Check-In Post January 14th 2024

[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.


This Week's Question: Do you have any crafting resolutions for 2024?


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]

No sewing up today, but I've cast on for the back of the red sweater and done the first row, so I can just pick up and continue while watching Dancing On Ice.

[celli]

It's so nice to have a TV project all set up!

[badly_knitted]

I always try to get something ready to go when there's something on TV that I actually need to look at and not just listen to *grins* Makes life so much easier.

[wiseheart]

Once upon a time I did a great deal of crafting in front of the telly. Then we rearranged the furniture, and now the light isn't really good for that anymore.

Have fun with Dancing On Ice.

[badly_knitted]

I tried, but the standard of skating isn't as good as usual, my favourite pro skater isn't taking part this year for the first time EVER and there's a new presenter that I just want to slap him every time he opens his mouth. He's so annoying. I think he's supposed to be a comedian, but he's not even remotely funny.

At least we still have the usual judges, who I really like, there are some exciting new pro skaters, and a couple of the contestants showed some promise. Oh, and I finished the rib for the back, all 28 rows, so there's that.

[darkcedars]

Nice

[badly_knitted]

Thanks! I got the ribbing done =)

[celli]

I'll be stitching later today - I have a zoom every Sunday with a friend and we craft & talk. I'm also going on a work trip next week with long plane & train rides, so I plan to take the guinea pigs and get some work done. There's a part of me that wants to take a second project, but it's not like I'll get DONE with the guinea pigs.

[wiseheart]

Just how many guinea pigs are we talking about?

[celli]

There are three and I've finished two! I've been working on them for literally months, though. (Partly because inches and inches of turkey rug stitch are kind of boring, so I've been periodically stopping to do other things.)

[badly_knitted]

It's good that you can use your travel time to work on a project. The guinea pigs will be very well travelled!

Hope you enjoy tonight's chat and stitch session!

[celli]

I love that! Yes, they've gone with me on a couple of business trips! :D

[badly_knitted]

They'll be earning their own air miles soon!

[darkcedars]

Yeah, stick with the one project on a work trip.

[celli]

Thank you! I needed someone to tell me that!

[wiseheart]

I did a bit of crafting: finished the inside-the-mill page (the one with the vicious flour sack) and started the next one. Not much, I admit, but an important detail out of my hair, so it's okay.

[badly_knitted]

That's good progress even if it wasn't a huge amount. Putting the finishing touches on anything can be very time consuming.

[wiseheart]

Yeah, especially as the original excitement over the project has long burned out. *g*

[badly_knitted]

That can happen when something takes a long time, especially if it's a repeat of a previous project.

[darkcedars]

I still think all progress is good.

[wiseheart]

So do I, actually. I've decided to work as long each day as I still enjoy it, and not a minute longer.

[celli]

I am a fan of any "out of my hair" style detail being done! That is awesome.

[monksandbones]

I had stalled for a few days on my current knitting project (a belated Christmas scarf for my dad) because there was a dismaying dyelot difference between the first and second skeins of yarn I'd bought. I decided I was going to rip back what I'd knitted with the second skein and use the third skein, which was more similar to the first, while I considered what to do. When I got out the third skein to wind it, I discovered that... it wasn't a dyelot difference. I had bought two different colorways by mistake! On the one hand, I'll have to get more of the original colorway, but on the other hand, even if I have to buy a different dyelot, it probably won't be as different as the other colorway!

Anyway, I thought the members of this community would appreciate my mix of facepalm/relief!

[darkcedars]

Hahahaha oh noooo.

[monksandbones]

I knooooooow! I'm thinking I'll make a hat out of the nice other skein of the wrong colorway...

[badly_knitted]

We all make the odd mistake, but at least you won't make that one again! Hopefully you'll be able to continue with the scarf before too long, but I'm sure it was annoying having to rip everything back to where you joined the second skein in. Wishing you better luck!

[monksandbones]

Honestly, I can't guarantee I won't make that mistake again, although I'm sure I'll try harder to remember the names of colorways in future. In this case I bought the skein of the wrong colorway later when I realized I'd need more yarn than I originally bought, which certainly didn't help!

In any case, I'm planning to make a hat out of the odd skein, and I'm glad it wasn't a dyelot difference, which would actually be more of a problem than a colorway difference, since it shouldn't be a problem to get more of the original colorway.

[badly_knitted]

Very true, when dyelots don't match it's a disaster so at least this was a relatively simple fix.

A hat sounds like a great idea.

[celli]

Oh no and whew! :)

[monksandbones]

Minor oh no, big whew! I think I should be able to get more of the original colorway without too much trouble, which is better than facing a bad dyelot difference, which could be insurmountable!

[darkcedars]

Still in ridiculous cold here (0F/-18C then there's wind). I have only been making a list for my craft spring cleaning.

Also browsing African violet catalogs. My mom has been reading her great aunt's journal from the 50s. She mentioned repotting Neptune. I found a nursery that sells it and am considering getting one in spring.

[badly_knitted]

So cold! Definitely the weather for staying in and making plans.

Ooh, a new African Violet to join the family! What colour is it?

[darkcedars]

It's one of the original 10 released commercially. They're all purple. Huge leaves, tiny flowers.

[badly_knitted]

Wow, an ancestor of the modern ones!

[darkcedars]

I should have mentioned the flowers will be a lot like my profile photo, though perhaps a bit lighter. Profile is a species African violet.

[badly_knitted]

I thought it might be, since you love them so much =) It's very pretty.

[celli]

That is WAY too cold! I'm glad you have fun inside things to do.

[darkcedars]

Taking the dog out is a trial for us both.

[alafaye]

Today I finally finished up my Hannukah cat piece -- work stuff took me out at the knees so I didn't manage anything after night two.

Today I got new cross stitch thread so I can start a larger project. Right now it's just two very small flowers with leaves, but its a start!

I also picked up a "no sew throw" -- which sounded easy but when my sister read the directions, we decided to save it for another day when we had more brain space to put toward the project lol.

[badly_knitted]

Well done on finishing despite work getting in the way.

The new cross stitch sounds pretty!

Instructions are sometimes too much for brains to cope with. I hope you can figure them out next time you look at them.

[darkcedars]

Lol definitely save the new type project. Glad you got the piece done!