To make all 24 squares, plus have extra for joining and borders, I recommend purchasing 4420 yds of yarn total. How you distribute this is up to you! Some people use one color for the whole blanket, others a whole bunch, and some even just pull from stash making a crazy colored blanket! It’s up to you!

The Hook for MooglyCAL2023

For the hook, I will be using a Susan Bates US-J, 6.0 mm Twist and Lock hook for the Moogly Crochet Along, and all the designers will use the 6.0 mm hook of their preference. You can use a smaller hook if you tend to crochet loosely, or a larger hook if you tend to crochet tightly. But I do recommend that you use the same hook throughout the CAL, as that makes final joining easier, as your loops will be closer to the same size.

Susan Bates Twist+Lock

The Patterns for MooglyCAL2023

As always, there will be 24 new patterns by 24 fab designers! A mix of previous year’s designers and new names are included, and they are a surprise (to you – not me, haha!) until the square is announced! They are all hand-picked by me, and they have promised that their CAL patterns will remain forever free. If they close down their blogs, then the patterns are to be uploaded to Ravelry.

If a pattern pops up that isn’t to your liking, feel free to skip it! You can go back to the previous years’ CALs and find a substitute you’d like to try or pick one of your own from the thousands of beautiful afghan squares out there. There is often a lot of inspiration for these in the Facebook Group!

The easiest way to visually browse past year’s patterns is via their Pinterest boards: MooglyCAL2022, MooglyCAL2021, MooglyCAL2020, MooglyCAL2019, MooglyCAL2018, MooglyCAL2017, MooglyCAL2016, and MooglyCAL2015.

MooglyCAL Pinterest Boards

PLEASE NOTE: The designers all hold individual copyrights for their patterns. They may choose to make videos of their patterns, and you can certainly request them from the designers. This year I *may* make some additional videos, but we have to play it by ear as each square is designed.

In addition, there are videos linked in the notes for specific stitches and techniques that may help you with the pattern.

In other words – you don’t have to already know how to read patterns to participate in this CAL, but you do need to be willing to learn how!  

The Schedule for MooglyCAL2023

The squares are released every two weeks throughout the year, on Thursday mornings at 10am Central US time. We begin in January, and then the last square debuts one day early – the day before American Thanksgiving!

This gives you a chance to grab the pattern before the holiday, and it gives you the entire month of December to join and edge your blanket. The joining and edging patterns are up to you, but there are lists of both on Moogly provided along with the CAL for inspiration.

Here is the MooglyCAL2023 Schedule (already released blocks linked on their dates):

January 5 and 19
February 2 and 16
March 2, 16, and 30
April 13, and 27
May 11 and 25
June 8 and 22
July 6 and 20
August 3, 17, and 31
September 14 and 28
October 12 and 26
November 9 and 22

What Can You Make with the MooglyCAL2023

What can you do with 24 afghan squares? There are several options!

4 blocks x 6 blocks – 4′ x 6′ afghan
3 blocks x 4 blocks – 2 3′ x 4′ baby blankets
add an extra square – 5′ x 5′ afghan
pair them up and make 12 12″ pillows
add a bunch more and make whatever you want!

How to Join the MooglyCAL2023!

So what do you need to do next? First, be sure to join the Facebook group and follow the Pinterest board if desired! And sign up for the newsletter and/or check the box and comment to make sure you don’t miss a square!

Then, go get your yarn! If you choose a yarn that doesn’t have dye lots, you can purchase it as you go through the year. But most yarns you’ll want to get matching dye lots for, so I recommend buying it all at once if possible.

Finally, look for the first square to debut here on Moogly on January 5, 2023! I can’t wait to share it with you! As you make your squares, feel free to share photos in the Facebook group, or on social media – and don’t forget to use the tags #MooglyCAL2023, #mooglyblog and #yarnspo!

MooglyCAL2022 and MooglyCAL2023

Thanks so much for crocheting along with me! I can’t wait to see all the beautiful blankets you crochet this year! You can follow Moogly on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Tik Tok, and Instagram, and don’t forget to sign up for the free newsletter at the top of the page – every issue includes a link to the latest CAL square! Thank you to Yarnspirations for providing the materials for this crochet along.

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Reader Interactions

Comments

    • Stephanie J Munkvold

      Just discovered this. I’m so excited to get started!I think I will use the 3 colrs you chose and maybe a touch of red just for accent.

