Check-In Post - July 23rd 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 do you like to listen to / watch while crafting?


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]

Finished the fourth Hearts and Flowers design and started the fifth!


Found some real treats on the first tape I played today, most of a live album by someone I was lucky enough to see in concert many years ago, and a track by Albert Lee, one of the best guitarists Britain has ever produced. Then the next 4 tapes have all come detached from their moorings. I really have to get a set of good quality small screwdrivers so I can open them up and fix them =(

[wiseheart]

How annoying! I hope you manage to repair the tapes.

[badly_knitted]

I believe it's possible, but it takes a lot of care to keep the tape from unravelling. I learned that with the first attempted repair. I need better tools to work with though.

[peaceful_sands]

Well done with the Hearts and Flowers and good luck with the tapes.

[badly_knitted]

Thanks. It's annoying, but considering how old they are, not entirely surprising. There will probably be more...

[nagi_schwarz]

Oh no! Hope you can fix the tapes!

Way to go finishing another design!

[badly_knitted]

Thanks!

Yeah, I'll need luck, and better screwdrivers. I'll have to see what I can find next time I'm in town.

Well ...

[ysabetwordsmith]

I definitely won't be doing much outside today, as the weather is sweltering.

However, yesterday we went to the Edgar County Fair, which was lovely. One of the Art Hall exhibits was an afghan with a Dresden plate pattern ... done in crochet instead of patchwork. :D So if you crochet or knit, and you are bored with your craft's standard patterns, check out the myriad options in patchwork quilting! Most consist of relatively simple geometrics of squares, rectangles, triangles, circles, etc. that are straightforward to create with other crafts.

Re: Well ...

[badly_knitted]

Really is best to stay indoors when it's too hot.

Sounds like a great idea, and can translate to cross stitch just as easily.

Re: Well ...

[ysabetwordsmith]

>> Really is best to stay indoors when it's too hot.<<

A beautiful day to stay indoors and write! :D

>> Sounds like a great idea, and can translate to cross stitch just as easily.<<

It does. I've seen some lovely cross-stitch versions of quilt blocks, and in fact, several actual quilts done with cross-stitch. My Grandmother did a peacock, and flower-basket blocks ... I think one or two others. For a while there was a company selling white quilt fabric with large-scale cross-stitch patterns on them. Very pretty.

Also, all the dot-matrix crafts are transposable. Cross-stitch, beading, certain categories of lace and knitting, anything with patterns using either on/off or color-coded grids can be swapped around. It's very useful to know that.

A more modern example is diamond art, where you glue tiny faceted plastic dots to a background. There were several splendid versions of that at the fair, and earlier this spring we bought one of Starry Night.

Re: Well ...

[badly_knitted]

It was cold here, so I stayed in, wrote some fanfic, and did some cross stitch.

Have to be careful with knitting though, because knitting stitches are NOT square and that can distort patterns. I learned that when designing intarsia patterns for my own use. I did a Pierrot sweater that I designed, and worked out some details for a 1985 Super Bowl victory sweater. A lot of cross stitch patterns and knitting charts aren't interchangeable. It depends on the design.

Re: Well ...

[ysabetwordsmith]

Huh, interesting. Now that you mention it, knitting stitches are slightly rectangular. But every grid pattern I've seen for knitting has been square!

https://blog.tincanknits.com/2014/06/06/how-to-read-a-knitting-chart/

https://www.fibersprite.com/blog/how-to-modify-colorwork-patterns

This seems like a poor choice in terms of pattern construction. :(

Re: Well ...

[badly_knitted]

Printing them square is probably easier, and it makes no difference since they come out looking right. It just means if you're designing a chart for knitting, using ordinary graph paper, you have to keep in mind that it will appear elongated when actually knitted or, as in my case, Swiss darned on the surface of a plain knitted sweater. It gets cold here in winter, and I like the extra thickness achieved over the design. Plus, I've never been good at colourwork. Swiss darning makes it look knitted, but the design is embroidered on afterwards. I've made about a dozen sweaters that way. (Despite my username, I am actually good at knitting).

