Check-In Post May 20th 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: What's the most complicated project you've ever tackled?


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]

More work on the backstitch! Out of the three designs in this set, I think this one has the most complicate backstitch. I finished the bicycle, the front and back baskets and their contents, the fairy's hands, feet, and legs, and part of her skirt. Still a lot to do though. The baskets were the most complicated part.

[wiseheart]

That sounds like an awful lot of work for just one design. I admire your determination.

[badly_knitted]

Thank you! The backstitch really brings the design to life, so it's well worth the effort =)

[spiralicious]

Well done!

[badly_knitted]

Thanks! Hoping to finish the backstitch today...

[cathyw]

I have picked up a pair of socks that I had set aside to think about for a while, and I maybe needed to think about it a little longer because I started making mistakes immediately.

.....
The most complicated project I ever did... torn between two of them.
Celestarium is many pages of non-repeating chart, and I made it harder on myself by using different sizes of bead for different magnitudes of star. But... except for the beads, it was stockinette stitch in the round? once I figured out the chart management it was pretty straightforward.

Sheherazade is ye olde Extremely Dramatic Beaded Lace Shawl, which I upped the difficulty factor on by trying to use the entire ball of yarn. I needed a spreadsheet to track stitches knitted vs yarn remaining.

Of the two, Celestarium is the one that other knitters comment on when I wear it, so... :)

[badly_knitted]

Those mistakes were waiting for whenever you picked your socks up. You just have to get past them and then you'll be fine.

Celestarium is very beady indeed, but I think I like Sheherazade best. Both are very complex and very lovely though.

[spiralicious]

I swear socks just like to be problematic. Good luck with your future dealings with them.

Both of those are gorgeous. Also very complicated.

[wiseheart]

I've actually typed up the new chapter to "Enterprise - the Maiden Voyage" and made a brand new page to the baby book. The chapter has just been posted to AO3, in case anyone is interested.
I'm quite content with my progress.

[badly_knitted]

Wow, well done! A very good day for you!

[wiseheart]

That it was indeed.

[spiralicious]

Well done!!

[tielan]

Putting together my show quilt...



I need to get it sewn together (and photographed and submitted) by the 2nd June, but I think I think it needs a border of some sort around the edge.

Also: not sure about the 'upside down' which is intended to make the quilt kind of like "you can turn it any way around and there'll be at least some hearts that are facing the right way."

Thoughts?

[spiralicious]

It's very cute. I think adding a border to the edge would give it a more finished & cohesive look. I think the upsidedown is fun and I like when patterns incorporate it to make "any which way can be up" effect.

Personally, I would turn the big hearts so the tops are facing the outside of the quilt, not the points.

But these are all just personal opinions. Feel free to ignore. It looks very nice as is.

[badly_knitted]

That's gorgeous! I think the hearts work as you've got them, I like the reversible aspect. Turn it around for a change of view.

[liminaltime]

I'm almost done with my second Hudson Hat!

The most complicated project: learning to spin yarn. I started with a drop spindle, and now I have a wheel. It's a whole different skill than knitting, and I really struggled with thick, chunky yarn at first.

[spiralicious]

Well done!

Wow. Very impressive.

[liminaltime]

Aww thank you!

[spiralicious]

:)

[badly_knitted]

What a great hat!

Ooof, yes, learning to spin has always sounded complicated to me. Well done!

[liminaltime]

These hats are so much fun. I just started a third one! And yes it was daunting; I'm glad I had a group that was willing to help!

[badly_knitted]

You're going to have plenty of colourful hats for winter wear!

[malurette]

Guess who realized three-quarters in that the chevron was pointing wrong side up and was unnecessarily complicated? time to frog & reknit the whole scarf! (it's ok, it'll be easy, and it'll keep me occupied--yay dopamine from knitting!--but)

[spiralicious]

Yay more knitting dopamine, but sorry you had to frog it.

[badly_knitted]

Argh, how annoying! But, you're right, it will give you something to do...

[spiralicious]

I went to Lynne's. She showed me progress she's made on her garden, I got to have a bit of a chat with her son, and we made some cards.

Unfortunately, Lynne did not like her card because it was not absolutely perfect, which improved slightly when we showed her ours weren't either. There was also an uncomfortable political discussion because county election ballots are due tomorrow. Overall, though, things were much more chill than they have been. Also, Lynne got a letter regarding her insurance payout for the fire and she's quite happy with it.

I'm going to have to make some more card designs soon and figure out a time to go over there to make more kits. I'm just not sure how or when. Especially as if Lynne sees me making the sample cards, I don't know if I can keep her from joining in, which would defeat the purpose of making the kits. I may have to make decoy designs.

[badly_knitted]

Ooof, that won't be easy. You need Lynne's equipment to make the kits. Not sure how you'll manage to keep her distracted.

At least things went reasonably well this week.

[spiralicious]

Yeah, I'm still trying to figure that part out.

Yes. I have to remember to check in before I go over this Monday. It's a federal holiday here and it's the kind where her family might be visiting.

[badly_knitted]

Maybe you'll get a week off, more time to figure things out...