Check-In Post - Aug 8th 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: Share your favourite crafting tip, if you have one.


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

[malurette]

I patched Yet More Holes in my pajamas. (How many holes can one patch before something becomes a Garment of Theseus?)

[badly_knitted]

I think you have a few holes yet to go, but you're getting there! Well done on the patching.

[darkcedars]

Haha is it still mostly the original color?

[nagi_schwarz]

Kudos to you for patching!

(Perhaps that question is best posed to the Fates...?)

[spiralicious]

Perhaps when it's over two thirds patching?

Well done on getting more patching done.

[badly_knitted]

Had a doctor's appointment this morning, so I went to the shops afterwards, picked up a few things ion the charity shops — some clear stamps, 4 balls of yarn I really do not need, two variegated ones and two sparkly ones, some coloured pipe-cleaners, and a selection of card blanks. Oh, and a cross stitch magazine that I don't think I've got. I don't recognise any of the charts in it anyway.

After I got home and put everything away, I finished stitching the tiny rose design, and started the next design that is long and thin (18 stitches by 88). It's a tall glass vase with a single rosebud in it. Should go well on one of the tall, narrow card blanks I just bought.

Had two lovely chats about knitting, with the nurse practitioner who did my ECG, and the lady at the checkout where I bought my yarn.

[wiseheart]

The best things are always those you really don't need. *g*

[badly_knitted]

Yeah, and I didn't really need any of it, but I deserved a reward for battling the traffic. Roadworks blocked my usual route, so I had to go all around everywhere, and turn around and go back the way I'd come. *sigh* Speed limit is 30mph. The main road, the camera said I was doing 6mph, creeping along behind an endless stream of other cars.

[darkcedars]

Quite a bit going on today! You'll end up with sparkle mice.

[badly_knitted]

That is a distinct possibility! They'll have to be the larger kind though, not the brooch ones.

[nagi_schwarz]

Hope the doctor's appointment went well. And yay for more clear stamps! And yarn! And other fun crafty supplies. Excellent progress on the rose design!

[badly_knitted]

I got the tests done, bloods and an ECG, and it was Tabi doing both, she's lovely. Apparently I have very good veins. =D

Thank you. I had a good haul this time. Now I just need some ink pads and ink for the stamps.

[spiralicious]

Congrats on your haul. Hope the doctor appointment went well.

Well done on your progress.

[badly_knitted]

Thanks! The tests are done, got to go back on Friday for the results.

Thoughts

[ysabetwordsmith]

>> Hello to all members, passers-by, curious onlookers, and shy lurkers, and welcome to our regular daily check-in post. <<

Yesterday we went thrifting. Among my finds were a skein of art yarn and another of ribbon-yarn. :D

>> This Week's Question: Share your favourite crafting tip, if you have one.<<

When posting how-to pictures online, I include at least some of the mistakes. It helps undermine the tendency toward perfectionism, where people reading a post think everything has to be perfect because the poster made it look as flawless as possible. That's not usually how crafting works. Here's an example from the crystal window ornament.

Re: Thoughts

[badly_knitted]

Yay! It's always great to find craft items like that!

That's a good point. We all make mistakes, some hilarious, some annoying, some that add to the charm of a project. Everyone taking up crafting of any kind, needs to know it's okay to make mistakes, that very few projects are completed perfectly. If one does end up perfect, it's usually completely by accident.

Re: Thoughts

[darkcedars]

Yarn buying for you too!

Re: Thoughts

[nagi_schwarz]

Oooh nice thrifting haul!

I do appreciate that tip! I appreciate patterns and instructions that point out common mistakes that can happen so I know that I'm still kind of heading in the right direction even if things have gone a bit awry.

Re: Thoughts

[spiralicious]

Congrats on your finds.

That is a very thoughtful tip.

[wiseheart]

Today worked a bit on my felt dollhouse. The second tree is now finished, and now my fingers really hurt. Typing is an ordeal at the moment. Still, I've started on the front page base; figured out a design that, I think, will look really cute. Or so I hope.

