Check-In Post January 28th 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: Looking back at last year, which of your completed projects (or WiPs) were you most pleased with?


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 crafting from me yet, but I wanted to get this post up so everyone wouldn't have to wait until after 8pm my time.

[wiseheart]

Not that any of us would have a problem with *that*, mind you. :)
What are your crafty plans for the evening?

[badly_knitted]

My crafty plans were to knit while watching Dancing on Ice, which I have done. The ribbed cuff for the first sleeve is done except for the increase row, and I've done 10 rows on the sweater front =)

[darkcedars]

Oh great!

[badly_knitted]

Thanks!

[celli]

yay!!!

[badly_knitted]

Thank you!

[peaceful_sands]

Sounds like good progress during DoI. There were some very good skates tonight. I've not firmly settled on my two favourites yet - still being pulled a little or maybe I'll have to go with having three favourites.

[badly_knitted]

Thanks!

I think I have 4 at present, there are some very good contestants and some big surprises (Eddie the Eagle!).

Was it just me, or did pro skater Mark in his Matrix routine, with his hair slicked down, look a lot like Criminal Minds' Spencer Reid? Great routine though.

[wiseheart]

I attacked the songbook again, since my fingertips have recovered from the last bout of heavy sewing. Almost finished another page and added small embellishments to the last one. Yay!

[darkcedars]

That's great!

[badly_knitted]

Yay indeed! That's great progress, well done!

[celli]

Oh, fantastic!

[peaceful_sands]

Glad the fingertips recovered enough for you to resume work. It sounds like you made excellent progress.

[wiseheart]

Yeah, it was time to pick it up again. Considering that it was supposed to be a Christmas present... Fortunately, my friend is a patient soul. :)

[darkcedars]

I have done two rounds on the doily today, so that's up to 15 (of 19).

About to take the dog for a walk, she's been full of it today and it is warm enough at the moment.

[wiseheart]

Wow, you are almost done!

[darkcedars]

Just need to not lose momentum!

[wiseheart]

That's often the tricky part, yes.

[badly_knitted]

The doily is coming along really well!

Hope you and your dog enjoyed your walk!

[darkcedars]

She said she didn't want to go. Then by the time we got back to the door she pouted that we were done.

[badly_knitted]

Dogs can be almost as contrary as cats!

[peaceful_sands]

You're doing well. Hope you enjoyed the walk.

[badly_knitted]

The ribbing for the first sleeve is completed, except for the increase row, and I've added 10 more rows to the sweater front =D

[althea_valara]

Excellent progress!

[badly_knitted]

Thank you! Glad to see the Ninth Doctor agrees with you ;)

[peaceful_sands]

Woo hoo! excellent work.

[badly_knitted]

Thank you!

[althea_valara]

Progress on the stocking. It turns out my row gauge on the stocking body must've been different than the pattern/vintage stockings, because as you can see Santa doesn't quite fit on the stocking body. So I'm going to rip back the cuff and add more rows to the stocking body to match the vintage stockings.

Of course, I had already woven the ends in on the cuff... *grumble* But I sent an update on to my patron, who seemed pleased, so that's good!

In other news, I am spending a LOT of time on Tumblr lately, where my feed is being bombarded with artwork and screenshots of Erenville (a character from Final Fantasy XIV), and now I want to knit him. I've gone so far as to pick out yarn and safety eyes, but haven't ordered yet. I really have too many projects to do right now, so it would NOT be smart to start a new one, but.... cast-itis, man.

[badly_knitted]

That's annoying for you, but it sounds like it's fixable at least. Take note of how many extra rows you have to do so the other stockings will match.

At least you can make plans for your next doll project while you work on the more urgent things.

[peaceful_sands]

Shame that the sizing didn't quite work, but at least you are able to fix it.

It's so easy to get tempted into something new before finishing all the stuff already lined up or even underway - that's one of my goals for this year - to finish two projects for every new one I start.

[wiseheart]

I find it very cute!

[celli]

Yesterday and today, for no real reason, I made a bisexual whale! (or a bisexu-whale, as my friend said, lol.)

[badly_knitted]

Utterly adorable!

[peaceful_sands]

What a lovely looking whale.

[peaceful_sands]

Does 'indoor gardening' count? Today I set up two terrariums and then did a bit of repotting and took some cuttings to try and make some of my houseplants look a bit healthier. I didn't get around to making progress on the tapestry.

[badly_knitted]

Why not? Terrariums should definitely count. Good ;luck with your cuttings!

[meridian_rose]

I made a post about all the crafts I'd dabbled in last year and some from previous years including some knitting - I am very much an amateur knitter though!
Years ago I knitted a cushion cover for my sister. At some point it disintegrated! I made her a shawl a couple of years back, I knitted two tiny toy hats for my nephews' favourite toys this year, and I decided I'd try a cushion cover again. Size 10 needles with chunky wool one side, and with two strands of thinner wool kitted together for the other for interesting effect. I never add zips, and on this occasion not even a button and loop to hold it, but a flap you can fold in over the cushion inside.



I also knitted some tiny decorative mittens from a magazine - they're done on straight needles and sewn up after so need for 4 needles/circular needle. I made plain blue to try them out but you're supposed to use different colours for the ribbed section and/or use mixed colour wool for the mitten or stitch on patterns e.g. snowflake to make them more festive to hang on the tree.
I had to use a Youtube video to learn how to rib because I kept adding stitches when swapping between knit and purl in the same row! I'm toying with the idea of scaling up and knitting mittens for Lochlan because he likes mittens and you tend to get them only for younger children and then adults, everyone has to wear gloves inbetween; he also keeps losing mittens and is currently wearing one red and one green mitten!

[badly_knitted]

Well done with the knitting, and the fold over flap for the cushion cover sounds like a great idea!

All crafts are welcome here!

What my mum used to do to keep us kids from losing gloves or mittens was to attach them to the ends of a length of elastic, thread the elastic through the coat sleeves and then even if you take the mittens off, you can't drop them.

Good luck with making bigger mittens!

[meridian_rose]

Thank you :)
Mum did the same when me and my sister were little, elastic through the coat sleeves, but apparently the school doesn't allow it because everything is a choking hazard now (he's 6!). I've seen high-end coats that come with gloves/mittens on a short cord that's hidden just inside the cuff "for safety" but that's a much bigger and more expensive option!

[badly_knitted]

Maybe attach them somehow with a button? It's sad how so many practical solutions are now seen as dangerous. Guess you might have to just make a lot of mittens! Make every one a different colour so there aren't any pairs, that way losing one won't matter, lol!