I don’t know why I seem to always be late to the game in recent years but I am. There was a time when I was the most technically advanced person in my family. It’s almost as if I have no idea where I’ve been the past decade or so sometimes. I only recently discovered (in the past year) that there was a rather massive internet crochet population and that there were groups on Facebook. Not just groups on Facebook but a whole social site just for people who crochet and knit called Raverly.com. Who knew? Certainly not I.
I’d be lying if I reported to you that I felt like anything but a doofus once I finally got with the program because it’s like they speak a whole other language. I’m not talking pattern language either, that’s a whole other topic within it’s self. I’m talking, these people have their own, honest to goodness language. At least with text speak I could go to one of my kids. With this I was lost!
So last week I stuck my neck out and asked the members of one of the largest groups on Facebook (of crocheters) if they had the same issues when they first discovered the groups and what was the acronym that confused them the most. Below you’ll find the most popular responses. I hope it helps someone in the future who is like me and doesn’t want to be “the one” who says, “Excuse me. What does xyz mean?”
#1 Frogging – It’s what happens when you make a mistake and you decide to undo all of your work. Think about the sound a frog makes as you say the following words: Rip It…. Rip It….. ripit….ripitripitripit! Yeah, that’s how “frogging” came to be.
#2 WIP – Work in progress
#3 FOTH – Fresh off the hook. It’s what you say when you’ve completed a project. Not to be confused with…
#4 HOTH – Hot off the hook. It’s what you say when you’ve completed a project but you’re a little more excited about it than you were about #3.
#5 CAL – Crochet A Long. This is when a designer or a group of designers release portions of a pattern over a span of time and oodles of folks all work the pattern at the same time. It’s good fun. You should try it if you haven’t.
#6 Block – Blocking is what a lot of people do with projects that are made from natural fibers to give them a specific shape. They make boards for these but crafty folks have devised other methods like foam puzzle pieces to pin their work to. Basically, get your project wet, stretch it out, pin it down, wait to dry. Pretty result. Blocking. Yay.
#7 Hooker – Stop it! Naughty! A “hooker” is a term crocheters call themselves because, well they use hooks!
#8 Yarn Barf – It’s what happens when you’re pulling yarn from the center and all the sudden it decides you need ALL of it’s guts, all at once. Not to be confused with…
#8 Clown Barf – This is what happens when variegated yarn falls in an unflattering way while you’re working. It’s happened to the best of us.
#9 Mandalacorn – This refers to a specific type of yarn made by Lion Brand called Mandala. It comes in cake form and each colorway has a specific number of colors that should all be in the same cake. Apparently, if you find one that doesn’t have all the colors it should it’s called a Mandalacorn, think the mythical creature Unicorn that is supposed to be rare. Unfortunately I’ve seen more Mandalacorns than I have regular Mandala Cakes so it still confuses me if I’m being honest.
#10 Stash – It’s your yarn. Big or little, it’s a stash.
Hope this helps someone one of these days.
Thanks for the great guide