The long-term plan is to make all the page bases and background stuff first, so that I can make the embellishments little by little as I manage. We'll see how it works out.

[darkcedars]

Having all the bigger sewing out of the way seems reasonable.

[badly_knitted]

Well done, now give your fingers a bit of a rest. They need it.

Good luck with getting the page bases done. That sounds like the least enjoyable part.

[nagi_schwarz]

Your plan sounds like a good one! Hope your fingers feel better soon.

[spiralicious]

You are doing great!

[darkcedars]

I have been scraping & repairing on the house a lot the last two days. Dad came to help and we've almost finished a large area (including multiple windows) that can soon be painted.

I'm taking tomorrow off of that to rest, catch up a little cleaning. I have vowed to make at least a couple little things for myself next. Hopefully tomorrow I'll have started something.

[badly_knitted]

Ooof, that's a lot of work! Well done. Hope the painting can be done soon.

You definitely deserve a rest, and time to do something for yourself.

[nagi_schwarz]

That sounds like so much work! Glad your dad could give you a hand. Enjoy the rest. You've earned it!

[spiralicious]

That is a lot of work! I hope you had a good rest.

[fadingfootsteps]

Finished up my doily and lost my scissors sometime before that apparently </3 The scissors aren't the important part tbh I can find other ones, what I need is the blunt tapestry needles to weave in my ends.

[badly_knitted]

Congratulations on finishing!

Things always seem to go missing when we need them. Hope you have a blunt tapestry needle and that your scissors turn up!

[fadingfootsteps]

I suppose it's not clear- the tapestry needle pack is attached to my scissors! My scissors themselves are on pretty much a lanyard type deal threaded onto a cord so it can be a necklace, and also on that cord is a safety pin pulling keychain ring duties to keep the little tapestry needle container on the thread.

I've lost both at once is the gist, if that got too long. The set up was very clever in my head when I went "if I cut something then I'm making an end that I need to weave, therefore I should always have the needles with the scissors."

[badly_knitted]

Ah, that is a big problem. I mean, keeping both together is a good idea in theory, but lose one and you've most both. Hope you find them soon.

[darkcedars]

Oh that's annoying! Good job on otherwise finishing the doily.

[nagi_schwarz]

Oh no! Sorry about the lost scissors. Hope you can find the needles soon.

[spiralicious]

Congrats on finishing! Hope your tapestry needle and scissors show up soon.

[nagi_schwarz]

Made some more progress on the baby blanket. I am four rows away from finishing. (Each row takes upwards of half an hour, so.) Just been whipping it out whenever I sit down and chat with my husband in the evenings.

I was silly and bought a new crochet pattern for a super cute dress that my daughters will probably not wear, but I can hope. Maybe I can make a baby one and have Three wear it before she is big enough to be opinionated about her clothing like Two is. I initially saw the pattern off an Instagram ad, but then I followed it to the site and something about it struck me as off. The patterns were ridiculously priced compared to what I usually buy from individual designers on Etsy and Ravelry, so I did some digging, and sure enough, I found the actual pattern creator on Ravelry and bought from her instead (and at a much more reasonable price). (I also messaged her and let her know what I'd found.)

Tip for crafting: when acquiring patterns from websites, see what they say about the individual designers or crafters. If the designers aren't named, but suspicious. Also if the patterns available are for things in really disparate styles and aesthetics, that could be a sign they weren't all made my the same designer either (designers have individual styles like any other artist). Patterns could be stolen, so track down the original designers if you can!

[badly_knitted]

Well done, just a few more hours and it will be done!

We have to grab patterns that appeal when we can. At least you'll enjoy the making of it, even if your daughters aren't keen to wear the result.

That's excellent advice. money should go to the designer, not to a thief.

[spiralicious]

You are so close! Very nice.

Kudos for tracking down the pattern creator. I hope you enjoy the pattern, even if you can't get one of the wee ones to wear it.

Excellent tip!