Check-In Post - Aug 11th 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

[badly_knitted]

Made some progress on the rose posy. All the lower leaves are stitched as well as the bow and I've started on the roses. Made two mistakes today that I had to unpick and re-do, which was annoying.


Less stitching time today as well, because a TV show I've been watching has been moved to afternoons for the latest re-run. So, while watching that, I did some knitting on some small pumpkins I need to get done for Halloween. I ran out last year. I've knitted three small ones and part of a fourth, plus part of a slightly larger one. The small ones are in 4-ply crepe yarn — I've got to find the rest of that because I should have several more balls — and the larger one is in DK. Hoping to make about twenty of each. I already had a dozen of the small ones knitted, waiting to be sewn up and stuffed, so if I can get them all knitted while watching TV in the afternoons, they'll be ready to sew up and stuff next month, well in time. Have to knit the stalks as well, but that is seriously fiddly.

[peaceful_sands]

Getting a head start on Halloween already 👻! Will there be mice this year?

[badly_knitted]

I still have a ton of meeces so there will be plenty of those, the bouncy spiders, pendants, and some other things. I'm just completely out of pumpkins...

[spiralicious]

Well done and way to think ahead and start working on those pumpkins.

[badly_knitted]

Thanks! I really need to get them done in advance so I'm not struggling at the last minute!

[peaceful_sands]

Photo time! Here’s a picture of the finished butterfly :

And one of the finished bunny:

For bigger images, I’ve posted on my journal here

[badly_knitted]

They are both so sweet! Perfect for baby!

[peaceful_sands]

Thank you. I've made a first square for the play mat. I have a plan to start by making squares and then I've found some designs to make some applique animal faces that I can add on to the squares. I may have to try and locate some different colours when it comes to the animals but I've got a week or two that I can just work on squares first. Once I've decided how big to make the mat, I can then work out how many animals I'll need - I've found some wild animal face patterns (lion, elephant, monkey, hippo, zebra, etc) so I should have a whole bunch of options. I will also hopefully by using up some significant amounts of the stash bust pile(s), be able to locate some smaller amounts of random yarns that will suit for the animal faces. I also have some simple-ish flowery patterns that I could intersperse with the animals - it will give the mat more colour and textures I think. Well I don't need to make all of the decisions right now, but if I 'm trying to keep my options open.

[badly_knitted]

It sounds like the play mat will be great! Very colourful, something that will draw baby's attention and interest.

[spiralicious]

They're so cute!

Thoughts

[ysabetwordsmith]

Too hot to work outside much again today. :/ A beautiful day to stay indoors and write!

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

Upcycling is your friend. Before you throw away anything, ask if you could turn it into something else useful. Before you buy anything new, ask if you could use something you already have. "Eat it all, use it up, wear it out; make it do, or do without."

30 Inspiring Upcycled Furniture & Housewares Projects

50 Cool Upcycling Ideas For The Garden

65 Useful and Easy Upcycling Ideas for Every Skill Level

600+ Clothes upcycling projects

Crafts with Magazines: 25+ Ideas for Recycling

Re: Thoughts

[badly_knitted]

Hope you got some witing done!

Excellent! I'm forever re-purposing things. Thanks for the links!

Re: Thoughts

[ysabetwordsmith]

My Depression-Era grandparents taught me a lot about upcycling. :D

Re: Thoughts

[badly_knitted]

I'll bet they did. Mum learned from growing up in London during the Blitz. I learned from her, but my sister just throws everything away. She's really wasteful.

Re: Thoughts

[ysabetwordsmith]

Then you are better equipped to survive climate change and its disruptions of supply chains.

Re: Thoughts

[badly_knitted]

I can only hope!

Re: Thoughts

[spiralicious]

Thanks for the links!

Re: Thoughts

[ysabetwordsmith]

You're welcome! It's fun to share ideas.

[spiralicious]

Card making with Lynne went okay. We got our cards made with minimal issues, I designed a future card, and I got some work done on a birthday card. The only real issues we had was Lynne being mad everyone keeps checking on her and trying to convince her that she has to eat more than an egg all day.

Tonight I also worked on detangling the yarn. I made some visible progress, but it feels like I'm not closer to done.

[badly_knitted]

Glad things went well(ish) with Lynne. But yes, one egg is not enough food for anyone.

You will get there with the untangling. Eventually.