Re: Well ...

[marinarusalka]

I so admire people who quilt! I'm terrible at anything involving sewing. The San Diego County Fair always has gorgeous quilts on display.

Re: Well ...

[badly_knitted]

Oh, the same here. Sewing on buttons is about my limit. Quilts look so good I sometimes wish I had that talent, but I have more than enough other things to keep me busy.

Re: Well ...

[peaceful_sands]

Sounds like you saw some lovey quilting. Interesting idea to use designs from one craft taking it over to another and experimenting.

Re: Well ...

[ysabetwordsmith]

I have used (or had help using) applique, beading, crochet, and cross-stitch to decorate plain clothes.

I've also used some quilt techniques in scrapbooking, particularly for corners or borders. Once you have the design concept, it's easy to transpose into a different use.

Re: Well ...

[nagi_schwarz]

Definitely stay indoors. Thank you for sharing such lovely patterns! They are inspiring.

[fadingfootsteps]

broke out one of the old untouched kits and started doing a beehive. Will I stick with it? Who tf knows, but it's going.

[wiseheart]

Working down some of one's backlog is always good.

[badly_knitted]

Good luck with your kit, it sounds fun! You'll get it finished, even if it takes a while of working on it off and on.

[peaceful_sands]

Good luck - it's a good idea to tackle some of the projects we already have. I'm having a month of using and finishing older supplies (I need longer but I'm sure I'll get tempted to something new before I get done with all the old projects)

[nagi_schwarz]

Way to go making progress! A beehive sounds adorable. What kind of kit?

[wiseheart]

Finally found the time and energy to work a tiny bit on the dollhouse quiet book. Just a doll pillow and some very small appliances, but every little bit helps, don't they?

[badly_knitted]

Indeed they do. It's coming along.

[peaceful_sands]

Every few minutes counts towards your end result. You will get there.

[nagi_schwarz]

Way to go! Every little bit definitely does help.

[marinarusalka]

Put my knitting aside for a week, because I was visiting my mom in Arizona, where it was Way Too Hot. But I got back a few days ago and managed to finish my scrappy vest. It looked awful before blocking, all lopsided and scrunched up and practically unwearable. But the blocking evened it out really nicely and made the fabric much more drapey, so now I'm pleased with it overall. I still need to sew the buttons on, and will wait until after that to post pictures.

[badly_knitted]

Yes, knitting and hot conditions are not a good combination. It's why I cross stitch in summer.

Congratulations on finishing the vest, and I'm glad blocking evened it up. Looking forward to seeing the finished result.

[peaceful_sands]

Well done on finishing the vest - and glad the blocking helped resolve the problems. I look forward to seeing the finished product.

[nagi_schwarz]

Arizona does sound like it would be terribly hot this time of year for reals. Yay for the vest turning out well!

[peaceful_sands]

Almost finished the butterfly - at this point of the evening I have 4 spots left to sew on and I'm hoping to get through all four tonight but I might have to give in before I get them all done. I did resew the facial features, I'm still not entirely happy with them but it's a definite improvement. I'll maybe finish up and then see what other people think before I undo it again!

[nagi_schwarz]

The butterfly sounds adorable. You can do it!

[badly_knitted]

Well done with progress! Glad the face is improved, even if you're still not completely happy with it. I'm sure the baby won't mind.

[wiseheart]

I'm sure it's a lot prettier than you think it is. We are our worst critics sometimes.

[nagi_schwarz]

Managed to get a decent amount done at crafting yesterday. I'm at 19 inches from center to star point and need to be at about 29 to match the other blanket, so that's only about three more pattern repetitions left, which isn't bad. Today I folded and put away five loads of laundry (there's been a backlog) and I need to work on editing my friend's novel tonight (and every night till it's done) but a new drama with an actor I adore just started, so obviously I need to buckle down and watch while I craft!

[badly_knitted]

You have a lot of tasks tugging at you! Good luck with the editing, and enjoy watching your new drama while -you craft!

[wiseheart]

You are multitasking like a true artisan!