Check-In Post - February 19th 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: What kind of crafting supplies can you never resist buying?


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]

I've knitted the first pattern repeat on the first sleeve!

[darkcedars]

You'll really start flying now that you have the first set up.

[badly_knitted]

I just need to make sure I know where the increases are supposed to be, and then I'll be flying... the sleeves are mainly double moss stitch with a pattern panel down the centre, two cables bordering a panel of what I'm calling honeycomb pattern, so the increases will be easy, I won't be trying to add stitches to cables.

[wiseheart]

Great!

[badly_knitted]

Thanks!

[nagi_schwarz]

Woohoo! Way to go!

[badly_knitted]

Thank you! Hoping to make more progress today...

[darkcedars]

It's dangerously cold here (today's high is 9F/-13C plus wind chill, and colder at night) 4 inches of snow yesterday, it's so cold I was able to sweep most of it instead of shovel.

When I'm crafting it's still just a little of a dishcloth at a time.

[wiseheart]

One tends to hibernate at temperatures like that. :)

[darkcedars]

It is hard to accomplish much, and the snow removal is nasty.

[badly_knitted]

That is SERIOUSLY cold! Stay inside as much as possible, with a hot drink, a good book, and occasional crocheting to keep your fingers flexible.

[darkcedars]

It's making me be very hungry too!

[badly_knitted]

Hot soups and other hot foods should be had as well then ;)

[nagi_schwarz]

That is so cold for reals. That's about as cold as it's been here, and despite what the thermometer on the wall says, it feels much colder.

Way to go with the dishcloth! A little at a time is still progress!

[illariy]

Holy cow, that is super cold! Hope you are not frozen yet.

A little progress on a dishcloth sounds fine especially given the circumstances. Hope you have better weather soon!

[wiseheart]

Ellie and Lola, two of the adult elephants, are about to leave the herd as well. They're going to the grandsons of a friend (both approx. two years old), so they'll have a very good home. That leaves Flora (formerly Fleur) with us for the time being; and Fanny, of course, but Fanny belongs to Mum and will stay premanently.

On the crafting front I've cut out the parts, selected the appliqués and even did a bit of sewing on twelve future lavender sachets. This is going to be a long, ongoing project on which I'll be working on and off in small steps. They are no in the shape where I can set them aside if something bigger or more urgent comes up and then pick them up again.

[badly_knitted]

I'm sure it won't be long before Flora finds her forever home.

Well done getting as far as you have on the lavender sachets!

[wiseheart]

I'll be sad to see them all gone - well, except for Fanny, who's gonna be lonely, I'm afraid.

[badly_knitted]

Oh, I'm sure Fanny will be fine, she has your mum for company!

[darkcedars]

Oh that's great. Elephants finding homes.

[wiseheart]

I'm glad to send them to places where they'll be appreciated. :)

[nagi_schwarz]

You made those elephants so fast, and they've found good homes so fast. That must feel so good!

And way to go with the sachets. Having a project you can pick up and put down as other things arise is always nice.

[wiseheart]

Exactly! It's nice to have almost ten months to finish them - no pressure!

[illariy]

So cool you are finding good homes for the adorable elephants.

Wow, lots of work done but lots still left to do on those sachets. They smell amazing when finished, though. Also great to have a project you can set aside if something more urgent comes up and then go back to it later on without difficulty.

[wiseheart]

It will still be heartbreaking to let them go, though. This was a real project of love, and I so enjoy having them around (for the time being).

[marinarusalka]

Finished the ribbing on one armhole on my vest today. One more armhole and the neckline left to go...

I've also ordered the yarn for my next project, a lap blanket I'm planning to display at the county fair.

[badly_knitted]

Well done! At this rate you'll soon have the rest finished.

Is the blanket going to be colourwork?

[marinarusalka]

It’s going to be double-knitted, so the design will be reversible

[badly_knitted]

Oh, that's going to look great!

[darkcedars]

That's great, nearly finished.

[nagi_schwarz]

Woohoo! On the home stretch!

[illariy]

Great work yesterday, only fair to order yarn for your next project. The next project sounds cozy and perhaps less technically difficult depending on the pattern of course. Also, I adore your icon!

[marinarusalka]

Yeah, the blanket should definitely be easier, since it's just a bit rectangle -- no shaping or steeks or worrying about fit! And I've done double-knitting before, so I already know I can manage it. :-)

[nagi_schwarz]

I made the four cubes for my cube book, but I'll have to wait for the glue to dry before I dare to try to collapse them to finish turning them into a book. Lessons learned from this first go round: heavier paper is not always better. Also, dark colors on the inside of the cubes don't let in as much light and leave the images in shadow, so in future iterations I really might just leave the insides blank so as to let more light in, and also let the books be more flexible. Still, once I got the hang of it, it all made sense, and I think future makes will go much faster. Hoping to finish the first book tomorrow night.

[badly_knitted]

I am fascinated, and looking forward to seeing how it turns out!

[illariy]

That sounds like a fascinating project and good progress made, too! Yay!

[illariy]

On this day, I found out that a letter I wrote on 4 January to one of my most long-standing penpals here in Germany indeed went missing. That same day, I fished out her letter out of my responded-to letters drawer and wrote my reply a second time. I did decorate the plain outside of the matching envelope somewhat but rather conservatively with a few stickers only. Sometimes, if a decorated envelope has bits sticking out a little, that can lead to problems in the post and I do wonder if that is why my initial reply went missing. I want to make sure that this second attempt finally reaches my recipient! My pile of letters waiting for a reply now once again stands at 3, which is quite decent. Anything under 5 is comfortable for me.

Oh, and a crafting supply I can never resist is pretty pape, whether letter paper or those motif paper pads meant for scrapbooking or cardmaking which I use to decorate envelopes. I have the stash of several years' worth and if I don't slow down buying, I am rapidly approaching SABLE in this category. >.

[badly_knitted]

Oh, how disappointing, it's always awful when things get lost in the post. But at least you were able to re-write your reply, and hopefully this letter will reach your friend.

Pretty papers are always irresistible! I have so many pads of patterned papers!