Check-In Post January 1st 2022

[badly_knitted]

achievements and seeing the wonderful things everyone else is creating?

There may also occasionally be questions, but again you don't have to answer them, they're just a way of getting to know each other a bit better.


Today's Question: Do you have any crafting goals for this year?


If anyone has any questions of their own about the community, or suggestions for tags, questions to be asked on the check-in posts, or if anyone is interested in playing check-in host for a week here on the community, which would entail putting up the daily check-in posts and responding to comments, go to the Questions & Suggestions post and leave a comment.

I now declare this Check-In OPEN!

Comments

[badly_knitted]

I've done it! Finished the last 5 meeces (for now) with the navy blue! That brings the total up to 111, which seems fitting!

The next ones will be a sort of bluish green, combined with various other colours.

This year, once I've finished making meeces, I'm hoping to make some bouncy spiders, although that means doing hand sewing, which I dislike. I'd also like to get back to some small cross stitch designs I was working on 2 or 3 years ago, finish my red sweater, and knit at least one more sweater. Very ambitious goals, but who knows?

[smallhobbit]

You should be able to do all that - you were charging through sweaters last summer - it was only Strictly which slowed you down. How many meeces are you aiming for in total?

[medievalrosalie]

Congratulations on getting them finished! Your Meeces no longer in pieces! Hooray!

[wiseheart]

Ambitious, yes, but I am sure you can do it.

[m_findlow]

I think they way you've been churning through projects that is totally doable. *cheering you on*

[monksandbones]

I knit a lot more in 2021 than my completed project output would suggest, so my goal for 2022 is to finish what I started! I have seven active WIPs and a further six (at least) projects that I've bought the materials for, so it would be good if I could get some of those done amid the inevitable shiny new projects that will arise this year.

[smallhobbit]

Yes, shiny new projects really are the enemy of the WIPs.

[medievalrosalie]

Wow! Sounds like quite a list you've got going on there!

[badly_knitted]

Good luck with that! Projects have a bad habit of breeding, but at least if you get tired of working on one you can switch to another and work on that for a bit. Just try to resist the temptation of those shiny new projects until you've finished a couple you've already started.

I still have several knitting WiPs of my own... 5 at last count, I think.

[annofowlshire]

I started a new embroidery project today to ring in the new year!

My crafting goals this year are to keep up with my challenge comms (which basically means one thing started and finished each month), finish some WIPs, and otherwise just enjoy the process and make what I want rather than what I feel like I “should.”

[smallhobbit]

Hooray for new embroidery project! Completing a craft item each month sounds really impressive. I totally agree on making what you want rather than what you 'should'.

[medievalrosalie]

Hooray for a new project! And WIP's are always good to chip away at!

[badly_knitted]

That sounds like an excellent plan! The most important part of crafting is to enjoy what you're working on. It shouldn't feel like a chore.

[smallhobbit]

Cross stitch goals: the bookmark I'm currently stitching; the swan kit I was given last March when I retired; plus the next in the Tenby series.

Knitting: I'm on square 13 of my throw, so reaching 24 squares in total would be good; finish my scarf; the angel kit.

[medievalrosalie]

That's a good cross section of things! Good luck!

[badly_knitted]

That sounds like a good variety of projects. You're over halfway on the throw already, and the scarf should be fairly straightforward. The others are more complicated I would think.

How about finishing the sheep?

[m_findlow]

I'm excited to see more progress on your throw, and I loved the first Tenby cross stitch so yay for more of those!

[medievalrosalie]

Goals for this year: Finish the roses curtains. Finish a curtain for the medieval bathhouse display. Possibly a new wool surcote lined with linen. I've not finished the dark blue silk kirtle, but not sure I'll be needing it soon, so that's on a back burner. Also inspired by the group to try lino printing which I haven't done since high school!

[smallhobbit]

Those are some impressive goals! And enjoy the lino printing!

Posting here because no everyone has LJ. :)

[medievalrosalie]

A very quick post to wish everyone a very Happy New 2022!

I've missed the last week or so here as my brother (in law) was airlifted from his local hospital to one of our major ones in Brisbane for a bunch of serious brain surgeries for 2 different things, and when the surgeons closed up they cut the femoral artery and he needed a further few hours surgery to save his leg. He's recovering super well, but my sister has been staying with me and we've pretty much spent all our time in that direction.

I returned to work with Covid cases gone from 1 or 2 statewide a day to over a thousand a day and let me tell you, things are extremely scrappy. So very happy to have this group to keep me motivated to keep crafting for heart happiness! I'm going to try to read back and catch up with everyone's Christmases and New Years happenings in the next day or two.!

