Check-In Post August 30th 2022

[badly_knitted]

Hello to all members, passers-by, curious onlookers, and shy lurkers, and welcome to our regular daily check-in post. Just leave a comment below to let us know how your current projects are progressing, or even if they're not.
Checking in is NOT compulsory, check in as often or as seldom as you want, this community isn't about pressure it's about encouragement, motivation, and support. Crafting is meant to be fun, and what's more fun than sharing 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: No question today.


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]

The seed trays have gone, but the pots are still there. Well, I've moved them because I have to out tomorrow and I don't want to forget and drive over them by accident, but no one's taken them yet.

Got some more ivy and brambles cleared. I'm working on the banking now, but it's difficult because it's growing around the plum tree, rambling holly that's all over the place, and a shrub, plus more and bigger brambles. =/

[wiseheart]

Dear God, your struggle never ends, does it?

[badly_knitted]

The garden was mostly neglected for about 15 years, there's a lot of work needing to be done.

[darkcedars]

Oh gosh holly too???

[badly_knitted]

The Holly and The Ivy... *grins* It's August and my garden is a living Christmas Carol. The Holly has berries too. I know I'll have to cut the Holly back, but first I need to find out where it's rooted, which is easier said than done.

Pic as promised

[wiseheart]

So, here are my basic little felt Nativity scenes:



The pattern seems to be easy, but getting all the necessary stitching done, through multiple layers of hard felt and double-sided tape was a killer on the fingertips, so I seriously doubt that I'd make them ever again.

I still have to parts for 5 more penguins cut out and taped together, and after that I might want to give this little angel a few tries, if only I can figure out how the body was folded:

Re: Pic as promised

[darkcedars]

cute!

Re: Pic as promised

[m_findlow]

Re folding - I'd hazard a guess it's a circle of felt,folded back at the one third mark and then folded forward from each side from the centre point. That's how it looks to me anyway. Would be interested to hear if that works. Good luck.

Re: Pic as promised

[wiseheart]

Thank you, I'll try it that way.

Re: Pic as promised

[badly_knitted]

That's my thinking too, although I would have made the first fold a quarter of the way down. Makes me almost want to try myself.

Re: Pic as promised

[wiseheart]

One third seems to be working well enough. We'll see.

Re: Pic as promised

[badly_knitted]

Good luck, looking forward to seeing the resulting angel!

Re: Pic as promised

[badly_knitted]

The nativity scenes are cure, and the angel is adorable. I think I can see how the body is folded, it doesn't look hard. It's done from a circle of felt, right? What I can't figure out is what the wings are made of.

Re: Pic as promised

[wiseheart]

I've bought a few sheets of stiff, sparkly felt a couple of months ago, for no particular reason, just because they were sooo pretty. Now I can put them to good use.

Re: Pic as promised

[badly_knitted]

Sounds perfect for angel wings!

Re: Pic as promised

[sister_raphael]

Oh those are just gorgeous! The nativities are so cute and the angel is adorable!!! You're so clever!

Re: Pic as promised

[wiseheart]

Thank you, although none of them are actually my design. I'm just copying ideas I find all around the 'Net.

[glinda]

I've been blocking a shawl today! I borrowed blocking boards from one of the other members of my knitting bee for the purpose and it's a much better shape now!

[darkcedars]

That's great. I usually procrastinate on the blocking.

[glinda]

Oh there was definitely procrastination. I cast off the shawl about three weeks ago, it's taken until now to block it, which is...about average for my procrastination on that sort of thing. (Probably would have been longer but the boards are on loan so I wanted to give them back within a reasonable timescale!)

[badly_knitted]

Yay for successful blocking! And how lucky you could borrow the boards instead of having to buy them!

[sister_raphael]

Non knitter here... what's a blocking board?

[wiseheart]

Exactly what I wanted to ask. ;)

[darkcedars]

This morning my parents picked up a cubic yard of topsoil from the forestry department for me. I have huge tubs of it plus piles on the edges of the flowerbeds. I'm going to work this new soil down into the flowerbeds to help solve the fertilizer toxicity issue. The rest goes towards smoothing out low spots in the yard. Just helping get it out of the truck was my morning energy. I'm about to go outside and put a little in the herb containers to give them some fresh soil.

Otherwise it has been laundry day. I worked on a dishcloth for 5 minutes here and there as I was making myself rest.

[badly_knitted]

Wow, that's a busy and tiring day! Moving topsoil is a huge job, but it'll do your garden good. I need to get something to dig into the poor soil I've been left with, but I don't know whether to buy compost or topsoil.

[darkcedars]

I decided on topsoil so I could also use it to fill in low spots, as one yard was way more than I need for the flowerbed. The flowerbeds are so very, very clay. I hope you have something like a local forestry dump to purchase from, all of this was $26.

[badly_knitted]

I know somewhere I can get 4 bags of compost for £10, so I might try that. My soil is predominantly clay too. Not fun.

[sister_raphael]

Your flowers will thank you for the new top soil for sure!

[tielan]

Trying to draft an slip to go under a sheer dress, and it's going okay, but it's going to be a bit of a frankenslip with added bits and panels so parts of it don't gape quite so awkwardly. Also, I made it from lining fabric, which was a mistake, rather than making it from anything that has its own fabric flow or hang...

[darkcedars]

haha frankenslip. A true learning experience project.

[sister_raphael]

As long as it goes under, if it fits, it's a win!

[badly_knitted]

Slips are tricky at the best of times, I know my mum used to have trouble making them (I can't sew myself), so good luck, I hope it works out. I love that's it's a frankenslip *grins*

[sister_raphael]

Tried on my pink, wool kirtle again and pinned it in around the body so that it fits much better. It's hard to do without a second person for the back seam, so I'm worried that I haven't done it correctly. Another try on before I cut, methinks.

[badly_knitted]

Probably wise to have another try on. Sewing is like woodwork - measure twice, cut once.

[wiseheart]

So true. Even with small ornaments, it's always a risk. I'd never dare to try my hand on a life-sized garment.