      Reply

    • Tamara Kelly

      Yes, just drop down to the hook size that works best for you! Based on others’ experiences, DK squares will be about 10″ square, so you can account for that when planning how many you’ll want to make. 🙂

      Reply

  19. Cindy

    So exciting! I’ve never participated in a year long CAL and I’m looking forward to this one. Your 2022 blanket is gorgeous!

    Reply

  24. Kim

    This post isn’t showing up on your homepage. I got here through the newsletter. I thought it was settings/cookies on my phone, but same thing on husband’s laptop (which had never met you before). The most recent post is the loop scoop when I go to your homepage. If your traffic is down, don’t blame the holidays! I love your blog. I hope the issue gets straightened out.

    Reply

  34. Sonya

    This will be the first year I am attempting this CAL. I thought it would be fun and a good way to use up some of the yarn in my stash. Thanks to all the designers for doing this!

    Reply

  35. Ulrike k

    Oh, this sound so interesting. I want to joyn for the 2023 CAL.
    Best regards to all of you and a happy crochet-year!

    Reply

  40. Erin Nikitin

    I’m excited to begin, I just hope I can get through it this time, my last one took three years 😂, but I had a lot of square choices.

    Reply

  41. Yjuania F Baskerville

    Last year some squares were two colors and some were six colors. What is the maximum number of colors for a square? I’m trying to plan and buy my yarn today.

    Reply

  47. Yjuania F Baskerville

    I decided to start with three colors and buy more as needed. I will be starting with ruby, pewter, and stone. Since this my my first Moogly CAL, I am going to be asking a lot of questions. Thank you in advance for putting up with me…LOL

    Reply

  52. Bobbi

    This sounds so interesting and not going too fast. Haven’t picked colors yet, but will very soon. Thank you to all the designers

    Reply

  72. Viky

    Hola. Voy a participar si puedo en este cal. Es mi primera vez y tengo la duda de cuanta lana comprar de cada color
    Voy a copiar tu idea de un degradado de 3 colores. ¿Cuánto comprar de cada uno?
    Saludos y enhorabuena por tu trabajo.
    Viky

    Reply

    • Tamara Kelly

      Hello Viky! The yarn total is given above – 4420 yards. You can divide that by the number of colors you want to use to see how many yards of each color to buy, taking into account you many want more of certain colors for joining and borders. The number of skeins depends on your yarn choice, as they all have different amounts per skein. 🙂 I hope that helps!

      Reply

  79. Ann M.

    Oh my gosh, your 2023 palette is almost identical to my 2022 palette. I used eggshell, light grey, pewter and platinum (which unfortunately appears to be discontinued). I can’t wait to see how yours turns out this year!

    Reply

    • Tamara Kelly

      I might have been inspired! 😉 (And yes, so bummed so many colors have gone away – hence the Caron One Pound option!)

      Reply

      • Ann M.

        I appreciate the new option and I took advantage of it for 2023. I’m just finishing up my 2022 afghan and am hoping to post all my squares and the finished project to the FB group within the week.

        Reply

  90. Kat

    “If you never did you should. These things are fun and fun is good.” – Dr. Seuss

    First timer! Looking forward to a new challenge! Thank you for sharing your light.

    Reply

  99. Esther M Merrell

    Please include me in the 2023 CAL. I’ve never tried one, but have been crocheting for 50 years. I’m excitedly looking forward to particating! Thank you for your generosity!

    Reply

  100. Amanda McNamara

    Hi Tamara
    I was trying to go to the WordPress page where the first square is but is showing an error of “this has been disabled”. I pressed the highlighted ‘5’ of the date in the list. Is there somewhere else i should be going to get the pattern?

    Reply

  109. LINDA

    I am trying to figure out why it seems to me Square 1 & 2 are named the same thing- that 70’s Square. Is it supposed to be this way?
    I have that square but nothing else for this year so far and according to the dates the 3rd will be released tomorrow.
    I am on your mailing list so if you rather respond there you can or I will look tomorrow. I hope somehow I did not get mixed up and miss it. If I did well there are a lot of other squares I can choose right~
    Thanks Tamara <3

    Reply

  110. Linda

    Ugh I must be half asleep…they are nit the same lol. ‘
    I just checked and going to grab square 2 now.
    Thank you Tamara and YES laugh!
    Too funny! I really have been up for 4 days straight though… time to take some sleeping pills ugh

    Reply

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