Craft-wise, I've had time at the hospital in between visits to work on website updates. I changed my journal style and liked it so much I'm in the middle of changing the entire website over to match. So, not really craft, but creative, at least!

Re: Posting here because no everyone has LJ. :)

[smallhobbit]

Sending you, your sister and brother-in-law the very best of wishes for 2022.

[pensnest]

Hmm. I'd like to do a bit more - which ought to be possible, as last year saw all kinds of time-consuming concerns within this household.

I want to get a bunch of Christmas cards made for next time.
I want to knit myself a scarf/shawl with the rather gorgeous brown yarn from my stash.
Actually, I'd like to turn a fair bit of my fabulous stash into actual garments of some kind.
Oh, and I want to patch my jeans!

[badly_knitted]

Good luck with fitting more crafting into the coming year. You've got a good variety of projects planned!

[althea_valara]

Happy New Year, everyone! My main crafting goal this year is to finish two blankets: the Peppermint Swirl blanket for ME, and a crocheted ripple blanket for my niece. I started the ripple in the wee hours of the morning, as I had insomnia. I wouldn't mind working on it some more but the hand says no.

I posted my monthly crafting update in my journal. You've seen it all I think, but it has a picture of the finished blocked and starched snowflakes. It's here:

https://xnera.dreamwidth.org/1060285.html

Weather permitting we will be having our family Christmas get together tomorrow, so I am alternating between cleaning my room and weaving zoom loom coasters as a last-minute gift for mom.

[badly_knitted]

Hands can be annoying when they're the one part of you that doesn't want to do crafting. Hope yours feels better soon so you can get back to crocheting the blankets.

Wow, the snowflakes look wonderful!

Enjoy your Christmas get together!

[wiseheart]

I've finished the 2nd kiddie bag. When the 3rd one is completed, I might pick up paper embroidery for a while again. And there are some vague Easter projects that need to get shape in my head yet.

[badly_knitted]

Well done!

Enjoy your paper embroidery, and your mysterious Easter projects ;)

[peaceful_sands]

I didn't get anything done today.

My goals for the year are to keep crafting and enjoy myself and use the time to relax and detach from the every day stuff that builds up.

I'm not too worried about any specific projects, although it would be good to finish the Winnie the Pooh cross-stitch I had started before Christmas, and at least one of the two pairs of socks that I've got started. I bought yarn to try crocheting a sweater - this would be a first so a bit nerve-wracking - I've always stuck to blankets or small projects really when it comes to crochet. There is another blanket lurking in a drawer that's barely started - might be good to do that although I don't know what I'd do with it when finished. There are lots of things that I'd like to do if time and energy permit but I also want to keep up with my reading as I've been making a determined effort to reduce the number of unread books in the house and trying to find the time for everything I'd like to have time for is always a challenge!

[smallhobbit]

I'm fully in favour of doing the crafts you want. Projects can be adjusted as you move through the year.

This year my plan to read my TBR pile faster than it grows!

[verdande_mi]

I finished sewing together a blanket of crochet squares, now I have the job of tying off the ends!

Goal of the year is get a knitted vest finished!

[smallhobbit]

The end of your blanket is in sight, which is great. Best wishes for your knitted vest.

[m_findlow]

I don't have any specific crafting goals for this year, just to do more in general, and hopefully eventually some bits and bobs to decorate the house. I do have to finish Sonja's crosstich for the baby due mid Feb, but I'm out of white thread and not keen going out to get more. May have to suck up postage and buy online. Still time though as I can't finish it without baby girl's name and official stats.
Not so much crafting today as I finally made the rum balls I'd planned to do on Christmas eve before Dad's covid scare put paid to that (negative in the end but wiped out two whole days as mum and I attempted to isolate from him in my barely furnished house - we still had to sleep at home as I don't have any beds yet). It's been hot as hell the last few days so not good for making rum balls, but today was the least hot of all the days.
One batch of rum balls is the standard digestive with a hint of cocoa recipe, the other batch were a new recipe using cream cheese, crushed pineapple and coconut with graham crackers (substitute digestives as it was a US recipe). Haven't tried one yet but once they're set tomorrow I think they'll be okay.
Also found a puzzle when clearing out the bookcase. My aunt bought it for dad as a gimmick so I finally put it together, convinced there were pieces missing right until the end.

[smallhobbit]

Doing more craft is an excellent goal. Sometimes it's easier just to order thread; I've found sometimes eBay works out cheaper for one single colour.