Check-In Post - January 24th 2025

[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: If you're making any, what are your crafting resolutions for 2025?


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 time to do anything towards knitting my Aran jacket because I had to take my car in for its MOT, which meant driving it to the garage, walking home in gale force winds, waiting for a phone call, then walking back, still in gales, to bring the car home. It's only a 20 minute walk, but getting buffeted all over the place and avoiding small branches is tiring, especially when the wind kept changing direction. I'm officially done in, but my car is okay for another year. Just got to pay the road tax now.

[illariy]

No time for crafting or letter writing today as the first early shift of this week left me knocked out and I still had to cook and study afterwards, haha.

But I finally finalised my 2025 crafting resolutions and here they are: to try and fit little bits of crafting in here or there and set no other resolutions or goals beside that. Need something low pressure but still fun this year! :-)

[illariy]

Oh, is it hella windy where you are, too? Here it was not concerningly windy but certainly windy enough that cycling home was a challenge especially the long-ish part next to fields with no wind shielding features, haha. Yours sounds even more tiring, though. Happy to hear your car is OK for another year, though! So that counts as a productive day. Hope you have time for crafting the rest of the weekend. :-)

[badly_knitted]

That sounds like an excellent low-key goal!

Get some rest, once you've finished your studying.

[badly_knitted]

Forecast said upwards of 40mph, which doesn't sound a lot, but where I live, it's like being in a wind tunnel, I suppose it gets channelled across my area due to the surrounding landscape. On my walk back down I had to rescue a dustbin from the middle of the road. Driving back a few minutes later, it was blown over again (it was collection day, so it had already been emptied).

I remember cycling to work on windy days. It's hard!

Thanks, you never know!

[darkcedars]

Oh goodness, I'm surprised they were open. I heard many things were closed today.

[darkcedars]

Making more time for crafting in general is always a good goal. Relaxation matters.

[darkcedars]

I've just finished the last star ornament (made 7). I will try this evening to weave in the ends and hopefully starch them this weekend.

Doll disaster

[wiseheart]

I've finished the girl doll. It's a disaster. I've gone in more detail on my LJ and even put in a link to the fairly bizarre creature that is the result of about two weeks of hard work, in case anybody is interested.

I think I'll sit down in a dark corner and mourn for a century or so now. :((

[wiseheart]

Good luck!

[wiseheart]

Low pressure and fun are good!

Re: Doll disaster

[darkcedars]

Oh no, I'm sorry it's wonky after all of that work.

[matsushima]

I've started bringing my crochet to work meetings. My boss didn't love it but I challenged him and said "Do you believe in alternative learning styles or not?" (I'm a school librarian, he's the principal) and had to admit that I was right, so…!

It's a simple project (continuous granny square lapghan) and he seemed to relax a little bit when I showed him that I literally only have to look at it when I'm changing colors.

[badly_knitted]

I'm in the UK, it wasn't too bad, I like wind mostly, I just live in an area where if there are high winds, it gets a bit blustery, coming from every direction, head on one minute, then from behind the next. I'd already arranged my car's appointment, the garage is a tiny place on a side street, I've taken every car I've ever owned there for like 40+ years, so I try to be as reliable as they are.

[badly_knitted]

Well done, that's an excellent number of stars!

Re: Doll disaster

[badly_knitted]

I was expecting something totally hideous, but she's not. Wonky, yes, but little kids don't care about things like that.

Re: Doll disaster

[wiseheart]

Yes, but their parents might, and this was supposed to be a gift. :(

(Reposted because I've actually deleted the first reply.)

[badly_knitted]

The original forecast was for high winds and heavy rain, so I got lucky. It was blustery, but sunny. If the wind had stuck to one direction it might have been easier though.

[wiseheart]

Take care and stay safe!

Re: Doll disaster

[wiseheart]

It is really discouraging. :(

[wiseheart]

Oh, I see you've found my misplaced comment. I should have waited before reposting it above. *g*

[badly_knitted]

Glad to hear he saw sense!

Yay for school librarians! My happiest times at school were helping in the school library during breaks and lunch hour. It was my safe place.

Re: Doll disaster

[badly_knitted]

That's sad, but someone still might like her, you never know.

You should have seen the cardigan I knitted for my mum once. It looked like it was designed for a stick figure. WE all have things that go wrong, experiments that don't work.

[badly_knitted]

I always do.

[badly_knitted]

I get all the comments to posts in my inbox, didn't even notice it was out of place!

[readera]

The other day I started a small project to get my knitting mojo back. Its a tiny cat plushie. https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/beans-the-cat

I finished the body & most of the icord tail. I need to figure out the stuffing & do the details. I don't have any stuffing since I don't normally make plushies. I was thinking I could use yarn scraps but I'm not sure if that's best. Any ideas?

[matsushima]

I love those kids. I love all of my students, of course, but I have a special soft spot for the ones who escape to the library and do my best to make it safe and welcoming when they need it.

[badly_knitted]

That is such a cute plushie!

Yarn scraps might leak out in time, but it really depends on what the plushie will be used for. If it's for a child, proper stuffing would probably be safer, but if you're keeping it as a decorative object, use whatever you have, yarn scraps, old tights...

[badly_knitted]

You are carrying on a noble tradition! I remember helping process new books to go on the shelves, as well as doing shelving =)

[peaceful_sands]

Not much fun in the weather but glad all is okay with MOT.

[peaceful_sands]

It sounds like an excellent goal.

[peaceful_sands]

Well done and good luck with the next stage.

Re: Doll disaster

[peaceful_sands]

Sorry it didn't work out after all your hard work

[peaceful_sands]

If only I could do that! Glad you got his agreement

[badly_knitted]

Needing the brakes cleaning and lubricating, but aside from that all was okay. =)

[peaceful_sands]

What a lovely project.

[peaceful_sands]

I've finished the belt after tweaking the pattern - I repeated it on the other side of the starting row then folded it in half and sewed it together to give it more substance.

I've also worked on the latch hook rug this week - I've got about 5 rows done so far. It should get more exciting shortly as there will be more colour changes to build the picture (I've only used the blue for the sky with bits of white for snowflakes so far). Thinking I need to find some mini bags to keep the different strands together as after a while the rolls they come in lose stability and I end up with loose strands everywhere - okay when it's only one colour but once I've got four - five - six on the go, it could be a disaster waiting to happen!

In exciting news, it's my Mum's birthday today and I've booked spots on a candle making workshop for March as her gift - to attend with my sister and niece as well. Hopefully she'll like the idea.

[badly_knitted]

Well done with the belt!

The rug sounds like it's coming along well. I use freezer bags when I need to keep embroidery threads together for each project, so maybe they'd work for you rug wools?

Oh, that sounds like a lovely idea! Hope you all enjoy it.

[illariy]

It does and so far I am doing well with it. :-)

[illariy]

They sure are and so far this goal is reducing my stress levels and also encouraging me to craft and write letters a little more which are both great things.

[illariy]

Very wise words! Crafting and letter writing both relax me so much more and give back more energy than just watching Youtube for hours on end, which is my more regular move. I really need to remember that. Been crafting and writing a little more often and it is giving me such joy in life.