NatCroMo Freeform CAL ‘Pattern’ 2008

Okay, the rules of the game are that every day of March 2008 you will receive two game instructions:

1. a particular stitch to do
2. a change in medium (hook, yarn or direction)

The number of the given stitch to do will be chosen using a given random number generator. If you do not have access to the given generator, please ask a friend for a random number in the given range and do that many of the stitch.

Where a given stitch/pattern name has variations, you should do the variation of your choice. (So DC may be done by either UK or US versions, a shell or fan may have different numbers of stitches within it.) The variation chosen should be consistent on that day.

I am assuming everyone has access to at least two hooks and two yarns. If a given instruction won’t work for you (eg I say to go up a hook size and you’re already using your largest) please use your discretion.

This is only meant to take a few minutes each day and should not be detrimental to your other projects! I hope it’s fun.

For those on Ravelry there is ongoing discussion of how the game is going here.

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March 1 instructions:
Throw a single die and chain that number using your favourite hook and the brightest available yarn. (ch a number between 1 and 6)

March 2 instructions:
Pick a card from a standard playing pack, and do that number of single crochet with a slightly smaller hook into yesterday’s chain. Keep going around the chain in a spiral if today’s number is bigger than yesterday’s. (Ace=1, Jack=11, Queen=12, King=13, Joker=15 – yes I know 14 is missing, but this is the scoring method my family uses for certain games.)
(sc a number between 1 and 15 into your chain.)

March 3 instructions:
Please change yarn and do treble crochets around your piece. Today’s number depends on how many candles you lit last time you did, whether this was for a birthday (doesn’t have to be yours), religious reason, dinner party or whatever.
(1+ tr)

March 4 instructions:
Choosing your number from the page you’re on of a book or magazine you’re currently reading, please change direction and make that number of filet spaces in rows, making every tenth (if there are any) space filled.

March 5 instructions:
Going up a hook size or two, do your favourite/lucky number of half-trebles/-doubles. (If you did the filet spaces in rows rather than in the round, please go down the side now, rather than back along the top.)

March 6 instructions:
Change yarn, and then add up all the digits of however many posts you’ve made on Ravelry’s forums (If you aren’t on Ravelry use the number of emails you’ve sent recently). Today we are making a double layer of petals along or around the piece. (If your number was 1, please count this as one pair of petals.)

(2-36 petals in a double layer.)

(NB I’ve made a multiple-petal-layer tutorial. Let me know if it doesn’t make sense.)

March 7 instructions:
Change either your yarn or your hook to give you the best comfort, because today we’re doing a speed trial. Give yourself 3 minutes to do as many hdc/htr as you can.

March 8 instructions:
Changing yarns again, I’m afraid, and we’re doing puff stitches today. Please choose the number of the month you were born, and do that many puffs.(1-12 puff stitches.)

March 9 instructions:
Please change to a smaller hook and depending on what hour of the day it is, do that many fans.

March 10 instructions:
After the fans come clusters, in a different yarn, please. This time use the date of the month on which you were born.

(1-31 clusters)

March 11 instructions:
Please add up the digits in the year of your birth, change direction, and do that many extended double (UK)/single (US) crochet stitches.

(2-28 edc/esc)

March 12 instructions:
Please measure the length of your hair in centimetres, and do that many back post trebles, in a new yarn.

March 13 instructions:
Whatever number you would give the day of the week it is today, do that many bullion stitches, with a larger hook.

(1-7 bullions)

March 14 instructions:
Adding up the digits in your telephone number enough times that it becomes reasonable, hold the current yarn together with a previous one and do that many v-stitches.

March 15 instructions:
Using just the newer yarn from yesterday, do front post half doubles/trebles by the number of letters in your online name.

March 16 instructions:
Change direction and do a number of double trebles based on the birth weight of you or your child.

March 17 instructions:
Using a smaller hook, make a ruffled section across a number of stitches based on the number of yarns currently in your project. Put two double crochets in each stitch, and do the same number of rows (still with 2dc in each stitch) as stitches you are originally working across.

This instruction isn’t very clear, so the following alternative may help:

1. Change to a smaller hook.
2. Take your number from the number of yarns you have used so far in the piece.
3. You are now going to do double that number of double crochets, 2 in each stitch (so in the number of stitches you got).
4. Turn and do that same number of rows, doubling the number of stitches in each row, by doing two stitches in every stitch.

March 18 instructions:
Change yarn. First do a slip stitch, then a dc/sc, then htr/hdc, then tr/dc, then dtr/tr, and keep stepping up. How tall will you go? Do a second of your tallest stitch, and step all the way down again.

March 19 instructions:
Change hook size, and do spike stitches to the age you started formal education.

March 20 instructions:
Time to make some picots, to the number of years of formal education you want to admit to (so far). Then when those are done, please fasten off your yarn. (We’ll be picking up elsewhere tomorrow.)

March 21 instructions:
Join a new yarn in on the opposite edge to where you finished yesterday’s instruction, and do as many popcorn stitches as you know languages.

March 22 instructions:
Depending on how many projects you have in your Ravelry notebook, please do that many loop stitches with a larger hook. If you aren’t on Ravelry, then however many you have to hand, finished or not.

March 23 instructions:
Change yarns, and we’re doing the basic Tunisian stitch today. Please flip a coin to do two or three rows of a number of stitches to the value of your coin. (Keep it relatively small and they should fit on a normal crochet hook.)

March 24 instructions:
Using either a single die with a large number of sides, or multiple dice with 6 sides (or an online equivalent) obtain a number of treble crochets to do, alternately in the front or back loops.

March 25 instructions:
Based on your most recent game score (if this was very large, add the digits) use a smaller hook and do slip stitches.

March 26 instructions:
Change yarn, and do Solomon’s knot stitches to the first number you look up and see.

March 27 instructions:
Take a larger hook, and do as many X-stitches as there are windows in the house/apartment/building you are currently in.

March 28 instructions:
Please change yarn again, and do Astrakhan stitch to the value of the last postage stamp you used.

March 29 instructions:
Crab stitch in a larger hook to the number of colours you are wearing.

March 30 instructions:
Change yarn and do picot crowns to the number of timepieces you use/have changed this month.

March 31 instructions:
Using your favourite hook, take the average age in your household and do that many corkscrew fringes.