Check-In Post - March 10th 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: Do you remember the first thing you made in school?


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 am up to the shaping on my sleeve, but annoyingly, the ball of yarn I was using has run out so I have to join in a new ball to start the shaping. Makes me wish I'd joined the new ball in with I had the join in the yarn, but I'm not undoing 12 rows just to make the joins happen somewhere more convenient.

Also spent half an hour or so outside, cutting back the buddleia in the front garden. Still got to do the two around the back though.

[wiseheart]

Sometimes things just refuse to cooperate. Very inconsiderate of them.

[badly_knitted]

Indeed. It will just make the sewing up slightly more fiddly.

[nagi_schwarz]

Sounds like a productive time overall! Loads of progress! But also running out of yarn at an inconvenient time is a special kind of annoying, it's true.

[badly_knitted]

Thanks! It's not the first time it's happened at such an awkward place. On one occasion, I had to join in new yarn just to cast off, but it's a pain.

[spiralicious]

but I'm not undoing 12 rows just to make the joins happen somewhere more convenient. - I felt that in my bones.

Yarn seems to enjoy running out at unfortunate times.

It sounds like you are making progress with the sweater and the yard.

[badly_knitted]

It's the first time I've done anything in the garden this year. It's such a mess, and there is SO MUCH to be done.

Yeah, having to undo anything is bad enough, but 12 rows with cables, not worth it. I once had to start another ball just to do the cast off row on something I was making.

[spiralicious]

Good luck. I remember you had quite a time with things last year. Hopefully it won't get as wet.

Oof. I've had to do that too. It feels so ridiculous having to add on just to finish something up.

[badly_knitted]

I'm hoping for a dryer summer. The path I cleared needs the leaves clearing off it, but I have a path, so that's good. My cleared areas still need roots digging out, but not just yet.

Sometimes it's unavoidable though.

[peaceful_sands]

Well done on all your day’s achievements in crafting terms and the garden. Shame about the yarn joins but these things are sent to keep us on our toes!

[badly_knitted]

Thank you. I have successfully negotiated past the join!

[wiseheart]

No actual crafting today, but I visited several craft shops in the morning and bought some more styrofoam eggs. Now I have two dozen - that should be enough for the regular choir members. When I've done at least some of the little egg baskets as well, I'll go back to our school for the painting. Our art teacher (an old friend of mine since 1995) has a workshop for interested kids on Monday afternoons, and there I'll have enough room to spread out the eggs and baskets to dry. I can't do this at home.

[badly_knitted]

Great that you have somewhere to do the painting and drying!

[wiseheart]

It is a blessing, really. The only way I could do this at home would be to open the folding kitchen table, but when I do that, it practically fills the entire kitchen and renders it unusable.

[badly_knitted]

That would be a nuisance when you have to get at things in the kitchen and cook.

[wiseheart]

Exactly!

[nagi_schwarz]

Getting supplies is progress and also sounds like loads of fun! Glad you have a place you can work.

[wiseheart]

It certainly makes things easier.

[spiralicious]

Sounds like important prep work and planning happened!

[peaceful_sands]

Great that you’ve managed to get the supplies you need. Have fun when you set to work.

[althea_valara]

Forty-six minutes on a phone holder for mom, and twenty-two minutes on a gnome.

Oops, I forgot to promote it here but: communal_creators is doing a mini-round this week where you pledge time to be creative daily. I pledged 30 minutes a day, but I'm secretly hoping to reach 60+ minutes. Already doing well, then!

[badly_knitted]

Great progress, and on two projects! Well done!

Also, thank you for pointing out another interesting community. I'll head over and take a look in a minute.

[nagi_schwarz]

Way to go with your goal for the mini-round! I saw that was up and going. Way to go on the phone holder and gnome!

[spiralicious]

Well done!

[peaceful_sands]

Well done on your progress and exceeding your time spent goals too.

[mrs_sweetpeach]

Finished a cat bed crocheted from pink yarn. I'm extra happy with it as it was made with scrap yarns I accumulated over the course of an entire year.

