Check-In Post - April 30th 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 change crafts with the season or stick to the same crafts year round?


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]

Hot day in the garden... I reduced over 200 caterpillars to green smears on the concrete, which should be encouraging except I can't help thinking if I've found that many, how many have I missed?


Started cutting back some of the forsythia and overgrown holly. All the forsythia near the house has got to go, the roots are surely not doing the foundations any good. And I managed to snip the heel of my hand with my secateurs, so I'm not happy about that. It's a tiny wound, but it shouldn't have happened. I know better, but I let myself get careless. A good reminder that when we're using sharp tools we should watch what we're doing.

[darkcedars]

Oh no, I have a couple papercut-type from gardening the last few days but I didn't get myself with the clippers!

[badly_knitted]

It's like a 3mm cut, so tiny, but I'm so mad at myself.

Certain grasses are lethal for papercut-type wounds, I've fallen foul of them myself, but they just happen. This one was my own fault though.

[fadingfootsteps]

Ouch. I can feel it with having forgotten to respect your tools, I don't do it much anymore but I did used to do woodworking and some metal shop. More of a the highschool classes type stuff granted (because it was in highschool) but still, dangerous shit.

Here's to healing 🤞

[badly_knitted]

All kinds of crafting has sharp bladed or pointy things that can prove hazardous. It's a tiny nick, but in a stupidly awkward spot =/

Thanks!

[nagi_schwarz]

Oh no! Sorry about the battle wound. You have been a fighting champion in the garden though! Kudos to you for working out there despite the heat.

[badly_knitted]

The good thing is that where I'm working at present is in shade most of the afternoon, so it's quite pleasant. When I'm not snipping the wrong thing. Hopefully I've learned my lesson.

[sister_raphael]

That's a lot of caterpillars!

[badly_knitted]

I know, and they're eating all the leaves off the gooseberry bushes so I have to keep hunting for them.

[wiseheart]

Battling the slimy dragons is a dangerous occupation. I hope the hand heals, soon.

[badly_knitted]

It's a tiny nick, just in an annoying place. It's already healing. It was just a moment of stupidity on my part. I was lucky it was so minor.

[fadingfootsteps]

I did my last tiny triangle, two large triangles, and stitched and stuffed all medium/tiny triangles together. At the moment it's a very nice pin cushion for my safety pins, you can see my sole photo of this one here

I mentioned the two large triangles, out of ten needed, but idk how many I'm gonna get done with the rest of my night and we're back to work tomorrow. It does seem a better project for bring my stuff to work days than average, at least, so maybe something will get done! Maybe.

[darkcedars]

Glad it's portable, I used to take dishcloth projects to work.

[fadingfootsteps]

It's always nice to be able to pack a project up elegantly! Maybe not so elegantly because of my huge fuck-off yarn balls, but otherwise I don't care so much about this one getting stained up by grubby work hands because it's not pure white and will totally be wallowed on by dirty pets anyways.

[badly_knitted]

Sadly I lost my Ravelry password so I can't look, but I'm sure it's looking great.

Good luck with continuing progress by taking the project to work with you!

[fadingfootsteps]

Sad to hear that because I have no idea how to embed an image, but fingers crossed for some progress!

[badly_knitted]

It's not hard if you wanted to, but you'd have to upload your picture to dreamwidth first. Someone here explained to me how to do it and I could explain it to you if you'd like. I'm a computer dunce, so if I can get the hang of it anyone can.

[nagi_schwarz]

Look at you go! You're making excellent progress! Glad this is a handy project to be able to take to work.

[sister_raphael]

That sounds like a lovely pin cushion! Small projects are often the nicest!

[sister_raphael]

(and love your profile pic btw)

[darkcedars]

I've been doing a lot of chores and gardening earlier in the week. It's threatening rain all day so I did things inside and have worked on crochet scrubbies.

The iris are really starting to bloom. This one opened today. Imgur changed how you grab links to share so hopefully I've done the markup right and this isn't enormous.

[fadingfootsteps]

Very pretty! And ah, scrubbies. The needed tool that never ends.

Should make some myself but I kinda hate working with the yarn for it.

[badly_knitted]

It's perfect, and a gorgeous iris!

Well done on the scrubbies!

[nagi_schwarz]

Kudos to you for all your gardening work. A nice day inside crocheting is well-deserved. Also I've never seen irises that color before. They're lovely! Thank you for sharing photo.

[sister_raphael]

I've never seen an iris that colour!

[wiseheart]

Oh, so pretty!

[viskozni_varhanik]

gorgeous iris! gardening work can have very late results, but result like this are very neat to see :)

[althea_valara]

April crafting update here: https://althea-valara.dreamwidth.org/1237265.html

Includes pic of the bunny doily!

No crafting for me today, I had a doctor's appointment (went well) and it ruined the day as I waited around to leave for it, and now I'm going to play video games.

[nagi_schwarz]

That bunny doily is super cute! I love that you chose to make a colored carrot border. Have fun playing video games!

[badly_knitted]

Yay, cute bunny doily!

You definitely deserve to relax with computer games. Sometimes the worst part of a medical appointment is the waiting around until it's time to leave. Feels like you daren't get involved in anything, and time just drags while you sit around feeling anxious. Well, that's the way it goes for me. Glad the appointment went well.

[sister_raphael]

Aw, cute bunny!

[viskozni_varhanik]

oh the doily is Incredibly cute!! what and adorable touch with the carrot border 💚💚

yeah, having appointments you have in a wrong time of day when it feels you can't properly do anything else before suck. hope you had fun with the videogames!

[nagi_schwarz]

I managed to get some crocheting in this morning before the kiddos woke up. So close to finding a stopping point on this project! I paused and looked longingly at the yarn for the next project lol. Also today while kiddos were napping I tried my hand at making paper for the first time. Using paper from the shredder sped up the process I'm sure. All in all it was easier than I thought it would be to make paper, but it'll be harder to do it well and get a consistent thickness of paper. In a bit of poetic...something? Irony? I have been shredding the pages I've cut out of the hollow book. The goal is to make my own paper that I can then turn into a hand-bound journal! I only managed 11 small A5 sheets, though, and after the paper pulp mix was too watery to form paper I had to dump the water out (which tells me that the efficiency of making paper is not a super great return). So I'll have to make a LOT of paper before I can turn it into a notebook/journal, but it'll be fun! Also I only have one step left on finishing the hollow book. I'm excited!

[badly_knitted]

Well done with your crochet, and the paper making. Hopefully you will learn more efficient papermaking methods with some practice.

Yay for the hollow book almost being finished!

[sister_raphael]

Paper making is a lot of fun and it will take a bit of time to get enough for your journal, but it'll be worth it in the end!

[nagi_schwarz]

I am enjoying it so far!

[wiseheart]

It amazes me to no end how you manage to do all this next to your kids! Your multitasking is beyond impressive. 👍

[nagi_schwarz]

Thanks! Blessedly two of the kids are old enough that they will run off and play for themselves and give me a few minutes here and there to chip away at crafting projects...

[sister_raphael]

Lots going on and way behind again. Trying to sew and do book stuff and did manage to finish off a few little odds and sods.

[badly_knitted]

Everything that can be finished off is progress! You're a busy bee!

[nagi_schwarz]

Kudos to you for all your multiple projects!

[wiseheart]

I bought craft supplies (that I didn’t really need). Does that count?

[badly_knitted]

It always counts. Can't craft without supplies!

[nagi_schwarz]

Absolutely! Way to be prepared for future crafting you.