Check-In Post March 28th 2023

[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]

14 rows of the ribbing done on the front. I'm going to see if I can finish that and do the increase row tonight...

[darkcedars]

Good luck, that sounds like good progress either way.

[badly_knitted]

Thanks. I did it!

[wiseheart]

Ambitious! *g*

[badly_knitted]

But totally doable because I've done it! Ribbing is the easiest part.

[yarnofariadne]

Best of luck!

[badly_knitted]

I did it! Yay!

Trying to figure out your icon...

[yarnofariadne]

It's a flying fox hanging from a branch and looking at a camera below him :D

[badly_knitted]

I thought it looked batlike, but the angle was throwing me off, lol!

[spiralicious]

*\o/*

[badly_knitted]

Ribbing finished!

[spiralicious]

Excellent!

[thegreatratsby]

hello!!!! new to this comm :D does anyone have any advice on multi-ball intarsia? i'm currently trying to knit a scarf with vertical stripes of 5 different colors joined using intarsia but dealing with the yarn twisting and tangling is an enormous pain

[darkcedars]

When I've had multiple balls joined to a project, I've had them in a basket on its side and paused regularly to rearrange. Kept them stable so there wasn't the added problem of the skeins falling off the couch or being sat on by the dog.

[thegreatratsby]

yeahhhh i've started + frogged + restarted a few times now, and untangling regularly definitely is the Right Way but i'm lazy and i don't want to keep doing that over and over :"( plus, yes, having the yarn out and about has presented separate issues with my cat going "oh, For Me? :3" so a basket or container is a really good idea

[badly_knitted]

Hello and welcome!

I've worked in two colours before, but I'm a tight knitter so not great at it. Working with five colours would be... Yikes! I can easily understand the twisting and tangling must be a nightmare. I think I'd put each ball in a separate bag with the handles tied so they wouldn't bounce around and tangle together, then just try to set them out in a row and move them as necessary each row. Fiddly, but maybe it would save having to keep getting them untangled.

smallhobbit knits picture sweaters so she might have some better ideas. I cheat and stitch the pictures on afterwards, that wouldn't help you though. I do love the idea of your stripy scarf though! What colours are you using?

[thegreatratsby]

yeah it's realll tangly :"( i'm trying to do a 1x1 rib instead of stockinette or garter which means that it's not joining right either i don't think? aughh. i'm experimenting with some scrap yarn now to see if it will look really dumb to do all the stripes separate and then seamlessly join afterwards...
i'm making my SO this scarf from an anime he likes (yuru camp)!! so in theory not a complicated project but it's proving a real pain

https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/V4cAAOSwLXhj~SuF/s-l500.jpg

[badly_knitted]

That scarf looks really amazing, I hope you can figure out how to recreate it.

I had a thought... If you could get a plastic container and punch 5 holes in the lid to thread the different balls through, that might help? Not sure it would work, but it's an idea.

If you did 2 x 2 rib and changed colours between two knit stitches (or purl on the reverse) you might get a better join.

[thegreatratsby]

yes it's very cute!! i'm excited. that's a good thought, definitely some sort of Yarn Container needs to happen

i did a little test swatch and unfortunately a 2x2 rib is not the look i want :( i think you're right on the join being more secure that way, though. hrmm.

[badly_knitted]

I hope you can find a container that works to keep your warn under control.

I thought that might be the case. You may need to experiment a bit until you find a joining method that works. I think it's trickier when it's the same number of stitches in each colour on every row. You don't want to end up with gaps. *wanders off to think*

[wiseheart]

No crafty times today. Too many other things to do. *sigh*

[darkcedars]

Meh. Chores.

[wiseheart]

Well, we had choir practice, too, so the day wasn't entirely wasted. :)

[badly_knitted]

I feel your pain *hugs*

[darkcedars]

Working on the baby blanket a bit (it's laundry day). Have joined the 3rd skein now.

It's sunny but chilly, two pink hyacinths are starting to open.

[wiseheart]

Yay for the pretty flowers!

[yarnofariadne]

Sounds like a lovely day! Excellent progress on the baby blanket.

[badly_knitted]

Yay, 3rd skein! Sounds like you're making good progress!

Oooh, hyacinths! I can almost smell them from here!

[spiralicious]

Nice work and yay, for flowers!

[tielan]

Finished the pouffle. Tried to fill it.



I would never have ever said before this that I don't have enough scraps but...I don't have enough scraps to fill the pouffle!

[badly_knitted]

Your poor pouffle looks like it has ambitions to be a beanbag chair! I think you might need to find something else to stuff it with.

It does look great though, despite being a bit under-stuffed.

[tielan]

I mean, I would love a beanbag chair! Maybe that can be next on the list...

[badly_knitted]

I have one =)

They're best filled with those little polystyrene balls though.

[spiralicious]

It's cute, even underfilled

[althea_valara]

My new hook came today, and I have attempted a swatch of the Tunisian shawl with it, but ugh... it didn't go well. I know Tunisian has a tendency to curl so you use a much bigger hook with it for the yarn size to help combat the curl, but I am having issues dealing with lace weight yarn and an H hook. I tried doing a swatch with worsted weight and the H hook and that went much better... until I misread the pattern, that is. *rolls eyes* Shawl is now in time-out.

This weekend I made a fingerless mitt for a Nerdopolis entry, using some Lopi that someone at stitch club was giving away. I jumped on it because LOPI. It's my first time using it and I quite like it. I may make the mitt's partner tonight, and if not, tomorrow.

[spiralicious]

Sorry the shawl had to go into timeout. Hopefully it takes the time to think about what it's done and how to behave more appropriately in the future.

Hurray for the Lopi mitt!

[badly_knitted]

That sounds so frustrating! I hope you manage to figure out your issues so you can make your shawl.

Yay for the fingerless mitt! Good luck with its partner!

[spiralicious]

It's been a rough month. Today, when not prepping for the power to possibly go out because of the storm, I focused on trying to get the spring decorations gift basket for my aunt done, which I didn't finish. I got a fair amount done on it though.

I gathered the premade items together: a set of fabric egg shaped gnomes with rabbit ears, a set of sequin covered eggs (that look like dragon eggs), and two little craft kits. One is a rainbow shaped scratch art board with pointy stick and the other is a set of peeps coloring pages with watercolor paint attached to each page to use.

Of the things I've made:

Earlier in the month, I made a set of pom pom rabbits and I had a friend help chose which one was the least unhinged looking one for my aunt's basket.

I started the clothes pin carrot. Technically, I'm making two in case I screw one up. I got as far as dismembering the clothes pins and painting the pieces. The base color is orange and you are supposed to dry brush white on top to give it a shabby chic look, but that isn't my aunt's thing. So, I used metallic paint in antique gold instead.

I also started the cardboard tube tulips. They are cut out and the stems are painted.

I think that's everything today. My brain is mush.

[badly_knitted]

I hope you manage to keep power despite the storm.

The decorations basket sounds awesome! So many wonderful goodies going into it!

LMAO over the unhinged pompom rabbits. I like mine looking as crazed as possible *grins* Pompom creatures always turn out weird.

Sorry you're having a rough month.

[spiralicious]

We lucked out!

Thanks ^_^ She likes decorating and has only been able to buy seasonal decorations since she moved there in October, so I doubt she has any spring/Easter.

Pompom creatures are a delight, mostly because of their crazed nature.

Thanks.

[badly_knitted]

Glad to hear it!

I'm sure your aunt will be delighted!

Crazed woolly creatures are the best kind ;)

[spiralicious]

Thanks! I sure hope so.

Indeed ^_^