Check-In Post April 26th 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: We all make mistakes - what's your most memorable crafting disaster?


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

[b_e_x]

Hi! I am new here - a geriatric LJer returning to Dreamwidth for a place to write a little more than my typical social media platforms allow! Super excited to find this community.

I'm a crocheter, a pandemic hobby that uhhhhhh escalated quickly and turned into a lil' side gig. I enjoy making fantasy creatures like dragons, unicorns, etc., and recently started designing my own patterns. I also enjoy making safety eyes and 3D printed stuff to use on my projects, like horns and antlers as well as yarn bowls, hook holders, all sorts of nerdy things.

[badly_knitted]

Hello and welcome! I started out on LJ too, I think a lot of us here did =)

Crochet is awesome, there are quite a few crocheters here (not me, I can only manage a few basic stitchers. Brilliant that you've been able to turn your talent into a side-gig, especially with making fantasy creatures. That sounds like a lot of fun! Nerdy things are good.

[b_e_x]

Thank you so much for propping up this group for everyone!

[badly_knitted]

I enjoy chatting with everyone =)

I was taking part in a write every day check-in a few years back and thought... This sort of thing would work as a crafting community. Asked a few people if they'd be interested, and they were, so I set it up. People pop in and out as they feel like it, and there are a few regulars, but I just wanted a place where all kinds of crafters could get together and share what they love, help each other out, and learn new things. Members are free to make their own posts here, but so far not many people have. I guess the daily check-ins are easier.

[illariy]

Hello and welcome! I, too, came from LJ, I think many did. ;-)

Wow, you do crocheting as a side gig? What exactly do you do, like where do you sell and items and now patterns, too, yes? That sounds very intriguing!

I learned crochet as well as knitting, weaving etc as a child but have not done any fibre arts in years. Wanting to get back into it but my high Youtube watchtime keeps me from getting too much done. I am now transitioning to crafting (paper crafts) while watching YT so hopefully, some crocheting might be in my future. :-)

Am excited to see you here. :-) Yeah, having more space to write and an active community to interact with are both awesome things about DW. DW is my favourite social network, in fact.

[b_e_x]

I do, yeah! It started out with just selling some of the stuff I made, mostly to people I know. I think I had been crocheting for like 8-9 months when I opened my Etsy store (I started in Jan 2021 and opened the store that October, iirc). Then I got into painting my own safety eyes and selling those, and I'd say that's what drives most of my business now - I always feel like the biggest customers for crafters are... other crafters, so I sell a lot more supplies and patterns than I sell finished objects. And then last summer I designed my first pattern and started selling it on Ravelry and Etsy, and now I have three published patterns! The pattern design stuff can be REALLY time-consuming, though, so it's hard to find the time around my actual paid work (I've been a university professor for a decade, and I'm now moving into a fulltime research role).

I definitely crochet while I'm watching stuff at night! My husband and I have a home office with side-by-side desk (not to be cutesy, just for keeping all the cords managed, haha!). So our nightly routine is that we stream something on my second monitor, I sit at my desk and crochet, and he plays a game on his PC!

[illariy]

So cool to hear about how you started your crochet business, thank you for sharing!

I'd say that's what drives most of my business now - I always feel like the biggest customers for crafters are... other crafters

Oh, I had been wondering about that so intrigued to hear it confirmed for your business!

Your evenings with your husband sound so cosy. ♥

Oh, are you on tenure track now and will still be in the new role or are you purposefully moving away from tenure? I am doing another bachelor's degree because I want to change careers and not gonna lie, I love going to uni and everything around it so am curious about your career change.

[b_e_x]

I was tenure track, yes, and became tenured last year! So walking away from that is sorta a big deal, eek. But I always knew that while I do think tenure is an important protection for academic freedom, for many people it becomes "golden handcuffs" and keeps them in their jobs long after they stop enjoying them or being particularly good at them. I always knew that if I wasn't enjoying the work anymore, I should leave.

Academia is a tough path to walk, tbh. I don't regret my choices too much, but it is getting harder and harder to encourage anyone to become a professor. For the luckiest (or just most privileged), yes, it can be amazing, but the overwhelming majority of higher ed teaching jobs are not tenure track, pay little relative to other jobs a person with a PhD could do, and are very tough to manage if you have attachments (because you don't have much say in where you might end up living).

[wiseheart]

Welcome to the club! Me, I'm still on LJ, but come over to this place for the crafty discussions. I have no-one in real life to get really nerdy with about crafts. ;))

Your hobbies/designs sound intriguing. Can we hope to see some photos eventually?

[b_e_x]

Sure! Let's see if I can remember how to add pics...

[wiseheart]

Awww, how cute! I could cuddle that elephant all day (and that at my advanced age, too)! :))

[badly_knitted]

Those are amazing! I particularly love the dragon, because I'm a big fan of dragons. I love that you've taken him and your unicorn outside for photoshoots, so they're in their natural environments. Your elephant is obviously more at home indoors. He likes his home comforts.

[jupiter2932]

Oh, those are so neat!! I'm nowhere near that good with my own crocheting, but would love to look at your patterns, if you have a link :D

And welcome to the comm! I'm also from LJ from way back when, and I'm finding DW to be really welcoming :D

[illariy]

Ooooh, how adorable! Especially the dragon. So cute. I love them so much. :D

[spiralicious]

Hello & welcome! Like a lot of us, I started on LJ too :)

Very cool :D