[badly_knitted]

That sounds pretty! The cat should contrast nicely with the pink. As long as an orange cat doesn't get it. Then it would clash. *grins*

[nagi_schwarz]

Oooh that sounds like so much fun! I don't have a cat but see a lot of cute cat furniture patterns...

[spiralicious]

Very nice!

[peaceful_sands]

Well done on finishing your project and using up the scrap yarn too.

[nagi_schwarz]

T-8 days till Three arrives! My mum arrived today, bless her soul, to help me get everything ready, so we had a nice long chat after the kiddos were in bed, but I still managed to get the book boards covered and all the signatures punched. I put the book boards in the press to keep them flat after gluing the covers to them, and I found another video tutorial to watch so I can get the stitching right, but the book will be ready to sew as soon as tomorrow night! I just need to figure out what project I want to work on at crafting tomorrow, as mum has offered to watch the kids so I can go and just...work on a project. Do I want to try the granny square peplum top or the granny hexagon cardigan? Choices choices...

[wiseheart]

Wow, you are keeping busy! How nice of your mum to create a little bit of me-time for you!

[spiralicious]

Very exciting!

Excellent books progress.

That's wonderful your mom is helping you get some time alone to work on your projects.

[badly_knitted]

That's great progress on the book binding!

Glad your mum is there to watch the grandkids and help you get ready for number three.

Both projects sound pretty.

[peaceful_sands]

You’re doing great with your progress. Glad that your mum’s around to give you a hand with the children. Sending you best wishes for the remaining days until new baby arrives.

[spiralicious]

We made the chicken cards at Lynne's today! I think it net went well. The only real issue during card making was when Lynne realized she was missing the scratch paper with the rubber stamp (she likes to practice before she stamps on the card), she then just started repeatedly stamping on the placemat on purpose. When I went to clean it up before I left, she had forgotten she'd done it already. But then she said, "I was going to blame SON'S NAME, but you saw me do it." She was disappointed she couldn't blame him.

The chicken cards were well liked. Everyone liked the papers I chose. Lynne and I were both excited she was able to make both flower punches work on her own. Her son was happy I included distressing the edges of everything with ink into the design. Lynne was happy I worked in heart shaped gems. I liked the punny stamp.

Lynne's otherwise sour mood probably had to do with having so much company (her daughter, son in law, and their dog are visiting) and that a lot of things were happening around her she didn't understand - which is all very frustrating for her, understandably so.

Later, I pushed myself to finally type up something I've been needing to make a typed copy of and print for awhile. It was 16 pages handwritten and the library only gives you 2, 1 hour sessions on the computer a day. (The computer restarts in-between.) So... I had been avoiding it. I got 15 of the pages typed and printed (was only 11 typed up). I still need to go back and do the last page. It also killed my wrists, so no knitting.

At home, I felt like a genius because I finally solved how I was going to bind the zine I have been working on. It uses twice as much paper, but takes a fourth of the work to put together and costs the same amount of money in copying fees to reproduce as what I had originally planned on. I'm quite proud of myself.

[badly_knitted]

Sounds like a successful card-making session!

It really is difficult for people with any form of dementia to deal with a lot of visitors and changes to routine. No wonder her mood was a bit off.

We done for all your typing, and yay for figuring out how to produce your zine more easily.

[spiralicious]

Thanks! I didn't get the design, prototype, and prep work done for the card after next, but it's close, I think.

Oh yeah, definitely. Add to it, there were a lot things she had to deal with that she didn't understand, but also remembered she used to be an expert in them for her former career. Just to add to the frustration sandwich.

Thanks! I feel like both a genius for figuring it out and an idiot for not coming up with it sooner.

[badly_knitted]

You'll get there!

Poor Lynn, so much frustration.

Sometimes ideas need time to ripen.

[peaceful_sands]

Well done on your cards, your typing/printing and having a plan fir the zine.

[spiralicious]

Thanks!

[peaceful_sands]

I did some work on the second pair of socks and on the dreamcatcher.

[badly_knitted]

Wooo! Well done!